Logo of the Mediterranean Diet - A plate with a colorful arrangement of fruits, vegetables, grains, and olive oil, representing the wholesome and balanced nature of the Mediterranean Diet.

More About the Mediterranean Diet and Women

by | Aug 8, 2011 | Mediterranean Diet Information, Mediterranean Diet News | 0 comments

a healthy woman with groceriesWhen we talk about the Mediterranean diet and women, or any diets for that matter, it’s the women that we automatically think about. This is due to many reasons and maybe the biggest one would be because they’re more concerned about the way they look or feel.

Now, I’m not sure if you’ve heard about the recent publication of UN’s Food and Agriculture that states that the famous Mediterranean diet is long gone. But the Italian Agriculture minister, Paolo de Castro, is retaliating by saying the Mediterranean diet is their heritage and it will stay with them regardless of multinational food shifts. The UN report really served as a wake up call to these people and so there is a new and stronger movement about protecting farmer markets and promotion of healthy foods.

Good news, don’t you think?

Now, to move on to the better news, there are also more health benefits that you can get from the Mediterranean diet. These benefits are, of course, applicable to all- men, women, young and old. But its effects appeal more to women.

Beautification

Women are obsessed with looking better and younger. And according to a representative from Cobram Estate (olive oil provider in Australia), the extra virgin olive oil is a natural and cost-effective “beautifier” and as we all know, the extra virgin olive oil is an integral part of the Mediterranean diet.

Sun Burn Protection

The Mediterranean diet is very healthy and a group of scientists from Spain has discovered that it can also help protect skin cells from sun damage.

This is because of the fact that there are substances in major Mediterranean diet ingredients (olive oil, grapes, tomatoes, even red wine in moderation (resveratrol) – most things fresh, really) that aids in protecting the skin from ultraviolet radiation.

Many cosmetic companies are actually looking into how they can use the Mediterranean diet concepts in creating creams or products that can improve the skin.

Cancer Prevention

I know that in the last article about the Mediterranean diet and women, we’ve talked about how it can prevent breast cancer.

But a study from the International Agency for Research on Cancer recently revealed that British women have a greater risk to developing cancer (any type) as compared to women in the Mediterranean. In fact, there’s a 17% higher risk for them to develop cancer. The data also showed that because of the bad eating habits of British women, the risk of getting cancer by age 75 is up by 25.1% too.

Belly Fat Elimination

Women constantly worry about belly fat- that is a sad fact of life, at least for women. Now, there’s good news for women about finding a long term solution to this problem: the Mediterranean diet.

In 2009, a study from the Second University of Naples revealed the results of their four-year study. It said that women who followed the Mediterranean diet lose more weight, enjoys lower cholesterol and blood pressure.

According to the study, the Mediterranean diet is a natural fat-burning diet and most of the fats we consume go straight to the belly! This just means that the more you follow the Mediterranean diet, the more fats you burn. And the more fats you burn, the less fat goes into your tummy!

If you are short on time (like me) it’s sometimes handy to have access to hand selected, traditional recipes like these in my Mediterranean diet recipes club.

I hope this has been of some help to you,

Ray Baker