Looking for a healthy diet regime for your overall fitness and nourishment? We say you may just go for the Mediterranean diet. Loaded with the goodness of fruits and vegetables, the Mediterranean diet has recently been named the best diet of the year 2021. This is the 4th consecutive year that this popular diet made it to the top (in the overall healthy diet category) of the U.S. News & World Report's annual ranking. Following this, the second position on the list saw a tie between DASH diet (which is praised for its nutritional completeness and managing hypertension) and Flexitarian diet (a flexible diet that emphasises on fruits, vegetables and grains, and also allows you to enjoy your favourite meat at times).
What Makes Mediterranean Diet The Best Diet Of The Year:
Mediterranean diet - a plant-based diet loaded with fruits, vegetables, legumes, whole grain, olive oil et al - has time and again established a strong link with decreased health risks. Several studies across the world backed it to be good for weight loss, gut health, diabetes and more. Alongside being the best overall healthy diet, it has also grabbed the first stop in the list for the best diet for diabetes, the best diet for healthy heart, best plant-based diet and the best diet for healthy eating. Let's find out its benefits.
Here Are 5 Benefits Of Mediterranean Diet:
1. Promotes Heart Health
According to the American Heart Association (ADA), the Mediterranean diet can help you achieve a healthy dietary pattern that may help you fight cardiovascular diseases and reduce the risk.
2. Manage Diabetes
A study, published in the journal Diabetes Care, claimed that following a Mediterranean diet may help improve cognition in type 2 diabetics. "The Mediterranean diet's abundant antioxidants, vitamins, and unsaturated fatty acids may improve neurovascular health and reduce oxidative stress, metabolites, and chronic inflammation," stated Josiemer Mattei, Department of Nutrition, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA and the lead author of the study.
3. Improve Gut-Health
Several studies have also proved this diet to be beneficial for overall gut health. According to an earlier study, presented at the UEG Week Barcelona 2019, Mediterranean foods offer anti-inflammatory properties that help healthy gut bacteria flourish.
4. Promote Brain Health
Did you know that a diet loaded with fruits, veggies and nuts can be healthy for your brain too? A study, published in the journal Neurology, finds that the Mediterranean diet can help you achieve a younger brain by slowing down the cognitive decline process.
5. Prevent Breast Cancer
One of the major concerns among women worldwide, breast cancer risks can be reduced with the Mediterranean diet, stated a study published in the journal JAMA Internal Medicine. As per the study, "The results of the trial suggest a beneficial effect of a MeDiet (Mediterranean diet) supplemented with extra virgin olive oil in the primary prevention of breast cancer."
Which diet do you follow? Let us know about your diet in the comment section below.
About Somdatta SahaExplorer- this is what Somdatta likes to call herself. Be it in terms of food, people or places, all she craves for is to know the unknown. A simple aglio olio pasta or daal-chawal and a good movie can make her day.