{"id":10572,"date":"2022-01-05T13:05:00","date_gmt":"2022-01-05T18:05:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.mymedwellness.com\/blog\/?p=10572"},"modified":"2023-01-27T14:52:32","modified_gmt":"2023-01-27T19:52:32","slug":"just-3-principles-to-master-the-mediterranean-approach","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.mymedwellness.com\/blog\/?p=10572","title":{"rendered":"Just 3 Principles To Master The Mediterranean Approach"},"content":{"rendered":"\r\n
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\"TheThe Mediterranean diet has been recognized as the healthiest diet on earth for 10 years now. You may think that this is totally out of reach for you, because you just don’t live there. You don’t have fresh markets serving you local veg and fish from right around the corner. How are you supposed to get their healthy results on THIS side of the Atlantic?\u00a0<\/p>\r\n

The good news is that you don’t actually have to live there, nor do you have to mimic exactly what they do. What you should do is understand the principles that make it work. Once you get these in hand, you can apply that in your own life.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n

Principle #1.<\/span> Eat Food<\/h3>\r\n

When you look across the globe, there are so many cultures eating so many kinds of diets. But for the healthiest of them, what stands out is not how many carbs they eat, how much fat, protein, fish or fowl. Those in the blue zones of Sardinia for example, eat carbs in their breads every day; eat their full fat yogurts every day; and enjoy vegetables, starches, and meat.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n

But what they all have in common is that everything they do eat is a real food. It was grown. It had a mamma and a daddy. It was alive at some point. It is not some processed food product with a shelf life that will outlast steel belted radials. So if you want to eat what healthy people eat, start with principle #1, and eat food.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n

So next time you go to the grocery store, use these tips when shopping:<\/p>\r\n

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  1. When shopping on the periphery of the store, avoid meats with nitrites, dairy with added sugars, and and anything that says it’s cheese “food”.<\/li>\r\n
  2. When shopping in the inner aisles, choose foods that have an ingredient list that include ingredients you would find in your kitchen<\/li>\r\n
  3. Avoid low fat foods as they usually include added sugars, and additives.<\/li>\r\n<\/ol>\r\n

    Principle #2. Eat In Control<\/h3>\r\n<\/div>\r\n

    There’s an axiom in toxicology: “the dose makes the poison”. That means a little bit of something may be fine for you, but a lot … is not. Some chocolate is healthy for you; a metric ton per day is just not. Those in the Mediterranean enjoy a little wine with their meals, but if you go from 1-2 glasses per day, to 1-2 bottles, that very same thing will become bad for you in a hurry.<\/p>\r\n

    To eat in control like those in the Mediterranean region, you have to actually love your food. That means to eat small, taste your food, and take your time with it. By loving their food, taking their time, and tasting it they allow their brain a chance to register fullness before overconsuming the meal.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n

    Even better, once you start eating in control, your entire physiology adapts. The amount you are hungry for starts to align with the amount your body actually needs. In other words, you eat all you want, you just want less. By eating a little chocolate, or cheese, or … whatever real food you have … you get the health benefits without having so much that the very same thing becomes bad for you.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\r\n

    Use these tips to help you eat in control:<\/p>\r\n

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    1. Put your fork down between bites.\u00a0<\/li>\r\n
    2. Serve yourself less than you think you would like. You can always go back for seconds.<\/li>\r\n
    3. Really taste your food and enjoy it. It should take you anywhere from 10 – 20 minutes to finish your meal.<\/li>\r\n<\/ol>\r\n
      \r\n

      \u00a0<\/h3>\r\n

      Principle #3. Eat with others<\/h3>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n
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      \"CartoonEat with your family, and with your family of friends. When you do this, eating becomes about sharing an event together, which is a common piece of advice for mindful eating. But what does this have to do with your body?\u00a0<\/p>\r\n

      When you eat with others, you tend to take more time with your food because you’re talking, listening, laughing, and engaging with the group around you. You also tend to take smaller bites because otherwise it makes it harder to speak with pasta alfredo dribbling out of your cheek pockets.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n

      In a company of friends, this tendency to slow down and take smaller bites works for you by increasing your enjoyment of the food, helping your body register fullness before overconsumption happens, and training your body to enjoy the the amount of food that is right for your physiological needs. Win win win.\u00a0 \u00a0<\/p>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n

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      \u00a0<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n
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      The bottom line\u00a0<\/h3>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n
      \r\n
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      As you can tell, we call this the Mediterranean approach because its success comes from far more than just the atoms and molecules of the foods consumed. It is about what they eat, but also very much HOW they eat it. And the good news is that we don’t have to live there to enjoy their deliciously healthy outcomes here at home. Just follow the principles that drive the success of their cultural habits: eat real food, do that in control, and return to the family table of friends.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

      Everyone knows that the Mediterranean approach is the healthiest on earth. But how do you make that work, on OUR side of the Atlantic? <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":10863,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[494,285,558],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-10572","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-articles","category-mediterranean-diet","category-nutrition"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/mlcmmqmgggev.i.optimole.com\/w:auto\/h:auto\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.mymedwellness.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/Med-Diet-Foods.jpg?fit=2000%2C1500&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p7Qv5g-2Kw","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":12582,"url":"https:\/\/www.mymedwellness.com\/blog\/?p=12582","url_meta":{"origin":10572,"position":0},"title":"What If Docs Prescribed The Mediterranean Approach?","author":"Will Clower","date":"October 24, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"Can you imagine? \"Take 2 tomatoes, an avocado, a glass of wine and call me in the morning.\" Or ... \"Here's the food for a Mediterranean approach for the next month ... that'll be a $20 co-pay and insurance pays the rest.\" If these imaginary conversations existed in a bookstore,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Articles"","block_context":{"text":"Articles","link":"https:\/\/www.mymedwellness.com\/blog\/?cat=494"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/mlcmmqmgggev.i.optimole.com\/w:auto\/h:auto\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.mymedwellness.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/doctor_writing_prescription_eating_Mediterranean_diet.png?fit=1092%2C612&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/mlcmmqmgggev.i.optimole.com\/w:auto\/h:auto\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.mymedwellness.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/doctor_writing_prescription_eating_Mediterranean_diet.png?fit=1092%2C612&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/mlcmmqmgggev.i.optimole.com\/w:auto\/h:auto\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.mymedwellness.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/doctor_writing_prescription_eating_Mediterranean_diet.png?fit=1092%2C612&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/mlcmmqmgggev.i.optimole.com\/w:auto\/h:auto\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.mymedwellness.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/doctor_writing_prescription_eating_Mediterranean_diet.png?fit=1092%2C612&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/mlcmmqmgggev.i.optimole.com\/w:auto\/h:auto\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.mymedwellness.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/doctor_writing_prescription_eating_Mediterranean_diet.png?fit=1092%2C612&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":11313,"url":"https:\/\/www.mymedwellness.com\/blog\/?p=11313","url_meta":{"origin":10572,"position":1},"title":"Perfect Example of a Mediterranean Approach","author":"Will Clower","date":"May 25, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"This reel of this day (below, but I'll paste the youtube channel link here, just in case) hits on all the reasons the Mediterranean lifestyle is the healthiest on earth. We harvested olives throughout the day, pulling, bending, gathering -- there's your exercise. These olives will be pressed into olive\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Mediterranean diet"","block_context":{"text":"Mediterranean diet","link":"https:\/\/www.mymedwellness.com\/blog\/?cat=285"},"img":{"alt_text":"Showing our haul of olives after harvest","src":"https:\/\/mlcmmqmgggev.i.optimole.com\/w:auto\/h:auto\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.mymedwellness.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/IMG20220521163845-scaled.jpg?fit=900%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/mlcmmqmgggev.i.optimole.com\/w:auto\/h:auto\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.mymedwellness.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/IMG20220521163845-scaled.jpg?fit=900%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/mlcmmqmgggev.i.optimole.com\/w:auto\/h:auto\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.mymedwellness.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/IMG20220521163845-scaled.jpg?fit=900%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/mlcmmqmgggev.i.optimole.com\/w:auto\/h:auto\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.mymedwellness.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/IMG20220521163845-scaled.jpg?fit=900%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":2449,"url":"https:\/\/www.mymedwellness.com\/blog\/?p=2449","url_meta":{"origin":10572,"position":2},"title":"Why Med Diet is Best (please forward)","author":"Will Clower","date":"February 12, 2010","format":false,"excerpt":"One of the best parts about our approach -- is that you learn the difference between a REAL food and a FAKE food. That sounds like it should be easy, but unfortunately it's just not any more. In this video, I talk about what makes our Mediterranean dietary approach the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Articles"","block_context":{"text":"Articles","link":"https:\/\/www.mymedwellness.com\/blog\/?cat=494"},"img":{"alt_text":"Bookmark and Share","src":"https:\/\/mlcmmqmgggev.i.optimole.com\/w:auto\/h:auto\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/s7.addthis.com\/static\/btn\/v2\/lg-share-en.gif?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":2366,"url":"https:\/\/www.mymedwellness.com\/blog\/?p=2366","url_meta":{"origin":10572,"position":3},"title":"Yawn* Mediterranean diet helps existing heart disease, too | Reuters","author":"Will Clower","date":"June 8, 2010","format":false,"excerpt":"The Mediterranean diet is the healthiest diet on Earth. This is just more data showing what we already know. But check this out: Patients with diet's that were the closest to the Mediterranean style of eating were at 31% lower risk of suffering another heart attack or experiencing chest pain\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Articles"","block_context":{"text":"Articles","link":"https:\/\/www.mymedwellness.com\/blog\/?cat=494"},"img":{"alt_text":"Bookmark and Share","src":"https:\/\/mlcmmqmgggev.i.optimole.com\/w:auto\/h:auto\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/s7.addthis.com\/static\/btn\/v2\/lg-share-en.gif?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":2599,"url":"https:\/\/www.mymedwellness.com\/blog\/?p=2599","url_meta":{"origin":10572,"position":4},"title":"The Mediterranean Makeover: Their diet; our culture; preventing diabetes anyway","author":"Will Clower","date":"March 24, 2009","format":false,"excerpt":"The logic is straightforward. We know that preventing diabetes is better than fighting the disease after it has developed. We also know that the Mediterranean diet can prevent the development of diabetes in the first place. Thus, in theory, we should be able to apply this approach to prevent the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Articles"","block_context":{"text":"Articles","link":"https:\/\/www.mymedwellness.com\/blog\/?cat=494"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":1947,"url":"https:\/\/www.mymedwellness.com\/blog\/?p=1947","url_meta":{"origin":10572,"position":5},"title":"What’s The Magic Behind The Mediterranean Diet?","author":"Will Clower","date":"July 2, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"Follow @willclowerThe Mediterranean Diet seems to be good for whatever ails you.\u00a0 Every month brings more data showing how this approach leads to low weight, healthy hearts, and longer lives. Despite the luscious creams, cheeses, butters, breads, chocolates, and wines they eat and drink, they\u2019re still thinner and healthier than\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Articles"","block_context":{"text":"Articles","link":"https:\/\/www.mymedwellness.com\/blog\/?cat=494"},"img":{"alt_text":"Med-Flat-Bread","src":"https:\/\/mlcmmqmgggev.i.optimole.com\/w:auto\/h:auto\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blog.spafinder.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/06\/Med-Flat-Bread.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mymedwellness.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10572","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mymedwellness.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mymedwellness.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mymedwellness.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mymedwellness.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=10572"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.mymedwellness.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10572\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":11944,"href":"https:\/\/www.mymedwellness.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10572\/revisions\/11944"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mymedwellness.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/10863"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mymedwellness.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=10572"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mymedwellness.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=10572"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mymedwellness.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=10572"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}