Foods Of Spain, Southern Italy And Greece
For the past 50 years, positive health benefits have been concluded in multitudes of research papers based on the Mediterranean diet. This new study blows every other past study away! The article is in the NEJM (New England Journal of Medicine), involving 7,000 Spanish participants followed for 5 years observing diet and blood vessel health.
Yellowish Gritty Gunk Mucks Up The Works
Clogged blood vessels are responsible for strokes and heart attacks. Research participants showed the same benefits with diet in lieu of taking statin medications.
Statins-Draino For Your Arteries
Statins are the popular prescription medications like atorvastatin (Lipitor), simvastatin (Zocor), Crestor and many others. They go to your liver and decrease the production of total, bad cholesterol (LDL), triglycerides and increase good cholesterol (HDL). This study focused on the benefits of diet rather than prescription medications. In this case, they allowed food to be thy medicine. Dietary lifestyle in Spain showed the preventative effect that diet has on keeping cholesterol and weight normal. These individuals significantly lowered their risks of both heart attack and stroke. This proves the direct positive effect that a diet has on weight, blood pressure and cholesterol. Study results showed up to a 30% decrease in cardiovascular disease.
After this research was published in the journal, the entire medical community is taking diet much more seriously in disease prevention. The evidence is so overwhelming because these participants were diabetics, smokers, had hypertensive (high blood pressure), high cholesterol and a family history of obesity and heart problems. The subjects were initially at risk for an event (heart attack or stroke) with ages ranging from 55-80. An older person that can still lower their risk even though they had long-standing risk factors is amazing.
The diet consisted of fresh fruits and vegetables, fish (especially fatty fish), seafood, beans, tree nuts and peanuts, wine with meals (not mandatory) and olive oil. The study was cut short because of the highly significant positive results. Our ancestors brought over the Mediterranean diet to this country early in the last century. We need to go back full circle from junk, processed and convenience products to the simpler way of life. These nutritious uncontaminated basic foods enmeshed together into deliciously healthy disease preventive dishes.
The List Of Foods That Your Body Loves
1. Fresh Fruits (3 servings per day)
2. Fresh Vegetables (2 serving per day)
3. Beans (3 servings per week)
4. Tree nuts and peanuts (3 servings per week)
5. Fish (fatty fish are better), seafood (3 servings per week)
6. Extra virgin olive oil (4 tablespoonfuls per day) Yes, really in cooking, salad dressing, soups, etc. Extra virgin type because it has the highest antioxidants level.
7. Wine with meals (7 glasses per week) (teetotalers excluded)
Renovating Your Mind 
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