Greece is popularly known for its beautiful islands, friendly people and most importantly, delicious foods. Locals are known to live long lives full of energy. Their diet is so popular that it is followed internationally by all cultures and loved by all for its positive health benefits.

Diet trends come and go, but the Mediterranean diet is one that is set to stay due to its wide range of ingredients to enjoy and the lack of limiting restrictions imposed by other diets.

It is a diet is that is easy to follow and incorporates fresh and flavoursome ingredients, packed with delicious herbs, vital vitamins and minerals which are needed to support a healthy lifestyle.

The Mediterranean diet is one of the most healthy diets in the world, seen more as a lifestyle, shedding negative connotations around the word diet.

What to expect to eat whilst enjoying this diet

The Mediterranean diet is not as strict as others, permitting a wide variety of foods that can be enjoyed and making it easy to follow. The diet promotes the consumption of foods that are high in Omega-3s and healthy fats, such as;

Individuals following this diet should reduce their intake of foods that contain:

The diet encourages healthy eating of foods that are made with fresh ingredients rather than processed foods that will damage an individuals gut health.

Here are 5 benefits that make the diet a must-try:

Good for your heart health

The Mediterranean Diet is most popularly known to benefit heart health by reducing the risk of heart disease and stroke. This is due to the Omega-3 packed ingredients that are encouraged to be eaten whilst following this diet.

Good for your brain

A day of food packed with heart-healthy ingredients also has fantastic benefits for your brain health. The mediterranean diet may help prevent memory loss in the long term as well as reduce the risk of Alzheimers and other types of cognitive decline. About 60% of your brain is made of fat, half of that being made of Omega-3. Not getting enough of this fatty acid is linked to learning impairments, as well as depression. Fortunately, the Mediterranean diet is packed full of healthy fatty foods to be enjoyed daily.

Help with depression and anxiety

As briefly stated above, the amount of Omega-3 your body consumes has an impact on an individuals emotions which can lead to someone feeling depressed or happy. Omega-3 fatty acids are known to improve moods and can be found in items such as fatty fish. The Mediterranean diet also includes grains such as Quinoa which have been found to include flavonoid which is known to have a significant anti-depression effect.

Its good for your gut

The Mediterranean diet promotes consumption of a wide variety of fruits and vegetables which are known to improve healthy bacteria and overall provide positive effects on gut health. It also helps reduce inflammation and emphasises fibre-rich foods.

People with arthritis may benefit from this diet

The diet includes ingredients with anti-inflammatory properties, therefore following this diet may eliminate symptoms of Arthritis. For example, bananas are high in Magnesium and potassium that can increase bone density. Minerals such as Magnesium are also known to alleviate arthritis symptoms.

Overall, the Mediterranean diet is a stable diet that can be enjoyed by all. The diet encourages eating fresh and nutritious ingredients that provide a variety of health benefits as well as eliminating foods that will result in health issues, weight gain and other negative implications. Many individuals choose to follow the Mediterranean diet and have more success in being able to stick to it in the long term as the meal options to choose from are so much wider in comparison to other diets.

Originally posted here:
The Mediterranean Diet And Why You Should Consider It - Greek City Times

The Mediterranean diet helps to counter the health impacts of obesity, according to a new study from Uppsala University in Sweden.

In 2015, four million deaths were attributed to excessive weight and more than two-thirds of those deaths were caused by cardiovascular disease (CVD).

Despite the increasing prevalence of obesity, the rates of CVD-related death continue to decrease in Western societies, a trend not explained by medical treatment alone, wrote the study authors. These observations suggest that other factors might modify the higher risk of CVD associated with higher body mass. Potentially, one such factor is diet.

The Mediterranean diet centers mainly around plant-based foods such as vegetables, fruits, herbs, nuts, beans, and whole grains. The diet also includes moderate amounts of dairy, poultry, eggs, and seafood, while red meat is only eaten occasionally.

A team led by Karl Michalsson set out to investigate how a Mediterranean-style diet among individuals with a higher body mass index (BMI) may affect all-cause mortality, with a particular focus on fatal cardiovascular events.

The study was focused on data from more than 79,000 Swedish adults enrolled in the Swedish Mammography Cohort and Cohort of Swedish Men.

Adherence to a Mediterranean-like diet (mMED) was assessed on a scale of 0 to 8, based on intake of fruits and vegetables, legumes, nuts, high-fiber grains, fish, red meat, and olive oil.

Over 21 years of follow-up, more than 30,000 participants died. The researchers found that individuals classified as overweight with high mMED had the lowest risk of all-cause mortality. Obese individuals who had high mMED did not have a higher mortality risk compared with those in the healthy weight group with the same diet.

By contrast, individuals with a healthy weight but low mMED had higher mortality rates compared to people in the same weight range who regularly adhered to a Mediterranean-style diet.

The findings were very similar among 12,000 participants who died from cardiovascular disease. The researchers determined that CVD mortality associated with high BMI was reduced by adherence to a Mediterranean diet, although it was not fully countered. Furthermore, lower BMI did not help offset the elevated CVD mortality risk associated with a low mMED.

These results indicate that adherence to healthy diets such as a Mediterranean-like diet may be a more appropriate focus that avoidance of obesity for the prevention of overall mortality, wrote the study authors. Nonetheless, a healthy diet may not completely counter higher CVD mortality related with obesity.

The research is published in the journal PLOS Medicine .

By Chrissy Sexton, Earth.com Staff Writer

See the rest here:
Mediterranean diet helps offset the health impacts of obesity - Earth.com

Joanna Nolle Levesque, known to most by her stage name JoJo began her career in 2004. Her first song, Leave (Get Out), made her an overnight sensation because of the powerhouse vocals that seemed misplaced coming out of a 13-year-old.

The song made JoJo the youngest female solo artiste with a number one single in the US.Sadly, her initial success was short-lived after she became embroiled in a legal battle with her label, Blackground Records, that lasted over a decade during which time JoJo released a few mixtapes and covers, but not much else.

However, the sordid tale of her time with Blackground does not end with their alleged attempts to control and block her ability to release music.

When I was 18, I remember being sat down in the Blackground office and the president of the label being like, We just want you to look as healthy as possible, JoJo recalls in an interview with Uproxx.

Initially, the singer did not buy into what she was being told about her image. She responded to attempts to get her to change how she looked by saying, Im actually the picture of health. I look like a healthy girl who eats and is active, and I dont think that this is about my health. I think that you want me to be really skinny.

Eventually, JoJo was sent to a nutritionist who put her on a 500 calorie-a-day diet and appetite-suppressing injections. Soon, the body image issues kicked in.

However, it wasnt simply out of insecurity that the issues were born the singer believed this was the only way she could continue making music. Maybe Im just so disgusting that no one wants to see me in a video and that they cant even look at me, she remembers thinking.

I am speaking, I would say, for probably every woman in this industry that your image and your weight is up for conversation And its just uncomfortable. Its hard enough being a woman, says JoJo.

The feeling of not being enough and needing validation, combined with issues with her label not releasing her music, and the loss of her father to addiction all led JoJo to turn to alcohol.

JoJo says she was completely reckless and needed to be buzzed to feel OK. However, she did not let her demons win, as she overcame her addictions, vowing to not end up like her father.

JoJo finally broke free of the powers that be who legally owned her voice up until that point and finally came back to music with III (pronounced tringle), an EP featuring three new singles.

This was followed by a tour, more EPs and singles, and a re-release of her debut and second albums now totally re-recorded with minor changes.

More recently, the singer put out a song titled Joanna a letter to her younger 14-year-old self that ends with the promise of new music. She made good on that promise, releasing the song Sabotage featuring Chika.

If you have a news scoop or an interesting story for us, please reach out at (323) 421-7514

Read more here:
Singer JoJo recalls how she was put on a 500-calorie diet and given appetite-suppressing injections as a teen - POP TIMES UK

Vitamin C, also known as ascorbic acid, is used for various processes in the body including building bone, collagen, and muscles. It's also important for wound healing. But the human body doesn't produce vitamin C on its own, meaning you need to consume it from dietary sources.

Here are five benefits of vitamin C, and how to know if you're getting enough of it:

"There is some limited evidence that extra-high doses of vitamin C boost the immune system and help fight off the common cold and other types of infections," says Ben Tanner, a physician assistant and nutrition expert. An extra-high dose of vitamin C is somewhere around 200 mg. "The evidence is pretty weak, but the benefits of taking some extra vitamin C when you are sick probably outweigh any risks, for almost everyone."

A paper published in the journal Nutrients in 2017 notes that some cells in the immune system require vitamin C to do their jobs, meaning a high supply about 100 to 200 mg a day of vitamin C can enhance immune system functioning.

Additionally, vitamin C deficiency can increase your risk of becoming susceptible to some bacteria and viruses. That said, the Mayo Clinic stresses there is no evidence that vitamin C prevents the common cold.

"[Vitamin C] is an antioxidant, which limits the damaging effects of free radicals," explains Amanda Izquierdo, MPH, RD, a Chicago-based registered dietitian.

Free radicals are compounds produced both by normal cell processes and by external sources like pollution or cigarette smoke. If your body accumulates too many free radicals, this can lead to something called oxidative stress, which is linked to aging and health conditions including:

Antioxidants like vitamin C can help prevent the accumulation of free radicals. That said, the International Journal of Biomedical Science study concludes that "further research is needed" before experts can unequivocally recommend antioxidant supplements as preventative treatments for some of these conditions linked to free radicals.

Read more about the benefits of antioxidants.

Thanks to vitamin C's role as an antioxidant, it may also play a role in heart health.

A 2013 paper published in the Journal of the American Heart Association reviewed 16 studies to determine relationships between vitamin C intake and the likelihood of having a stroke.

The researchers concluded that people with a high vitamin C intake ranging from an average of 45 mg to 1,167 mg a day were less likely to have had strokes. Those who took between 200 mg and 550 mg a day of vitamin C saw the greatest reduction in stroke risk.

While researchers are unsure exactly how vitamin C reduces the risk of stroke, they believe it may be due to the vitamin's ability to lower blood pressure and reduce inflammation.

A 2017 study published in Nutrients found that normal skin contains high levels of vitamin C because it plays two important roles in skin health: assisting with collagen production and preventing sun damage.

Vitamin C can help stimulate collagen production in the skin. Collagen is a protein that provides skin with its structure and stretch. As we age, our body naturally produces less collagen, resulting in wrinkles and fine lines. Topical application of vitamin C may help regenerate lost collagen.

Vitamin C also removes oxidants caused by exposure to ultraviolet radiation, which helps to prevent sun damage. Ultraviolet radiation causes premature aging of the skin, resulting in wrinkles, hyperpigmentation, and skin sagging. Vitamin C also inhibits the production of melanin a pigment that can cause dark patches on the skin.

Vitamin C helps with the absorption of non-heme iron, which is a type of dietary iron found in plant-based foods like leafy vegetables, nuts, and grains. Iron is important for maintaining healthy blood, as it's a major component of hemoglobin. Hemoglobin is a protein found in red blood cells that transports oxygen to cells and organs. When someone is iron deficient, they develop a condition called anemia that causes muscle weakness and fatigue.

Because vitamin C assists with iron absorption, people with anemia may benefit from taking iron supplements along with vitamin C supplements, or another source of vitamin C like a glass of orange juice.

The amount of vitamin C you need varies depending on your age, according to the National Institutes of Health.

There are not many risks associated with consuming too much vitamin C, Tanner says, because it's a water-soluble vitamin. That means that any excess is simply flushed out of the body in urine.

"One exception would be people with a condition called hemochromatosis, who have excessively high iron levels," he says. "Vitamin C increases iron absorption in the gut."

Too much iron stored in the body can cause cirrhosis, heart failure, other organ failure, and diabetes.

Izquierdo says that most people don't experience issues from consuming too much vitamin C, but potential symptoms include:

"The obvious food sources of vitamin C are citrus fruits," says Tanner. "But many other fruits and vegetables are also good sources."

Foods rich in vitamin C include:

Yuqing Liu/Insider

Vitamin C plays an important role in many processes within the human body, from improving skin health to lowering your risk of stroke. Most people will hit their daily requirements without much effort, provided they eat plenty of fruits and veggies.

Follow this link:
5 science-backed health benefits of vitamin C and how to add more to your diet - Insider - INSIDER

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Diet Shake Market is expected to double its market size in Upcoming Years | Key Players: Glanbia, 310 Nutrition, RSP Nutrition, Isagenix Worldwide,...