The Mediterranean Diet Reduce Risk of Heart Disease, Diabetes
Making the Mediterranean Diet Even Healthier

The Mediterranean Diet Reduce Risk of Heart Disease, Diabetes

Making the Mediterranean Diet Even Healthier
The Mediterranean diet has been proven time and again to be a healthy pattern of eating. But is it possible to make the Mediterranean diet even healthier?

The Mediterranean diet has been proven time and again to be a healthy pattern of eating. Just last week, two studies published in the Journal of the American Medical Association showed that a Mediterranean-style diet can substantially reduce the risk of heart disease, type 2 diabetes and metabolic syndrome, and add years of life. But is it possible to make the Mediterranean diet even healthier?

MediterrAsian.com, a Web site launched in April, has been promoting the concept of a MediterrAsian diet, which combines the healthiest aspects of a Mediterranean diet with the healthiest aspects of another scientifically proven way of eating -- an Asian diet.

Co-founder of the site, Trudy Thelander, who has been following a MediterrAsian way of eating for over 12 years, says it’s not only the healthiest way of eating in the world but also one of the most enjoyable.

“When you follow a combination of a Mediterranean diet and an Asian diet you don’t just get the benefits of all the combined nutrients, you also get to enjoy an enormous variety of delicious foods including pasta dishes, stir-fries, paellas, pizzas, sushi, curries, pilafs and risottos -- which makes this way of eating very easy to stick to over the long-term.”

But Thelander points out that the robust good health traditionally enjoyed by Mediterranean and Asian peoples doesn’t just come down to what they eat.

“Research has also shown that daily moderate physical activity is a traditional part of life for people living in Mediterranean and Asian regions. Moderate alcohol consumption, particularly with meals, has also been a popular practice throughout Asia and the Mediterranean for centuries. And it’s traditional in these cultures for a person to regularly set aside time to relax and recharge their body and mind. This may involve such things as practicing Tai Chi or yoga, meditating, or having a relaxing afternoon siesta.”