University of South Australia researchers have discovered a new type of Mediterranean diet that can satisfy a meat-eaters palate and help you maintain good health.
You can protect the environment and your health by adding about 250g of meat, like pork, each week to your Mediterranean diet.
Extra virgin olive oil, fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, legumes, wholegrain bread, pasta and cereals are the primary food items in a typical Mediterranean diet. Those following the diet can also consume a moderate amount of fish and red wine, as well as, a low amount of red meat, sweets and processed foods.
"The Mediterranean diet is widely accepted as the world's healthiest diet and is renowned for delivering improved cardiovascular and cognitive health, but in Western cultures, the red meat restrictions of the diet could make it hard for people to stick to," UniSA researcher Dr Alexandra Wade told a news portal.Adding, "By adding pork to the Mediterranean diet, we're broadening the appeal of the diet, while also delivering improved cognitive function."
Wade further explained: "This bodes well for our ageing population, where age-associated diseases, such as dementia, are on the rise.
This diet could also be easier for people who can't give up on meat completely to stick to. "Improving people's processing speed shows the brain is working well. So, in Australia, the Med-Pork diet is an excellent lifestyle intervention where dementia is one of the leading causes of disability and the second leading cause of death," Wade told a news portal. Adding, "Then, when you add the fact that pork production emits only a fraction of the greenhouse gases compared to beef, and the Med-Pork diet is really ticking all boxes -- taste, health and environment."
The benefits of following the Mediterranean diet are huge, according to many experts. A 2017 study, published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, found it can help boost brain function. Another study found it can help women going through IVF have successful pregnancies. "The important message from our study is that women attempting fertility should be encouraged to eat a healthy diet, such as the Mediterranean diet, because greater adherence to this healthy dietary pattern may help increase the chances of successful pregnancy and delivering a live baby," Nikos Yiannakouris, an Associate Professor at the Department of Nutrition and Dietetics at Harokopio University of Athens, told a news portal.
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