Today nobody doubts that Mediterranean diet is the healthiest one. Italians, Frenchmen, Spaniards, Greeks, Maltese all live a long and happy life because their diet consists of the most useful products.
A team of scientists from the University of Gothenburg in Sweden have decided to find out how such a lifestyle can help those, who have never adhered to such principles of nutrition and have not even heard of them.
Here we should recall that the basis of the Mediterranean diet is seafood, raw grains, fruits, vegetables, and olive oil. There are practically no products, such as milk and meat, which contain a large amount of saturated fat. Such a diet helps fight cancer and heart disease and slows down aging processes because fish, whole grains, fruits, vegetables and olive oil contain large amounts of antioxidants and monounsaturated fats.
The study started in 1970. The Swedish researchers recruited a group of elderly volunteers and asked them to stick to the principles of Mediterranean diet. Nowadays, the study has been completed, the Swedes have analyzed the statistics and reported that the average pensioner lived 2-3 years longer than his/her peers. In addition, they managed to prove with the 20% probability that the people, who have made the decision to change their food habits, will still be alive in 8 years.
As for meat, there is an opinion (and it is confirmed by recent studies) that red meat is as useful as white. Only one condition must be observed: the meat should be lean.
So, if your grandmother or your grandfather prefer milk, fatty meats and sandwiches with butter, immediately ask them to try to change the diet. Well, and you should join in, of course!
