Somerset Maugham says that “To eat well in England you should have breakfast three times a day”. I think that to live well anywhere in the world you should eat at least three times a day. Some of you may have thought of a Mediterranean diet, but when I talked about eating, the first thing I thought about is my region’s diet. And if I have to compare those to other diets, I would say that a typical diet from the south of Benin is equivalent to the Mediterranean Diet because although the nutritional values are lower in the Beninois diet, it is cheaper and easier to find than the Mediterranean diet in the southern region of Benin.
Body:
The Mediterranean Diet is rich in vegetables, fruit, legumes such as peas and beans and also rich in grains. It also contains moderate amounts of chicken and fish. There is little red meat. Most fat is unsaturated and comes from olive oil and nuts. Since a diet is what you eat and what you drink having a small amount of red wine has been shown to increase the health benefits. In combination with moderate exercise and not smoking, the Mediterranean Diet offers a scientifically researched, balanced, and health-promoting lifestyle choice. (HealthFitnessRevolution, 2013)
The Mediterranean Diet is a balanced diet full of a variety of foods and can be followed easily. Key characteristics of the Mediterranean diet include:
• One to two glasses of red wine per day for men and one glass of red wine per day for women.
• Daily consumption of lots of fresh fruits and vegetables.
• Whole grains used in breads, cereals, couscous and pastas.
• Weekly consumption of meats, such as poultry, eggs (0 to 4 eggs per week), lamb, veal, and fish and other seafood. Very little red meat is consumed using this diet.
• Nuts,...
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... on special occasions only and is therefore eaten from time to time. In contrast, my region’s diet is available in any market at any time. During some period, some of the ingredients are very affordable and easy to find. This allows the food to be cheaper and available to everybody.
The accessibility of the Mediterranean diet in the south of Benin is quite questionable. Expensive food is available but many people are not willing to sell food people eat just from time to time. So Mediterranean food is difficult to find and allow the region’s food to be sold almost everywhere.
Conclusion
Together with the accessibility of the food in the south of Benin and its affordability, my region’s diet is equal to the Mediterranean diet. The reason why it is not superior to the Mediterranean diet is that it does not contains enough nutrients to guarantee a long life expectancy.
Variety: This diet provides a good variety of foods. It tells you to have ¼ of your plate with resistant carbs. The rest of the plate should be filled with fruit, veggies, protein and fat free dairy. That leaves room for the individuals interpretation of how to put together a meal.(livestrong)
The 3-days-diet from the iProfile data shows the majority of protein intake from meats, such as chicken and tuna. The data shows that protein is a nutrient in nearly every food source but is lower than four grams if it is not a meat product. Carbohydrates are in almost every food item in the 3-day-diet records; however, the majority of carbohydrates come from consuming grains, fruits, vegetables, and sugars, such as an orange, grapes, bagel, red potatoes, granola, and milk. Aside from the small portion in granola, the majority of lipids come from meat and dairy products, such as sour cream, butter, blue cheese dressing, cream cheese, chicken, and tuna.
Wardlaw, G.M. and Smith. Contemporary Nutrition: Issues and Insights. 5th Edition. Boston: McGraw-Hill, pp 85, 2004.
In an agricultural society people started to farm and there were less to no hunting which changed their diets dramatically. When people were hunting and gathering they were getting a healthy and a well-balanced diet. Before agriculture people ate many various wild plants and animals therefore, they had better nutrition. For example, the Kalahari Bushmen’s daily intake was “2,140 calories and 93 grams of protein” (Diamond 2). Also when Diamond is comparing the two societies, he talks about the balance of nutrients and diet, also he states that the “Kalahari Bushmen eat a variety of 75 or so different wild plants” and receive more calories than needed. As the people switched over to agriculture, the amount of food they had become more plentiful and predictable but unhealthy. Nowadays, more people are overweight especially in the western area of the world. This proves that people before agriculture were healthy and had a decent
The Mediterranean diet doesn't look at all fats as bad. Instead, this way of eating makes wise choices in the fats that are used. Low in saturated fat ... the Mediterranean diet is full of healthy omega-3 fatty acids and monounsaturated fats.
Evaluate the foods you eat: - people who do this diet have to keep paying attention to the quality of the carbohydrates, proteins and fats you eat daily. Avoid eating refined starches, sugars and saturated fats from fatty red meats and full-fat dairy. You can eat high-fiber fruits, whole grains, legumes and meats such as lean meat, poultry, sea food and low-fat dairy products instead of eating fat containing foods. You also have to stick with the good unsaturated fats oil found in olive oil and canola oil.
1. Mediterranean diet consists of foods high in Omega 3 fatty acid and vitamin E.
The world of foods and nutrition has changed dramatically in recent years. It used to be eggs, red meat and whole milk, but now many doctors recommend leafy green vegetables, fruits, beans and whole grains. The old way has gotten many people into trouble. Heart disease, Cancer, and other problems have become an epidemic. That’s why nutrition is so important. Many children are struggling with weight and many have artery damage.
Those who wish to lose weight seem to have a handful of options when it comes to the diet they can try. Each diet has a particular lifestyle it is trying to promote and in order to get the best results one must adhere to it as religiously as possible.
Although the Okinawan “Blue zone” members eat different foods than the Sardinians, the primary food groups are the same. Where the BZs have their own diet figured out, every country has a different idea of what each meal should be. We as Americans try to be a melting pot and take a little bit from every culture, which is why we could find it difficult to transition our diets to follow suit with the BZs. The amount of fast-food restaurants also holds a factor as to how we aren’t as healthy as we could be. The accessibility to greasy, unhealthy, cheap food from burger joints and pizza parlors is tempting to many Americans, myself included. I don’t feel as though I could keep up with the BZ diet of the Okinawans or the Sardinians, simply because my personal vice is food. For some people, such as the BZ inhabitants, these diets of greens, beans, and nuts is simply the normal part of their every-day life, whereas, Americans tend to live a much unhealthier lifestyle. If a person can keep up with the blue zone diet, they could potentially increase their longevity, but they would be giving up many delicious
Imagine Italian cuisine without tomato as an ingredient or your favorite pasta without any tomato sauce. It sounds extraordinary to think that at one point in history Italian cuisine didn’t have tomato as a staple food. After the European exploration of the Americas, numerous amounts food we introduced into Europe, Eurasia and Africa. This helped evolve the Mediterranean diet as well as traditional Italian cuisine (MacLennan and Zhang, 131.) What makes Italian cuisine popular around the world today is that most dishes are made with a small number of ingredients; cooking methods are simple and the recipes are healthy. This is a perfect mix for the food lover, and the upcoming cook with hopes to become a chef. This is why traditional Italian cuisine has influence my pursuit into the culinary field. (”Italian Food Made Easy; Traditional Fare Just Like Mama Used to Make,” par. 1-11.)
Africa is a continent that is rich and diverse in terms of culture and traditions. The continent is also considered to be the agricultural hub in the world. Due to this, most of African culture is ultimately intertwined with the foodstuffs that the land has to offer. In general, most of the inhabitants of Africa live within the rural areas and rely on subsistent farming to meet their day to day food needs. Fast food restaurants and supermarkets where processed and packaged food is sold are usually frowned upon and considered a waste of money and resources (AIG, 2011).
People is always asking: “Why is important to have a balanced diet? Why is necessary to have a balanced diet on a daily basis? And why do professionals tend to recommend a balanced diet?” The human being has essential needs to its existence: breathing, feeding, and keeping the body in constant movement. The majority of the people are aware of this, but they do not have a balance among these things and even more important they do not eat the adequate food to keep their body healthy. Food is one of the most important factors because it gives the energy the body needs daily. In other words, few words food is the fuel that provides glucose, which is carried to each cell of the body through the bloodstream. This process is extremely important and this is influenced by the type of food that each person consumes. A balanced diet is important for human beings, and makes reference to a good nutrition with regard to the food they eat; which contains macro nutrients that are carbohydrates, fats, and proteins; these provide energy and basic materials that the body uses to grow and stay healthy.
Maintaining a well-balanced diet is essential to living a longer life. This means consuming the right daily portions of the six main food groups: 6-11 servings of grains (bread, cereal, rice, pasta, etc.), 3-5 servings of vegetables, 2-4 servings of fruits, 2-3 servings of meat, poultry, fish, beans, eggs, or nuts, 2-3 servings of milk, cheese, or yogurt, and the occasional use of fats, oils, and sweets. Eating fish is highly advantageous to your health, especially salmon. Having salmon two to three times a week can decrease your chances of getting coronary heart disease by up to 30 percent. It also helps reduce your risk of Alzheimer?s, diabetes, asthma, and other factors. Eating plenty of fruits and vegetables will help you stock up on antioxidants, which slow the process of aging. Garlic is another helpful food because it strengthens your immune system and prevents you from getting sick. But don?t eat too much garlic, or you?ll be keeping more than just a cold away! You should also eat a piece of dar...
But, food might not only sustain life, it can also give particular disease if you had the wrong selection. Knowledge about food nutrition and proper selection is too pricey to disregard. The key to have a better and healthy lifestyle is to consume a variety of foods at the right amount to meet your body’s calorie needs. Eating with a healthy meal plan will show you how much you need from each food group I gave you above to sustain your body with the daily nutrients intake that promote not only good health but longer lives. I suggest you will make your own food plan to help your fitness grooming easy to