Mediterranean Diet – The Results!

I (mostly) followed the Mediterranean Diet for one month and have come to the conclusions listed below. Why do I say mostly? Well, I’d ask you to kindly refer to my last post for the answer…

Pros:

• It’s flexible. Unlike a lot of other diets out there, the emphasis of the Mediterranean Diet seems to be more on adding foods to your diet rather than taking them away. And I love that. Too often, nutrition advice is filled with “don’t” instead of “do”. Can we all just agree that this approach to education/coaching/motivating/counseling (yada yada)…..sucks?
• If you like to partake in community meals or want to support local establishments, it’s still fairly easy to do. There are typically items from the menu that you can choose while still being compliant with the diet, though you may have to tweak a few things. If in a bind, ask for chicken or fish (anything but fried), baked potato (keep it to half) and lots of veggies.
• You WILL feel good. Period. With all that fiber, veggies and healthy fats, how could you not feel great?! Though with that said, the cons need to be mentioned….

Cons:

• If you normally don’t eat a lot of veggies and fiber (especially beans), you will have a lot of gas. But your body will adjust and get used to eating healthier foods, so that will subside. When you first start it though, you may want to clear the calendar or you’ll be clearing the room.
• It takes some planning, but this shouldn’t be a surprise. Like anything else you want to be successful with,  you can’t just fly by the seat of your pants. There needs to be some intentionality behind it.

 

Honestly, that’s it. This is probably one of the least restrictive “diets” out there. With that said, keep in mind that if you’re a “meat and potatoes kind of guy” like most of my patients are, following this may feel like your world has been turned upside down.

And that’s where I would encourage you to remember what your end game is. Are you sick and tired of feeling sick and tired? Are you determined to fit into that one pair of jeans that you absolutely love from 20 years ago? Maybe you’re like I was, just looking for something – anything – to relieve just enough stiffness and pain to allow you to go down the stairs and out the door so you can live another day.

Whatever that carrot is that’s bringing you to the finish

line, don’t give up on it.

 

Until next time…

…eat food, not food products!