December 8th, 2011 – Probably no diet in the world has been studied more thoroughly or associated with more positive outcomes than the Greek diet. According to a recently completed study, of all the diets in the 7 country Mediterranean region, the Greek diet yields the best overall health. Greek people on the island of Crete have the lowest incidence of cancer and heart disease.
Impressively, a clinical trial compared two groups of patients recovering from heart attacks. One group ate a traditional Crete diet, and the other ate a typical diet prescribed for such heart patients. Two years later, the death rate for the Crete diet group was 70% lower than the other group. The Crete diet group also had a lower risk of developing cancer.
Typical Crete Diet:
- Olive oil is the principal fat, replacing other fats and oils.
- Moderate consumption of wine, with one to two glasses per day for men and one glass per day for women.
- Fresh fruit served as a typical daily dessert (limit sweets with higher sugar and saturated fat).
- Most food comes from plant sources, including fruits and vegetables, breads and grains, beans, nuts, and seeds.
- Eat seasonally fresh and locally grown foods (limit processed foods).
- Saturated fat no more than 7 to 8 percent of total calories.
- Low amounts of cheese or yogurt daily.
- Consume low to moderate amounts of fish and poultry weekly.
- Limit eggs to 0-4 servings per week.
- Only eat red meat a few times or just once a month.
Hundreds of studies link the diet to a decrease in mortality rates, reduced rates of heart disease, Alzheimer’s disease, cancer, diabetes and other serious health problems.
