A Dietitian Breaks Down Why The Mediterranean Diet Is The ‘Best Overall’ For Healthy Weight Loss Over 40: ‘Reduces Inflammation And Prevents Heart Disease’
October 13, 2024 by Mariam Qayum
Losing weight as we get older can be more challenging due to slower metabolism, hormonal changes, and a natural decline in muscle mass. Fortunately, the right diet can help with making a significant difference. There are a wide range of various diet options for fat loss, including low-carb diets like keto, high-protein diets, plant-based diets, and even intermittent fasting. Each one of these has its pros and cons depending on your individual needs.
Among them is the Mediterranean diet. This diet has consistently been praised as one of the most effective and sustainable diets for overall wellness.
Courtney, MS, RD, LDN (dietitianwithtwins), a dietitian who has over 420K followers on TikTok, shared the various benefits of this diet and how it can help with a range of health issues, including “reducing inflammation and preventing heart disease.” Read on to get all her insights.
Courtney reveals that the Mediterranean diet has been ranked as the “best overall” diet for the 6th year in a row. “This diet has been shown to reduce inflammation and prevent and reverse chronic diseases, like diabetes and heart disease; it’s a really delicious diet,” she notes.
She shares that this diet prioritizes healthy fats. “Olive oil is the main healthy fat in this diet, but other healthy fats like avocados, avocado oil, nuts, seeds, eggs, and tahini are used really often as well.”
Another food group includes beans and legumes. “This includes chickpeas and hummus, black beans, kidney beans, and lentils.”
While dairy is consumed in moderation, cheeses such as feta cheese and mozzarella cheese are preferred. Greek yogurt is also a protein-rich dairy that’s often eaten in this diet.
As far as protein from animals goes, Courtney says, “Wild caught seafood is the go-to here. Wild caught salmon, tuna, shrimp, and whitefish” are the favorites.
We all know by now that refined grains are some of the worst options for weight management. This is why whole grains such as quinoa and bulgar wheat are often popular choices.