Is the Mediterranean Diet Actually Effective?

Trying to shed 20, 30, or even 50 pounds is daunting when it comes to completely changing your eating habits. Fad diets rarely work, especially those that cut out entire food groups or leave you starving throughout the day.

The key to losing any amount of weight is a lifestyle change, eating the right foods for nutrition, and creating a caloric deficit. The Mediterranean diet isn't just a fad—it's a lifestyle that provides benefits like weight loss, decreased risk of chronic disease, and lower levels of inflammation.

The Mediterranean diet works well for many people, which is why the Novell Primary Care and Weight Loss team uses it for their personalized meal plans. Our team specializes in weight loss and may complement the Mediterranean diet with other treatments like exercise plans, fat-burning shots, and appetite suppressants for optimal weight management.

Facts on the Mediterranean diet

The Mediterranean diet isn't simply a quick-fix weight loss tool—it's a way of life in areas like Spain, Greece, and Italy. These regions focus their eating habits on whole and nutritious foods like fresh fruits, vegetables, and seafood.

The difference in the Mediterranean diet is that it doesn't focus on counting calories or tracking what nutrients you eat; instead, it focuses on specific healthy food groups to fight chronic diseases and whole-body inflammation.

Living the Mediterranean diet means focusing mainly on healthy fats, vegetables, legumes, and whole grains. Limiting sweets, red meats, and processed foods is essential for the lifestyle's success.

The Mediterranean diet has many health benefits, including healthy weight loss and disease prevention. Simply following a Mediterranean lifestyle may help you avoid issues like diabetes and heart disease.

What foods can I eat on the Mediterranean diet?

One of the best aspects of the Mediterranean diet is that you can eat just about any type of healthy, whole food without worrying about its calories. Fresh and nutritious foods have many health benefits and give your body the nutrients it requires to thrive.

You can eat a lot of fruits and vegetables; in fact, we encourage them with every meal. Whole grains and extra virgin olive oil can also be part of every meal if you'd like.

When you get to seafood, like fish and shellfish, you can enjoy at least three servings per week, more if you'd like. The same goes for nuts, lentils, and beans. Enjoy all of these in moderation.

The limits of the Mediterranean diet start when you get to eggs, dairy, and poultry. You shouldn't have more than one serving per day of cheese, yogurt, and other dairy products, along with chicken or turkey.

Red meat and sweet desserts or drinks should be on your plate only once per week, if at all. These foods have little nutritional value and high levels of fat, which doesn't aid in weight loss. Limiting these types of foods allows you to lose weight more effectively.

Effectiveness of the diet on weight loss

The Mediterranean diet is extremely effective for weight loss because it strictly limits red meat and overly processed or sugary foods, which contribute to belly fat and weight gain.

Even though the diet doesn’t prioritize counting calories, you may need to watch your caloric intake for it to be effective. It's a well-known fact that you won't be able to lose weight if you're not burning more calories than you consume daily.

However, focusing on whole foods like fruits, vegetables, healthy fats, and whole grains gets you on the right track. But moderation is essential, especially regarding olive oil, fatty fish, and nuts, because they all contain fat, even if it is good.

The Mediterranean diet is a great way to see long-term weight loss and live a healthy lifestyle, but it doesn't always produce fast results. If you're looking to lose weight quickly and efficiently, adding an appetite suppressant, fat-burning shot, or exercise plan produces quicker and more noticeable results.

To learn more about our meal plans and other weight loss tools, call our office in Tallahassee, Florida, today to schedule an appointment or book a consultation on the website.