The best diet in the world? According to the ranking drawn up every year by US News & World Report — American media company that mainly deals with market analysis and consumer advice – once again, the fourth to be exact, the Mediterranean one. Which satisfied, more and better than others, i seven parameters of evaluation required: short-term weight loss, long-term weight loss, ease of tracking, completeness of nutrients, health risks, effectiveness in preventing cardiovascular disease and diabetes. Thus winning the title of Best Diet Overall.
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Identification? More than one. First of all because it is a lifestyle which, as such, promotes the daily consumption of vegetables: vegetables, fresh and dried fruit, cereals, legumes. Preferably local and bio-sustainable. Then why keeps red meat intake low, high-fat milk derivatives, processed foods in general. Everything with a careful eye on the environment: thanks, in fact, to the significant plant component, to the respect for seasonality, for the territoriality and biodiversity of food, the Mediterranean diet favors controlled greenhouse gas emissions.
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Al second place of the hit US News & World Report, the Dash diet followed, in third position, from Flexitariana. Three diets that are beneficial to health and respect the planet. They are simple to follow and aim for the inclusion of many healthy foods – fruit, vegetables, whole grains … – more than the deprivation of others less suitable. In a period of serious crisis, such as the one we continue to live, thinking of having to make sacrifices even at the table could be mentally mortifying. So, whether it’s Mediterranean, Dash or Flexitariana, here’s how to eat. With a necessary specification: the perfect diet does not exist. It all depends on who owes or wants to undertake it, on the starting point and on the final goal. Always to be agreed with a specialized doctor (dietician, nutritionist biologist and dietician). He will be the one to recommend the path to follow, usually combined with constant physical activity. Refrain do-it-yourself.
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Mediterranean diet
Legumes, mostly whole grains, dried fruit. And then vegetables in quantity, preferably seasonal; fish and extra virgin olive oil. Red meat? In the list of foods to consume with extreme moderation, along with dairy products. Ten years have passed – the anniversary last November 16 – since the Mediterranean diet was inscribed in the Unesco intangible cultural heritage list. The reasons, as stated in a document of the Intergovernmental Committee of the Convention, lie in those knowledge, traditional practices and skills that have passed from generation to generation and which, over time, have provided the communities facing the basin of the Our sea a sense of belonging and continuity. How to say: the Mediterranean one much more than a list of foods. , if anything, a lifestyle within which the act of eating together is the basis of a cultural identity made up of creativity, dialogue, hospitality. But also of respect for the territory and biodiversity. And to earn our health. As long as the right foods are put on the table, properly combined. For example, cos.
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The expert’s opinion
Valter Longo, biochemist, director of the Longevit & Cancer program at Ifom in Milan, as well as one of the world’s leading experts in the field of studies on aging and related diseases, warns: The Mediterranean diet how we interpret it today it hurts . And the high rate of obesity, which in the long run compromises the proper functioning of the heart, is proof of this. The numbers speak for themselves: 42 percent of Italian children and 38 percent of pre- and school-age girls have extra pounds. 21 percent of the one and 14 percent of the other are obese. What is worse is that, in Italy, over 60 percent of parents do not recognize the excess weight in their children, thus underestimating the eating errors and sedentary lifestyle that underlie it. All of this despite the Mediterranean diet. Indeed, precisely because of the Mediterranean diet which over time has been misinterpreted, it has undergone “customizations and excesses”, And now we are paying the consequences of unbalanced menus, although the healthiness of the foods taken individually is undisputed. In concrete terms: if we usually accompany our dishes with bread – it does not matter if pasta is served on the table – and at the end of the meal we go all out with fruit because we are convinced that it does everything right, we make a mistake.
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What to put on the table
How to go about it then? At the table for children and adults, but with a particular eye on the little ones – health and longevity are built and preserved from childhood -, must never miss the balanced mix of proteins, minerals, carbohydrates, fats, vitamins, fiber and water. It could be a dish of cereals, better if whole, to be consumed for lunch or dinner. As you prefer. In alternative: pasta, mostly wholemeal, rice, polenta, potatoes … Not more than 80 g because in combination we will have, always, a portion of vegetables: raw, cooked, in leaf. The latter are excellent for counteracting the sense of hunger. For secondor protein, for lunch or dinner. Caution: total protein they must remain around 0.8 grams per kilogram, ie about 55 grams. Or half a kilo of legumes for a 70-kilo person. And therefore, green light for legumes every day. Fish to be consumed only 2 or 3 times a week. White or red meats, cheeses and cured meats better if rarely eaten: if you really want, only once a week in small quantities, at least up to 65-70 years of age. After that it can be increased to 2-3 times a week. The whole flavored with extra virgin olive oil and accompanied, if desired, by a mouthful of wholemeal bread. As snack break fast in the morning or in the afternoon, fresh or dried seasonal fruit, also in bars, or wholemeal bread and jam without added sugar, but also dark chocolate or cocoa and almond cream. in conclusion you can indulge yourself, perhaps inspired by the diet of our grandparents who ate little pasta, and little seasoned, with green beans and less bread. And then gogo soups, with the poor products of the earth, because there was no money for anything else.
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The Dash Diet
The acronym stands for Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension, indicating a low-fat diet for reduced sodium intake, fats and sugars.
Also said diet against hypertension, Dash was born in the United States – at Harvard University to be exact – where hypertension, in fact, is a pathological condition of vast proportions, with 80 million hypertensive patients out of a total population of 330 million inhabitants. In a short time, then, it spreads world wide because withholding able to improve health, acting on the pressure of which it regulates the levels. This is thanks to the essential nutritional elements: potassium, fiber, calcium, proteins. And little, very little sodium. In some ways similar to the Mediterranean – who prefers the consumption of seasonal fruit and vegetables (broccoli, fennel, tomatoes, spinach, pumpkin, mandarins …), cereals, mostly wholemeal, good fats and proteins -, the Dash does not exclude any food. red meat allowed, however to be limited, as well as sweets and fats. And white meat allowed. Then fish, preferably blue and small, legumes with a low glycemic index, dried fruit, oil seeds, extra virgin olive oil. Salt? Super special guard, to be strongly reduced: from 1.5 g to 2.4 g per day, not more. For flavoring dishes, herbs and spices are excellent.
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diet flexitariana
Developed by the American dietician Dawn Jackson Blatner, the flexitariana owes its name to the crasis of two words: flexible and vegetarian, to indicate a vegetarian who occasionally eats meat. No ethical reasons, in case a question of health. According to Blatner, in fact, this low-calorie diet with small quantities of meat, mostly white, and fish, allows you to feel better and also lose weight in a short time.
Among main foods: legumes and eggs, fruits and vegetables, whole grains, dairy products, sugar and spices. According to need, then, animal proteins, in fact.
Those who follow a vegetarian diet live an average of 3.6 years longer and weighs 15 percent less than meat eaters – explains Blatner in his book, The Flexitarian Diet (McGraw-Hill publisher) -. This does not mean, however, that we must give up animal proteins. With this regime it is enough to reduce the quantities and if anything pay attention to the quality of what you eat, preferring organic and zero kilometer products.
The daily menu? More fruits and vegetables, both at the center of every main meal, less baked goods and carbohydrates – rice and pasta – in general. All in a progressive way – continues Blatner -. Those who come from an omnivorous diet should not consume more than 700 g of meat per week; who, on the other hand, already accustomed to a reduced consumption of animal proteins, should reach a maximum 500 grams per week; finally, those who are veg-oriented won’t find it hard to eat up to 250 g of meat always a week.
The fish? No limits, but with a precaution: the smaller size is better, it contains less amount of mercury.
At the beginning the flexitariana, we still read in the book, should be followed for 15 days. Only later can it become habit taking care of modulate calorie intake, to be agreed with the doctor according to your needs. Keeping for the proportions – specifies Blatner -. The vegetables will have to provide 40 percent of the daily requirement; same percentage for whole grains, legumes and oil seeds. The remaining 20 per cent could come from food of animal origin. a fact: a lower consumption of animal proteins a conscious and sustainable choice. It is good for the planet, for our health, but also for our wallets considering that meat is among the items that weigh the most on our budget.
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January 18, 2021 (change January 18, 2021 | 07:43)
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