New Mediterranean Diet: Find Out How It Can Help You Lose Weight

Researchers have developed a new version of Mediterranean diet that includes meat to cater to Western tastes and also deliver health benefits.

A typical Mediterranean diet includes extra virgin olive oil, fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, legumes, wholegrain breads, pastas and cereals, moderate amount of fish and red wine, and low consumption of red meat, sweet and processed foods.

The new version of the Mediterranean diet includes 2-3 serves (250g) of fresh lean pork each week.

The findings published in the journal Nutrients showed that the Mediterranean-Pork (Med-Pork) diet delivers cognitive benefits.

"The Mediterranean diet is widely accepted as the healthiest diet and is renowned for delivering improved cardiovascular and cognitive health, but in Western cultures, the red meat restrictions of the diet could make it hard for people to stick to," said Alexandra Wade from University of South Australia.

"By adding pork to the Mediterranean diet, we're broadening the appeal of the diet, while also delivering improved cognitive function," Wade said.

This study compared the cognitive effects of people aged 45-80 years and at risk of cardiovascular disease following a Med-Pork or a low-fat diet (often prescribed to negate risk factors for cardiovascular disease).

The results showed the Med-Pork intervention outperformed the low-fat diet, delivering higher cognitive processing speeds and emotional functioning, both markers of good mental health.

"Improving people's processing speed shows the brain is working well," Wade said.

"Then, when you add the fact that pork production emits only a fraction of the greenhouse gases compared with beef, and the Med-Pork diet is really ticking all boxes -- taste, health and environment," Wade said.

Apart from the Mediterranean diet, there are numerous other diets that have found to be beneficial for aiding weight loss. Some of these diets include keto diet, low-carb diet, Paleo diet, carnivore diet, high protein diet and much more.

However, for sustainable weight loss and achieving long-term health goals, it is important to stick to healthy eating diet plans that comprise mostly of local, seasonal and home-cooked food.

Following are some effective weight loss tips that you can bank on for your entire life

1. Consume fewer carbs, and ditch refined carbs. Try to eat fibre-rich carbs only, like the ones from whole foods, fresh fruits, vegetables, lentils, legumes, nuts and seeds.

2. Your diet should be a balance of all essential nutrients like fats, protein, carbs, omega-3 fatty acids and fibre.

3. Eat more protein-rich foods as they help in build-up of muscles and keep you full for longer.

4. Exercise regularly. 4-5 times a week exercise should be your goal if you are looking forward to lose weight.

5. Quit alcohol, smoking other sedentary lifestyle habits like moving less and sitting more if you want to lose weight effectively.

6. Sleep well for healthy energy levels and to keep tiredness, fatigue and mood swings at bay.

7. Take less stress as it can slow down your weight loss regime.