The traditional Mediterranean diet.
According to the American Journal of Medicine, the Mediterranean diet helps with weight loss. The 2015 research shows that for you to achieve the desired weight loss, you have to strictly observe the diet plan that is more plant based following the traditional eating patterns of Mediterranean countries like Italy, Greece, Spain and France.
What Is the Mediterranean Diet?
The Mediterranean diet refers to a pattern of eating that was presented by the World Health Organization (WHO) in partnership with Harvard School of Public Health in 1993 as a set of guidelines based on the diets of the people of Italy and Greece.
This was as a result of the citizens of these two nations’ high life expectancy and low rates of certain diseases. Over the years, the diet has adapted to suit different needs.
The Mediterranean diet has become popular and easy to adapt because it focuses on food groups rather than counting calories as accustomed to other diets.
It is important to note that the Mediterranean diet focuses more on plant based foods rich in nutrients, poultry, fish and other seafood while limiting processed foods.
Weight Loss
The Mediterranean diet involves making long term changes to your diet.
A study conducted by Heathline shows that strict adherence to the diet helped in weight loss and reduction of belly fat. It was also proven that it is more effective for weight loss than other low-fat diets.
It is of importance to note that regular exercise works hand in hand with the Mediterranean diet. Here are some tips that may help you to lose weight using the Mediterranean diet:
- Main meals should be eaten early in the day
- Your main course should be vegetables cooked with olive oil
- Drink lots of water regularly and sometimes tea or coffee.
- Consume olive oil but with moderation
- Exercise regularly
Foods to Consume 
The Mediterranean diet is a lifestyle and does not have a specific menu only that you follow the eating patterns of the Mediterranean traditional people. Here is a general guideline that will help you choose a dietary pattern preference:
- What to Eat:
- Plant based foods such as vegetables, fruits, potatoes, nuts, seeds, legumes, whole grains, seafood, fish, whole grain breads, and olive oil.
Rarely Eat: Consumption of red meat is not highly advised and should be done rarely
- Consume in Moderation: All poultry and poultry products, yogurt and cheese should be consumed in moderation.
- Foods to Avoid:
- Highly processed foods, added sugars, refined foods and oils, sugar-sweetened drinks should be avoided completely.
- Drinks:
- Coffee and tea except for wine to adults may be consumed. Water should be drunk regularly.
Sample Mediterranean Diet Plan 
It is worth noting that the Mediterranean Diet is not just a diet like any other but a way of life. The following is a sample eating pattern for a week; However, it must be stressed that the choices of food and portions are adjustable based on your preference.
Monday:
For breakfast, you can eat, yogurt and oats and have whole grain bread with vegetables for lunch. Remember, meals should be prepared with olive oil, therefore you can have fish with salad and a piece of banana.
Tuesdays:
Your breakfast can include a millet meal, with leftovers from the previous night serving as lunch. The supper may have salad with tomatoes.
Wednesdays:
Prepare an omelet with vegetables and a piece of watermelon as an accompaniment. For lunch, you can consume whole grain sandwiches and vegetables with lasagna served as supper.
Thursdays:
Serve yogurt and nuts for breakfast, leftovers from the previous night for lunch, and brown rice accompanied by olive oil fried chicken served as supper.
Fridays:
Eggs fried in olive oil served at breakfast, yogurt and oats for lunch and mashed potatoes with olive oil fried beef steak consumed with a glass of wine for supper.
Saturdays:
For breakfast serving, consider an apple, fried eggs and tea. Have whole grain bread and vegetables for lunch and lastly Mediterranean diet oriented pizza for supper.
Sundays:
Omelet and olives to be consumed for breakfast. Leftovers from the previous night are to be served for lunch. Grilled chicken, brown rice and a glass of wine served for supper. Eat a piece of mango as dessert.
Reading food labels carefully is very important when shopping for foods.
Added sugar: Soda, Candies, Ice cream, table sugar and many others.
Refined grains: white bread, pasta made with refined wheat, etc.
According to Healthline studies, you must read food labels carefully if you want to avoid these unhealthy ingredients.
Some of misleading claims are very convincing in order to catch your attention
Here are some of the most common claims — and what they mean:
- Light. Light products are processed to reduce either calories or fat. Some products are simply watered down. Check carefully to see if anything has been added instead — like sugar.
- Multigrain. This sounds very healthy but only means that a product contains more than one type of grain. These are most likely refined grains — unless the product is marked as whole grain.
- Natural. This does not necessarily mean that the product resembles anything natural. It simply indicates that at one point the manufacturer worked with a natural source like apples or rice.
- Organic. This label says very little about whether a product is healthy. For example, organic sugar is still sugar.
- No added sugar. Some products are naturally high in sugar. The fact that they don’t have added sugar doesn’t mean they’re healthy. Unhealthy sugar substitutes may also have been added.
- Low-calorie. Low-calorie products have to have one-third fewer calories than the brand’s original product. Yet, one brand’s low-calorie version may have similar calories as another brand’s original.
- Low-fat. This label usually means that the fat has been reduced at the cost of adding more sugar. Be very careful and read the ingredients list.
- Low-carb. Recently, have been linked to improved health. Still, processed foods that are labeled low-carb are usually still processed junk foods, similar to processed low-fat foods.
- Made with whole grains. The product may contain very little whole grains. Check the ingredients list — if whole grains aren’t in the first three ingredients, the amount is negligible.
- Fortified or enriched. This means that some nutrients have been added to the product. For example, vitamin D is often added to milk. Yet, just because something is fortified doesn’t make it healthy.
- Gluten-free doesn’t mean healthy. The product simply doesn’t contain wheat, spelt, rye, or barley. Many gluten-free foods are highly processed and loaded with unhealthy fats and sugar.
- Fruit-flavored. Many processed foods have a name that refers to a natural flavor, such as strawberry yogurt. However, the product may not contain any fruit — only chemicals designed to taste like fruit.
- Zero trans fat. This phrase means “less than 0.5 grams of trans fat per serving.” Thus, if serving sizes are misleadingly small
Despite these cautionary words, many truly healthy foods are organic, whole grain, or natural. Still, just because a label makes certain claims, doesn’t guarantee that it’s healthy.
People who suffer from Fibroid
The fact that fat cells make more estrogen, so losing weight may help prevent or slow the growth of fibroid.
Avoiding hormone-disrupting chemicals. Natural and synthetic chemicals can throw off your endocrine balance, raising estrogen levels. These chemicals can leach into your body through skin and food. Avoid or limit coming into contact with chemicals found in:
- fertilizers
- pesticides
- plastics such as BPA
- nonstick coatings on cookware
- fire retardants
- dyes
- paints
- some personal care products
Quinoa recipe
1 cup of quinoa (cooked)
1 cup of tomatoes
1 cup of cut orange
1 cup of diced red onion
1 cup of cut peach
1 cup of almonds
1 spoon of olive oil
1 ts spoon of salt
1 ts pepper
1 bunch of thyme
1 fresh squeezed of lemon juice
mix everything in a salad bowl and voila! a beautiful salad to feed the family.
Enjoy! 
Last Take
Generally, the Mediterranean diet allows the consumption of groups of foods that are rich in nutrients with more focus on plant foods than animal foods but except for seafood and poultry.
For more diet ideas and recipes
click here Best Diet Plan On How To Lose Weight Quickly – Intemittent Fasting