The number one rule of thumb in the Mediterranean Diet Plan is eliminating all artificial food ingredients. The key to this weight loss plan, and healthy living diet is to ban all food products that contain hydrogenated fats. Hydrogenated fats, even when in small amounts increase heart disease, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and recent studies are finding that hydrogenated fats cause cancer as well. So by eliminating the consumption of “trans fat” food in your life, not only will you lose unwanted pounds, your body will feel better, and in turn, you’ll feel better. So when it time to start adding a little extra physical activity to your daily routine; you should not feel overloaded, or too lazy. One thing about this plan is that it is a simple change in your lifestyle. Since you will be feeling so much better, you will find that your energy levels will be off the charts. Exercise will not feel like a chore anymore. You’ll find yourself wanting to make love more often, to taking a walks around the block, and even riding a bike around the neighborhood with your kid more. The increase of energy will amaze you. You need at the bare min. a total of 2.4 hours of moderate-intensity exercise every week. Break it up how you like, just so long as it is total of 2.4 hours a week. 2.4, that is it- 2.4! Now I know you can handle a mere 2.4 hours a week.

Another great thing about this new diet change is the type of foods you’ll get to consume. The Mediterranean Diet consists of nuts, fruits, yogurt, meat, breads, olive oil, cheese, eggs, and many types of vegetables. To prepare your daily food items, the diet calls for more grilling, baking, steaming, and microwaving these foods for consumption. Frying a big batch of fried chicken, in a bucket of hot oil is not a good option here. Batter up your chicken, and pop it in the oven instead. It is even better for you to fry your foods in lard, than in sunflower, peanut, vegetable oils. No "trans fat" in your diet is allow, and try to eliminate unnecessary saturated fats as well. When something does call for frying or browning the meat first, use Olive oil. Also, you will want to throw out all those margarine butter products, and fake butter products. Instead, buy a stick of real butter with no salt. The salty butter sticks taste like crap on a piece of bread, or dinner roll. Making these necessary changes the way you live, should be done with or without this plan. The health risk of living on fatty foods is gigantic. Nevertheless, the benefits to changing this part of your lifestyle, is priceless.

6 Easily Steps to Healthy Living On the Mediterranean Weight Loss Diet

1). Ban all artificial food ingredients from your diet. Throw out all that crap in your pantry, and leave it for the raccoons to eat. One of the best kept secrets with the Mediterranean Weight Loss Plan, is that you can eat virtually anything you want. Like nuts, chicken, lamb, pork chops, fish…, you name it as long as it doesn’t contain any artificial by products, and trans fats. Now we all know that most food contains Red dye #5, and other by-products like that. That is all good and well. However, eating store bought taco shells with Red dye #5, and hydrogenated fat is bad, bad, bad. That means, NO soda pop whatsoever-bad! No artificial sweeteners, or sugars-bad!

2). Grow some patience! This not a quick fix, or crash diet plan. It isn't even a real "diet" plan. It is a great lifestyle change in the way YOU eat! The number one benefit to the Mediterranean diet, is weight loss among other things. Remember you did not gain this weight in a day, you didn't even gain this weight in a week. Weight loss, real weight loss takes time. You can speed up that time by adding more exercise to your life. However, you cannot continue on the path to destruction like you have been these past several weeks, months, and even years. If you are a smoker, keep on smoking. Just smoke while you walk, jog, or ride a bike. Make love a time or two extra a week. Tell your lover that there are documented health studies showing how increase sexual activity reduces your risk of heart disease, and helps you to exercise more. With this plan you need to be involved in an activity that takes your breath away at least 2.4 hours a week! This is extremely important to your new, better living lifestyle. Just 2.4 hours a week, that's all you need. Therefore, if you live on the second or third floor of your apartment building, take the stairs. Stop riding that elevator so much. The next time you go grocery shopping, park 10 cars up from the store opening, instead of illegally parking in the handicap spot just because you want to be closer to the door entrance. You will best amazed at how these subtle changes can change the way you look, and feel about yourself. So, the next time you see a empty parking lot- park further way than you use too.

3). The core to this diet plan are lots of fresh fruit and vegetables. Eat a generous amount of fruits and vegetables through out the day. You cannot consume to much FRESH fruits and vegetables on this diet. Eat lots of walnuts. If you are a bedtime snacker, eat a cup of walnuts and drink a tall glass of skim milk before you go to bed at night. Eat smaller portions at meal time. Never go for seconds. Eat a cup of nuts instead. Nuts make you feel fuller, just the same as drinking an extra glass of skim milk or water. Which brings me to another great point to consider. Many times through the day, our stomach starts telling us we are hungry. Though, we know we cannot be. Especially if we have just ate. What millions of people fail to realize is that our brain tells our body that we are dehydrated through our stomachs! So, if you know there cannot be any possible logical reason as to why your hungry- drink a tall glass of skim milk, tea, all natural fruit juice, or just plain water. It is also a great tool to use at first as well. It helps you get along through your day, when at those times you drink a glass of liquid first instead of feeding your face. It helps you get use to having a flatter waistline, during the long, dog days of adjustment.

4). Meal time is all kept the same. If you eat breakfast in the morning, lunch straight noontime, and dinner at a half past six- continue to do so. However, when you plate your food up go for smaller portion sizes. A simple rule to follow is, do not let your foods touch each other on your plate. I think the entire Western hemisphere is guilty of heaping up too much food on their plates. This time make the decision to break the cycle, and stop doing it for yourself. All this diet requires you to do is to eat at least 2 fish meats, cut WAY back on consuming beef hamburger, and other red meats. Instead substitute ground turkey in place of hamburger, and eat a grilled lobster tail instead of a fat, juicy T-bone steak. You are allowed to have 2 eggs a week. If you have to eat them fried, make sure you fry them in lard instead of using any saturated fat oil product. Believe it or not, but 2 tbl spoons of lard is a lot healthier, than 2 tbl spoons full of the other. Again, this diet calls for us to eliminate all artificial food consumption. Lard is a natural fat by-product. Pam cooking spray is not! Don't eat white bread, eat whole grain bread. Don't eat 2% cottage cheese, eat skim. It is not rocket science. There are steadfast rules to how many ounces you have to consume, or how many 1/4 cups of peas you can eat. Hungry, eat 4 cups of fresh peas if you will. Just as long as you don't slam a can of cooked peas down your throat. Everything must be fresh. Vegetables need to be raw, grilled or steamed, not boiled. It takes approximately 8 minutes to steam broccoli in a 1/2 inch of water, in a 10 qt pot with a streamer basket. Carrots take approx. 9 minutes, peas 5 minutes. Cook them in the microwave if you have too. And if you only like can vegetables, drain them, rinse them off, place them in a dish, add about a 1/4 cup of fresh water, cover with wax paper, and pop them in the microwave for about 3 minutes- and you will have a healthier portion of peas in your belly at supper time.

5). Until you start actually see visible weight loss, stop consuming alcoholic beverages. Lay off the vodka martini's, don't tap a can of beer- drink red wine instead. It doesn't matter if the red wine is cheap or expensive, it does not even matter if the red wine is sweet or dry- drink it if you must have alcohol in your diet. Drinking a glass of red wine eat night at the dinner table, is not only better for losing weight, it helps with food digestion, and keeps the doctors at bay. The tangent properties in red wine help reduce heart risks, some cancers and has even been found to help in the aid of memory loss.

6). As you start to feel better, and lose weight you won't want to go back to your old eating habits, and evil ways. Take this opportunity to share your good will with others, and advise them on your method to losing weight. The best advertisement is through word of mouth, and leading as an example. Some of you might need to keep a journal of your discovery. By all means do so, no one is telling you it is not necessary. If you need a line-item weight plan, use the grocery list ideas I provided and make one. I would love to see a hub on something like that. Feel free to do and try different things with this diet. Because, ultimately it is up to you to make it work. The only rule of thumbs that are set in stone are 2.4 hours of week of moderate exercise, and NO artificial food products. Other than that, feel free to have a damn good time at feeling better, and losing weight! Good luck, and don't forget to start changing the way you eat, the very second after you leave me some feedback on what you think.

Adopting a Mediterranean diet is easy if you're a smart shopper. Choose plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables, limit your intake of red meat, and eat fish at least twice a week. Avoid fish that's fried or laden with butter, or other heavy sauces. Use healthy fats, such as olive oil, when cooking. However, only in moderation because of their high calorie content. Consider nuts as a snack or an addition to a salad. Finally, reduce or eliminate saturated fat and trans fats (also known as hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated oils) from your diet. Buy skim mild instead of 1%, 2%, or whole milk. Pick up some yogurt as a bedtime snack.