Cauliflower Pizzas and Wine: How a Tasty Spin on the Mediterranean Diet Can Slim You Down
If you’re trying to lose weight and keep it off for good, you may want to consider a diet that you can follow for the rest of your life. While lots of eating plans promise to help you shed pounds quickly, some of them might not be realistic for you to continue in the long term. That’s why the new book The DASH Diet Mediterranean Solution ($16.99, Amazon) has proposed a possible fix to that common dieting conundrum.
Author Marla Heller, MS, RD, suggests combining the two top-rated diets — the DASH diet and the Mediterranean diet — for improved benefits with weight loss and overall health. As you may be aware, the Mediterranean diet is a plant-based and inflammatory-rich eating plan based on the dietary patterns of 22 countries bordering the Mediterranean Sea. Meanwhile, the DASH diet (an acronym for Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) has often been described as an Americanized version of the Mediterranean diet, emphasizing a colorful array of veggies and encouraging fruits to curb cravings for sweets.
So what’s the best way to combine the main tenets of these two healthy diets? According to Heller, it all comes down to highlighting the benefits of fresh whole foods. The DASH Diet Mediterranean Solution, which is appropriate for both vegetarians and meat eaters alike, emphasizes foods that are unprocessed or minimally processed and that contain no additives or artificial sweeteners. Much like the traditional Mediterranean diet and the DASH diet, this new eating plan is chock-full of vegetables, fruits, and plant-based proteins. Cheese enthusiasts can cheer that delicious dairy also makes an appearance. Did we mention that all the health benefits of wine give this boozy beverage a green light on the diet as well? Cheers to that!
If you’re wondering about what to cook while following this eating plan, you’ll be happy to know that the book includes more than 50 tasty, diet-friendly recipes you can cook from the comfort of your home. For starters, you might enjoy a Greek lemon soup with quinoa during the cold winter months or a watermelon burrata salad in the summer. Mouthwatering dinners like Moroccan cauliflower pizza or chicken-and-shrimp paella are also on the menu. And don’t worry, dessert is definitely included on this diet: Ricotta cheesecake is just one example of a delicious and nutritious way to satisfy your sweet tooth after a meal.
It’s worth keeping in mind that The DASH Diet Mediterranean Solution is also accomodating to just about any dietary preferences or food allergies you might have. While many eating plans focus strictly on what not to eat and drink, this diet emphasizes what you should consume — for your own health and well-being. So if you’re looking for a diet to follow for the rest of your life, this (delicious) one might just be it!
Remember: Always talk to your doctor before starting any new diet.
Next, learn about some of the tastiest superfoods that can help you live longer in the video below:
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