The role of the diet is important and catalytic for the prevention of any disease and cancer is no exception. We have to remember that by diet we mean the way of living and not just the food we eat. Mediterranean diet is one of those diets that help in the prevention of cancer as this will be concluded by reading this article. We are sure that we all agree that prevention is much better than cure.
Dietary Habits
The following dietary habits are recommended by the nutritionists, dieticians and medical nutritionists.
Vegetables
Eat daily plenty of raw vegetables and drink a lot of vegetable juices in great variety and of different colors (green, red, yellow etc.). Do not eat the same vegetables all the time. Raw vegetables contain antioxidants and enzymes which are important for the protection of our body against serious diseases like cancer. Enzymes, as many antioxidants, are destroyed when cooked in temperatures over 100 degrees Fahrenheit.
Legumes
Legumes should constitute an important part of our diet since they contain an important number of nutritional and antioxidant elements. So include legumes in your diet and eat a lot of these and frequently.
Meat
Eat meat but rarely and in small quantities. Try not eat more than once a week, and prefer fat free meat and as ‘’clean’’ and ‘’pure’’ as possible, from animals which have been raised without the use of hormones or other antibiotics. The best meat comes from the wild animals or animals raised in the open range. Avoid at all cost processed meat which contains preservative substances.
Fish
Fresh or frozen fish are beneficial for our health as long as they were raised in clear waters, without foods containing chemical substances, hormones and antibiotics. Always prefer fish which contain less fat like sardines, herrings, mackerels, cod and salmon. The way you cook the fish is equally important. Cook the fish in steam or in the oven in glass or stainless steel pots. Do not use aluminum foil.
Fruits
You should eat a lot of fruits but do not overdo it. You should eat fruits before any meal, not after; eat fruits of different colors and fruits that are not too sweet. Do not eat more than 3 fruits a day. It is better to eat the fruits with their skin and it certainly much better to eat a fruit instead of drinking its juice since with the juice you will not consume much of the important fruit fibers. As a final note do not eat unwashed fruits.
Cereal
Eat cereal frequently but again, as with any other food, do not overdo it. Eat whole grain cereal and foods that are produced from whole grain cereal like, bread, biscuits, pasta and breakfast cereal. Over consumption of cereal, even whole grain cereal, increases the acidity in the blood and makes the body more prone to serious diseases.
Eggs
Yes, you can eat eggs but try to find eggs produced from open range chicken, chicken that are raised without the use of chemical and processed food. Eat a maximum of 2-3 eggs per week.
Dairy Products
Eat dairy products in moderation and prefer the dairy products which have undergone the maximum fermentation like yogurt and white cheeses like feta and Halloumi cheese.
Olive oil
Always prefer and use olive oil for all the foods, cooked and raw. Use olive oil even in your sweets. Buy and keep olive oil in small dark glass containers and store them in a dark place. All oils and olive oil is no exception, go bad with the exposure to sunlight. When cooking, add the olive oil at the end of cooking the food and after the food is removed from the stove.
Nuts
Each dry and fresh nuts, frequently but prefer to eat them unsalted. Keep nuts in a dark place and preserve them in the refrigerator.
Sugar
Avoid sugar and do not get carried away by ‘’sugar free’’ signs as sugar has many other names! Use your taste as the judge of how much sugar is in a desert or food. If what you eat is sweet then it has some kind of sugar. Honey and carob honey are the best sugar sources but do not eat more than 2 spoons a day.
Water
Water is one of the major sources of sicknesses. The water that we drink and cook should be as clean as possible and without chlorine and other chemicals. The running water which contains chlorine is capable to protect us against bacteria but it should not be consumed or used for cooking. Chlorine and other introduced in the water substances are not removed by boiling the water. It is best to use reverse osmosis filters to purify the water we plan to use for cooking or drinking or if this is not possible to use bottled water.
Salt
You do not need salt. Our kidneys remove the salt which is contained in our food and keep it to be used by the body and therefore we do not need any additional salt. Use a lot of Mediterranean herbs and spices like thyme, oregano, cinnamon, pepper and other spices, so as to give taste to your foods and avoid the use of salt. Mediterranean herbs and spices contain antioxidants which protect us from serious illnesses and diseases while salt on the other hand creates favourable conditions for many diseases.
Way of living
The way we live is equally important to what we eat. We will present some simple but important rules and habits that are important to be followed if we are to avoid serious diseases.
Meals
Do not skip any of the meals. Having 3 meals a day is important. Eat daily 3 meals, breakfast, lunch and dinner and have 2 in between small snacks. This will keep you full of energy.
Less cooking!
Food should always be cooked at low temperatures in glass or stainless steel pots and always covered. Foods should not be come in contact with the fire. High temperatures create cancerous substances on foods and as the food becomes darker it gets unhealthier. One important rule that you should have in mind is: Never eat burned food. The best and safest food is the one cooked in boiled water or in steam.
Quality of food
It important that your diet is based, for the main part, on as less processed food as possible, on foods without antibiotics, pesticides, hormones and other chemical substances. One good solution that would enable to achieve this is to have your own vegetable garden.
Exercise
Find a way to exercise daily by finding the type of exercise you like or fits your lifestyle. You should exercise at least 4 times a week for 45 minutes each time. You can also add an extra 15 minutes for meditation or relaxation that you can do daily.
Relaxation
While having your meal, you need to make sure that you are relaxed. Enjoy your food and chew slowly and for a long time and avoid eating while under tension, tired or in a bad mood because your food can turn into bad energy within your body. The best way to avoid eating in such conditions is to lie down, concentrate, relax for a few minutes and then have your meal. You need to remember that there is a fine balance in your body of all your actions.
Over consumption of food
You need to eat as much as you need. Your body uses energy to digest and assimilate the foods that you take. The rule of proper eating is that when done eating and walk away from the table you would feel light and nearly full.
Environmental Pollution
Unfortunately no matter how hard we try we are always exposed to the environmental pollution and the intoxication of our environment. Try to avoid this exposure as much as possible and to the extent possible.
By reading this article you may have observed that there is no use of the terms: Mediterranean diet, Mediterranean foods and Mediterranean cuisine and yet all the followers of the Mediterranean diet have identified that what we have just described is nothing else than the healthy Mediterranean way of living which proves that the Mediterranean diet is a way of living that prevents cancer.
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