Mediterranean Diet for Heart Health

After a long hiatus from blogging, I have found some time to get back into it. While I am still searching for the perfect job that will allow me to help others live healthier lives, I wanted to take this opportunity to share current research, tips, trends, and other great suggestions to help you live your life to the fullest.

To begin, I wanted to share some articles with you that have been all over the news today. This is a BIG DEAL. Scientists in Spain have successfully completed a large randomized controlled study (fancy wordage for a study whose participants were randomly assigned to either a study/experimental group or a "placebo" or current best practice group) studying the differences between a low-fat diet and a Mediterranean type diet in the prevention of serious heart events such as heart attack, stroke, and death in people who were considered high-risk for developing heart disease. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), heart disease is the leading cause of death in the U.S., meaning that most Americans are considered high risk. The study results were so astounding that they actually ended the study early to publish results. Contrary to what most people think, the Mediterranean diet actually slashed cardiovascular risk by 30% over a low-fat diet. What this means is that people who regularly consumed olive oil, nuts, fish, legumes, red wine, fruits, and vegetables actually had a lower risk of serious heart problems than those who followed a low-fat diet. So for dinner tonight, dig out your olive oil and mix it with your fish and veggies while you say a toast with your red wine to good health! To read more about this study, click here.