Fish, Fruit & Vegetable Diet

Eating healthfully has countless benefits, ranging from giving you more energy to enhancing your mental faculties to preventing certain diseases. Fish, fruit and vegetables play important roles in most healthy diets, as they each contribute valuable vitamins and minerals to the body. In fact, fish, fruit and vegetables are the primary components of the popular Mediterranean diet.

Fish

Fish, a staple of the Mediterranean diet, is a good source of omega-3 fatty acids. Omega-3 fatty acids, which lower triglyceride and blood pressure levels, may help improve blood vessel health which in turn helps prevent the blood clots and abnormal heart rhythms that can lead to increased heart attack risk. Fish with high fat content such as mackerel, trout, herring, sardines, albacore tuna and salmon are especially high in omega-3 fatty acids. Eating fish once or twice a week should provide you with a healthy amount of omega-3 fatty acids.

Fruits and vegetables

It's important to eat a variety of fruits and vegetables every day, seven to ten servings if possible. Consuming a variety of fruits and vegetables is an important part of maintaining a healthy diet and provide many benefits, including a wide range of antioxidants and other important vitamins and minerals that occur naturally in fruits and vegetables.

Fruits and vegetables play a key role in the oil-rich, high-produce Mediterranean diet and they are versatile as well. If you need a snack, consider baby carrots, apples, bananas or pears ... the list goes on. At mealtime complement your entree with a fruit or vegetable salad, or include fruits and veggies in the main dish. Fruits and vegetables can also often be homegrown for the ultimate in cheap and convenient dining.

The Mediterranean diet

Aside from fish, fruit and vegetables, the Mediterranean diet also includes regular consumption of nuts and whole grains. Eating nuts in small quantities is ideal, such as a handful between or before meals. Whole grains often come in the form of pasta, which, as most people know, is a staple to many living in the Mediterranean area.

The Mediterranean diet discourages saturated fats and hydrogenated oils, and recommends only modest amounts of red meat be consumed. You should use olive oil or canola oil as your primary source of fat, rather than animal or dairy fats.

There's also the benefit of red wine. The addition of a glass of red wine to a meal is a commonly accepted, although not critical (for those of you who don't take pleasure in drinking wine) part of the Mediterranean diet, and a valuable component of a heart-healthy diet.