THE MEDITERRANEAN DIET

By: Gleason Center Editors, Dr. Daniel Gleason DC

Mediterranean-style eating helps balance blood sugar and hormone levels, fights adrenal fatigue, prevents ups and downs in energy and mood, and promotes weight loss. Above all, it's a heart-healthy way to eat for the rest of your life.

HOW TO EAT
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1. Eat three good meals per day, approximately every 5 – 6 hours. This will relieve the stress-handling glands from the job of maintaining normal blood sugar levels from skipped meals or eating between meals.
   
2. Do not eat carbohydrates alone; always add protein to your meals and snacks. Do not eat a carbohydrate-only breakfast and try to keep overall carbs to 15-20 per meal.
   
3. Plan for success. Shop frequently for fresh whole food. Enjoy more, eat less, chewing food thoroughly and pausing between bites to savor the taste. Don’t snack after the evening meal!
4. Avoid stimulants – caffeine, sugar, alcohol, etc. Stimulants work by triggering the adrenal glands to release epinephrine and cortisol which raises blood sugar and releases energy.
5. Avoid dead, devitalized and junk food. These foods cannot re-build a healthy body. They are also anti-nutrients and rob the nutrient stores from your body.
6. Avoid trans-fats and rancid fats. Cell membranes, nerve tissue and steroid hormones all require healthy fats. Unhealthy fats interfere with these functions and structures.
7. Eat real, whole, fresh food. Minimize fruit juices. Most people will do well on a Mediterranean-type diet, combining some carbohydrates, protein and fat at each meal.
8. Salt liberally with sea salt. Stress-handling glands need plenty of salt for normal function. Research has proven that eating salt does NOT cause high blood pressure or heart disease. Only people with organ damage, like kidney disease, need to be concerned with keeping a low-salt diet. In fact, low-salt diets contribute to adrenal fatigue.
9. Drink plenty of water—six to eight 8-oz. glasses a day depending on your weight and level of activity. (filtered water or spring water from a reliable source; NOT tap water!)

WHAT TO EAT
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1. Eat foods rich in Omega 3 fatty acids such as cold water fish, including salmon, tuna, trout, herring and mackerel (wild caught is preferable to farm grown). Eat walnuts, almonds, and flaxseeds. Or, if you prefer, take Omega 3 supplements such as OmegAvail Ultra or Linum B (3–6 a day).
2. Use monounsaturated oils, especially virgin or extra virgin olive oil, as your primary oil source. Note: Canola oil, although monounsaturated, is a highly refined, genetically-engineered oil with none of the benefits of olive oil. Coconut oil is also a good oil for cooking as is heat resistant and it helps with intestinal flora and with thyroid function.
3. Minimize oils that are high in Omega 6 fatty acids, including corn, safflower, sunflower, soybean, and cottonseed oils.
4. Reduce or eliminate intake of trans-fatty acids (all hydrogenated oils), which are prevalent in margarine, vegetable shortening, and almost all commercially prepared packaged foods.
5. Eat seven or more servings of vegetables (including tubers and squashes) and fruits every day. Vegetables and fruits should be fresh or frozen (not canned). Vegetables can be slightly cooked, steamed, or eaten raw.
6. Eat natural sources of good protein (not man-made deli meats), and preferably free-range, organic meats (raised without estrogenic hormones and antibiotics.)
7. Eat more vegetable protein including peas, beans, lentils, seeds and nuts.
8. Make complex carbohydrates (such as breads, pasta, and grains) your smallest food group. Eat only very small amounts of organic whole grains (non-commercial). Check yourself for gluten sensitivity. No refined carbohydrates, such as white flour, white rice, white pasta, white sugar.
9. The best breads are found at your local bakers or in the frozen section of the health food store. Look for organic sprouted grain breads (sprouted grains have a higher protein and lower carbohydrate content than regular flour). These must be kept refrigerated.

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