The Cretan diet (or Mediterranean diet)

The principle
Cretans have one of the lowest death rates related to cardiovascular disease, cancer and chronic disease in the world. It happens that aging and some diseases such as cancer are due to the oxidation of cells: the Cretan diet is rich in vitamins C and E, with antioxidant virtues.
For some years now, researchers have been demonstrating the beneficial effects of this diet on our health. First of all, it is essential to reduce fats and sugars. Furthermore, what matters most is the quality of the food: quantity matters little and there is no need to weigh what you eat. This type of diet is based on the consumption of fruit and vegetables, cereals, and low fats of animal origin, replaced by fats of vegetable origin, mainly contained in olive oil. In this diet we also find fish, white meats and eggs several times a week, white goat and sheep cheese.

Recommended foods
Butter and margarine are replaced by oils rich in monounsaturated acids, which lower the level of cholesterol in the blood, such as olive, rapeseed or soybean oil.
Sugar is replaced by honey.
Red meats, rich in saturated fatty acids, are replaced by white meats such as chicken, turkey and rabbit.
Cow's milk products should be replaced if possible by goat and sheep cheeses, low-fat yogurt and skimmed milk.
Raw, cooked, dried fruit (400g per day).
Raw or undercooked vegetables, salads, legumes and cereals, wholemeal or leavened bread.
Fish at least 3 times a week, and fat rather than lean.
1-2 glasses of red wine per day, for polyphenols.
Fresh herbs and aromas, good for health and pleasant for the palate.

Typical day
Breakfast: bread with cereals and honey, sheep yogurt, fresh fruit, nuts.
Lunch: tomato and feta salad, chickpeas, wild rice and vegetables, pears with cinnamon.
Dinner: endive and walnut salad, sardines, vegetables, wholemeal bread, a glass of wine.

See also

Sirt diet: how it works and what are the foods of the lean gene diet

The low-calorie diet: pros and cons of the weight loss diet par excellence

Detox diet: what the detox diet is and how it works

Results
It is scientifically proven that people subjected to this diet for 18 months lose more weight than those who followed a traditional low-fat weight loss diet.

The pros
The Cretan diet is excellent not only for health but also for the palate. And lets go to the restaurant.
It is perfect for those who want to feel good about themselves and fight against aging and obesity.
It is a diet suitable for losing weight because it is balanced and low in calories.

The cons
It is a long-term diet because it requires a complete restructuring of one's diet before starting to eliminate fat.
Few drawbacks: above all you have to acquire habits you are not used to.