why you're not losing weight

The Mediterranean diet is one of the most recommended lifestyle changes that doctors will recommend to their patients.

Even the healthiest of us can benefit from this meal plan, and the results have seemingly spoken for themselves.

So many people are jumping onto the bandwagon, however, that many are losing track of some of the reasons that it became popular in the first place.

Sure you can lose weight with the Mediterranean diet, but there is so much more that this diet can do for you.

That’s why today we are covering the 10 benefits of the Mediterranean diet, and explaining in detail why our bodies benefit from it so much.

Number 1: It greatly reduces your risk of heart disease.

Heart disease can be genetic, but it can just as easily occur in people that aren’t taking proper care of their heart.

Diet and lifestyle play a big role in this, and doctors frequently recommend the Mediterranean diet to patients at risk of heart disease.

This diet is ranked as the best diet for heart health, as well as the best diet overall, by several major publications and research groups such as the Mayo Clinic and Forbes.

A 2016 study of over 20,000 adults found that participants following the Mediterranean diet had an estimated 4% decrease in their likelihood of being struck by heart disease at some point in their lives.

A separate study compared people following the diet with people following their own eating habits and concluded that participants on the Mediterranean diet were more than 30% less likely to suffer a heart attack, stroke, or death from a cardiovascular cause.

Protecting your heart is super important, as often you may not know you are doing damage to it until it's too late, so being proactive and taking measures to prevent heart disease is tremendously important.

Besides exercise, there may not be a better way to protect yourself from heart problems than by switching to this kind of diet, as heart protection is one of the major benefits of the Mediterranean diet.

Number 2: The diet may help fend off cognitive decline.

Cognitive decline is another scary prospect that many people face as they get older.

While there are factors outside of your control, such as genetics or illness, there are also many things you can do to keep your brain sharp as the years tick on.

The disease known as Alzheimer’s is usually the one most closely associated with mental decline, as it can really take a toll on your brain.

Alzheimer’s is largely hereditary, or at least that’s what most experts tend to think, but the truth is that there is still so much that we do not know about the brain or what causes these afflictions.

We are, thankfully, starting to figure out some ways in which we can help out our brains, one of which is with the Mediterranean diet.

For instance, a 2016 review published in Frontiers in Nutrition took a look at 12 different studies on the diet and concluded that it does hint at some really encouraging signs for holding off cognitive decline.

This, in turn, decreases the risk that a person will develop Alzheimer’s as well, although it is worth noting that the research is still basically in its infancy.

A 2015 study done on the MIND diet, which combines the Mediterranean with another popular diet called the DASH diet, found similar results.

It’s certainly not yet time to draw any conclusions, but the early data is definitely promising, and it certainly couldn’t hurt you to get on this diet with all of the other more fleshed out health benefits it provides.

Number 3: It helps you lose weight.

Besides the heart health aspect, most people are introduced to the Mediterranean diet when they are looking to lose weight.

That’s because this diet is very healthy, and Mediterranean diet foods usually include lots of vegetables, whole grains, and healthy meats.

Food like processed red meat is to be avoided, as are unhealthy fats, both of which are contributors to weight gain.

Because your body is getting so many nutrients and multiple energy sources, you should actually fare better when you decide to go to the gym or exercise.

Combining this diet with a healthy lifestyle that includes exercise will help you to not only lose weight, but also avoid other health issues associated with an inactive lifestyle.

Most people that lose weight with the Mediterranean diet don’t look back on how much their physical appearance changed, but tend to speak more about how much more energy they have and an increased focus on what they value.

Number 4 : It can help prevent type 2 diabetes.

If you are trying to prevent yourself from developing type 2 diabetes, or if you are trying to better manage it, the Mediterranean diet may be just the thing for you.

Recently, a group of scientists gathered 418 participants for a multiple year experiment to test the effectiveness of the diet.

The participants were all between the age of 55 and 80, and none of them had diabetes.

The scientists waited four years and then checked back on the participants to discover some truly remarkable results.

The study found that people following the Mediterranean diet were 52% less likely to develop type 2 diabetes than those that did not follow the diet.

Furthermore, the study found that there was quite a lot of variance in terms of lifestyle between the people on the diet.

Some had not lost any weight in those four years, and some didn’t even live active lifestyles.

Even still, these people seemed to fight off diabetes better than participants that may have lived relatively healthy lives, with just the diet being in favor of the other group.

Scientists believe this is the case because the Mediterranean diet helps to improve blood sugar control better than other diets.

Number 5: The diet can help with aches and pains.

One of the more interesting benefits of the Mediterranean diet would have to be its anti-inflammatory benefits.

Since your body is taking in so many greens and whole grains, as well as omega-3 fatty acids, you should start to experience quite a bit less of the usual aches and pains you may normally deal with.

The anti-inflammatory benefits also benefit your heart greatly, and can help your body deal with heartburn.

Taking anti-inflammatories like ibuprofen can begin to take a toll on your liver, which is obviously something we would all like to avoid, so being able to get those benefits from your meals and not a pill is definitely a good thing.

Number 6: It is not a restrictive diet.

One of the hardest parts of committing to any diet is trying to make it fit into your lifestyle.

We are all different and that’s a good thing, so why should we try to conform to one single way of eating, especially if that way conflicts with our beliefs or feels strange to us? Studies have shown time and time again that the diets that work the best for people are the ones that they feel like fit neatly into how they are already living, or are similar enough.

The Mediterranean diet is great in this way, as it is considered a non-restrictive diet by healthcare specialists.

This means that if you are vegan, vegetarian, paleo, gluten-free or dairy-free, you can still take part in this diet without sacrificing anything.

Number 7: The diet pushes you to exercise.

This is one of the only diets out there that specifically calls for the person taking part in it to exercise.

While this may seem strange, it actually is something that many people seem to end up enjoying, as it helps them become more consistent in their physical activity.

If you aren’t doing the exercise portion right along with the diet change, you aren’t actually experiencing the real Mediterranean diet, and probably won’t get as good of results either.

Number 8: It encourages you to explore different foods.

Besides preaching moderation, one thing that you are going to immediately benefit from when switching to a Mediterranean diet is variety.

This is great and all from a mental and psychological aspect, since you’ll be a lot less likely to get bored of this diet, but there’s a lot more to it than just that.

Getting your nutrition from a variety of foods, like different vegetables, protein sources, and carbohydrate sources can actually help your body better supply itself with energy.

If you’re eating the same vegetable everyday, for example, you are going to miss out on several vitamins only found in certain foods.

This is really nice, as answering the question of what to eat in a Mediterranean diet becomes that much easier.

Number 9: You may be protected from cancer.

Cancer can strike in a variety of ways, and it can be a really scary thing to try and prepare for.

There are so many factors that go into the disease that it can make your head spin, but what you put into your body plays a huge role.

A study done on the effects of Mediterranean diets actually found that people on the diet are more likely to survive cancer, and less likely to get certain kinds such as breast cancer and neck and head cancers.

More research is needed to conclude just how effective the diet is, but because of the healthy nature of the diet, it makes sense that your body would be less likely to suffer from internal issues.

Number 10 : It may help with depression.

An analysis of 41 Mediterranean diet studies recently concluded that they believe people on the diet are less likely to suffer from depression or its symptoms.

A separate study also concluded that people following this kind of diet are a third less likely to suffer from depression than those that consume the typical American diet, or a pro-inflammatory one.

This news isn’t all that shocking, as your diet can affect your mood in a significant way, and it's important to carefully consider what you eat because of this fact.

What is your favorite thing about the Mediterranean diet? Leave a comment below and let us know!