Diet

Mediterranean Diet

This diet puts an emphasis on plant based foods and health fats. You eat mostly vegetables, fruits and whole grains. Extra virgin olive oil will be your main source of fat. Following this diet can lower your risk of cardiovascular disease & other chronic conditions. There are many benefits to this diet including:

• Lowering your risk of cardiovascular disease, including a heart attack or stroke.

• Supporting a body weight that’s healthy for you.

• Supporting healthy blood sugar levels, blood pressure and cholesterol.

• Lowering your risk of metabolic syndrome.

• Supporting a healthy balance of gut microbiota (bacteria and other microorganisms) in your digestive system.

• Lowering your risk for certain types of cancer.

• Slowing the decline of brain function as you age.

• Helping you live longer.

Low-Sodium Diet

The average American consumes about 5 or more teaspoons of salt each day which is about 20 times more than what the body needs. Your body only needs 1/4 of a teaspoon daily! A simple way to reduce your salt intake is to remove table salt. Another way is to start looking at the nutrition labels; many processed and canned foods contain a high amount of sodium.

Some helpful tips on how to reduce your sodium intake:

• Eliminate salty foods from your diet and reduce the amount of salt used in cooking. Sea salt is no better than regular salt.

• Choose low sodium foods. Many salt-free or reduced sodium products are available.

• Be creative and season your foods with spices, herbs, lemon, garlic, ginger, vinegar and pepper. Remove the salt shaker from the table.

• Eat more home-cooked meals. Foods cooked from scratch are naturally lower in sodium than most instant or boxed mixes.

• Think fresh vegetables, fruits, meat and poultry.

Be sure to always consult with your healthcare provider first before beginning any diet changes.