Mediterranean Diet

Through a substantial amount of research the authors prove that by following a fad diet it can cause many adverse effects, as well as shedding light on benefits of exercise and maintaining a balanced diet. In the opening chapters of the book it is discussed why low fat diets do not work and exactly which diets do. While reading about low fat diets and the health risks that they cause, the book draws you in by explaining the patient profile of a 55 year old man, whom had lost his life due to heart attack. By reading this section of the book its outline how we are all responsible for maintaining our own health, and cases

Highlighting from the research publication, “A Prospective Study of Dietary Fiber Intake and Risk of Cardiovascular Disease Among Women” from the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, researchers developed a food-frequency questionnaire assessing 39,876 female health professionals with no previous history of CVD or cancer to support the concept. Women were followed for an average of six years for incidence of various CVD or death confirmed by medical records or death certificates. Evidence from epidemiological studies suggests a strong inverse association between dietary fiber and coronary disease, high intakes of fiber and 20% to 40% in reductions to risk, as well as increased intake of fiber and reduction of plasma cholesterol. The data generally support current dietary recommendations to increase the consumption of fiber-rich whole grains and vegetables as a primary preventive measure against Cardio vascular disease.

So, to compare and contrast the two diets, we realize that high-fat diet puts the body at risk by serious illnesses and diseases. For example, high-fat diet can result in a heart attack because of the fat that gets deposit in the blood vessels and disrupts the flow of the blood; in contrast, low-fat diet prevents the serious illnesses and diseases like heart attack. Low-fat diet also helps reduce weight, and obtain a normal lifestyle by keeping the body balanced, whereas the high-fat diet can cause obesity and unbalanced weight. By comparing and contrasting the two diets, it becomes obvious that low-fat diet is much better than the high-fat diet.

Dairy should not be a primary food group on the dietary guidelines set by the government because of its many negative effects on human health (given that people care about their health and the health of those around them). Dairy and other animal products are the only food sources which contain cholesterol. Arguments have been made saying that humans need to consume cholesterol in order to have a healthy balance of fats; these arguments fail to acknowledge that our bodies naturally produce all the cholesterol that it needs. And many studies have been conducted to support the theory that consumption of dietary cholesterol overloads arteries and can cause heart disease, artery disease, as well as sudden heart attacks. The Department of Community Health and Preventative Medicine at Northwestern University Medical School worked to interpret an international study based on data from the Food and Agriculture Organization and the World Health Organization. The overall conclusion was that “…dietary cholesterol levels are consistently related to CHD (coronary heart disease) mortality rates” (Stamler). A study conducted by Lena Ohlsson at the Laboratory of Gastroenterology and Nutrition within the prestigious Lund University in Sweden also linked dietary cholesterol and milk fat with artery disease and other metabolic disorders. In short, the abstract of her lab report said that low-density lipoprotein (LDL)—“bad” cholesterol—was found to be directly associated with coronary artery

It is a known fact that other countries eat healthier than here in the United States. For example, the Mediterranean diet contains many fruits and vegetables. It also replaces fattening oils with olive oil. In the article “Mediterranean Diet Shown to Ward Off Heart Attack and Stroke”, Gina Kolata states, “About 30 percent of heart attacks, strokes and deaths from heart disease can be prevented in people at high risk if they switch to a Mediterranean diet rich in olive oil, nuts, beans, fish, fruits and vegetables, and even drink wine with meals, a large and rigorous new study has found” (nytimes.com). Many people who have gone on the Mediterranean diet have decreased their risk.

The purpose of this article is to review the proposed health benefits of the Mediterranean diet to patients with Type 2 Diabetes through randomized clinical trials, and see if a cause ad effect relationship can be deduced. The cause and effect health benefits to Type 2 diabetics consuming a Mediterranean diet to be explored include improvement of blood glucose levels, hypertension, cholesterol, decrease in risk of cardiovascular disease, decrease in bodyweight for overweight individuals, decrease in inflammatory milieu.

1494 women ages 20-94 between the years of 1994 to 1997 were randomly selected to be in an epidemiological study (3). This study examined how mental health (dependent variable) was affected by having a Western Diet (independent variable). The subjects were evaluated by dietary and psychiatric assessment. The covariates of the study were socioeconomic standing, drinking, smoking, Body Mass Index and physical activity levels. The subjects were asked to return in 10 years for a follow up appointment. 881 of the original participants returned for the appointment from 2004 to 2008. Participant’s diets were assessed through questionnaires. Psychiatric assessments were given with a 12 item version of the general health questionnaire. Regressions were ran with the data and the results showed that foods such as vegetables, fruits, meat, fish, and whole grains were associated associated with lower odds for major depression and anxiety. The Western Diet which consisted of mainly fried foods, sugar, and grains had a negative effect psychologically. It was also found that the worse the diet is (more fried food and refined grains) the worse psychologically it is for the body. Researchers concluded that there was a significant association between having a Western Diet and a deterioration in mental health.

Some of the other health advantages to eating the Mediterranean way is lower the risk of dementia, Parkinson’s, overcome anxiety and depression. Prevent cancer, and lower risk of heart disease (2).

If you’ve ever talked to somebody after they 've traveled to a country such as Italy or Greece, they probably mentioned how delicious the food was. Food is one of the more common affiliations with countries that surround the Mediterranean Sea; and understandably so. The food this region produces is so notable that there is a diet based off it, companied with endless research elaborating the health benefits it accommodates. Fittingly named The Mediterranean Diet, this compilation of foods including fish, fruits, vegetables, beans, high fiber breads, whole grains, nuts, olive oil and red wine are targeted to help prevent a number of diseases as well as promote health in different sectors of the body. This essay will touch upon each component, benefit, and precaution of the Mediterranean diet, in depth, all with a main focus on the nutritional factors.

As health providers, it is our duty to ensure that an individual learns how to properly take care of his or her own health and make appropriate and healthy choices. By being proactive in their healthcare, individuals are more likely to prevent and avoid health complications while promoting their own overall health. Many nursing theories have been proposed in order to guide healthcare professionals and refine the nursing practices. One of the more prominent theories is the Heath Promotion Model (HPM) proposed by the nursing theorist Nola Pender.

With regards to the second guiding question, the student will aim to use Pender’s health promotion model as cited by Petiprin (2016) as one of its frameworks due to the four underlying assumptions of this specific

They also found that low-carbohydrate diet has more favourable improvement in some factors of coronary heart disease, such as serum triglycerides and serum high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, but not on others, such as blood pressure, low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol and insulin sensitivity (Foster et al., 2003). The strength of this research is that it comprises of various coronary heart disease risks. This result however may not be reliable as the sample is small and the attrition level is forty-three per-cent. As subjects used were obese individuals that had no serious health disease, their findings cannot be generalised for overweight and obese individuals with serious health disease.

Kastorini, C., Milionis, H. J., Esposito, K., Giugliano, D., Goudevenos, J. A., & Panagiotakos, D. B. (2011). The effect of Mediterranean diet on metabolic syndrome and its components: A meta-analysis of 50 studies and 534,906 individuals. Journal of the American College of Cardiology, 57(11), 1299-1313. doi:10.1016/j.jacc.2010.09.073

Researchers felt confident that the method of gathering the physical data on the current health status of the participants, as well as the use of surveys and interviews to provide a view of each participant’s health and lifestyle aided in determining a benefit from the Mediterranean-like Diet combined with physical activity. It is surprising that of the control group, who had no manipulation to their diet or lifestyle, have such a high percentage that maintained their health status. Of concern is that the screening process, as well as the participant's knowledge of being monitored, may have influenced the participants to alter their diet and lifestyle to a more healthy style of living. This concern should be addressed in future studies in an attempt to avoid participant bias.

The health promotion model is a theory of nursing that was developed by Dr. Nola Pender. Her theory was first proposed in 1982 and then revised in 1996. Dr. Pender was influenced by the work of James Hall, who studied people’s behavior and its correlation to health. Her work is a middle-range theory, as there are specific concepts that are observable, that she designed to be a counterpart to models of health protection in which health is simply viewed as the absence of illness. Pender’s theory was critiqued using the criteria from Fawcett (2005). Although there are limitations to Pender’s health promotion model, her theory is the best to use in nursing as it focuses on the promotion of individualized optimal health and produces increased positive outcomes.