想要健康長壽? 不妨試一試地中海飲食吧!

The temperate isles of the Mediterranean are home to sun, sea and delicious dishes thought to hold the key to good health. But what is it that makes a Mediterranean diet quite so good for us?

地中海溫帶小島擁有陽光、海洋與美味佳餚，這都被認爲是健康的祕訣。但是爲什麼地中海的飲食對我們如此有益呢？

Victoria Taylor, Senior dietitian at the British Heart Foundation, gives her view on the healthy benefits of the sunshine cuisine.

英國心臟基金會高級營養師維多利亞·泰勒對陽光美食的健康益處給出了自己的看法。

While it's important to understand how different foods and nutrients affect our health, a whole diet approach offers a more helpful way of looking at our eating habits and choices.

瞭解不同食物和營養物質對健康的影響至關重要，一種統觀全局的方法更有利於幫助我們分析飲食習慣和選擇。

A typical Mediterranean diet includes lots of vegetables, fruits, beans, cereals and cereal products, for example wholegrain bread, pasta and brown rice. It also contains moderate amounts of fish, white meat and some dairy produce.

典型的地中海飲食包括大量的蔬菜、水果、豆類、穀物以及如全麥麪包、麪食和糙米這樣的穀類食品。此外還包括適量的魚，白肉和一些奶製品。

It's the combination of all these elements that seems to bring health benefits, but one of the key aspects is the inclusion of healthy fats.

正是這些均衡的搭配帶來了好處，但是關鍵的一點是，它包含健康的脂肪。

Research into the traditional Mediterranean diet has shown it may reduce our risk of developing conditions like type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure and raised cholesterol, which are all risk factors for heart disease.

對地中海傳統飲食的研究表明，它有利於減少2型糖尿病和誘發心臟病的高血壓、高膽固醇情況的發生。

Researchers have also found that people who closely follow a Mediterranean diet may live a longer life and be less likely to put on weight.

研究人員還發現，長期堅持地中海飲食的人會有更長的壽命並且很難長胖。

Although we are some way from the warm Mediterranean coast, it's still possible to adopt this style of eating without making massive changes. Try out our favourite Mediterranean recipes today.

儘管離溫暖的地中海海岸很遠，但是做出一些小小的改變，我們就能吃得健康。那麼不妨從今天開始就嘗試我們健康的地中海飲食吧。