Dear Healthy Friend,

I've often touted the benefits of the Mediteranean diet here on Health Bytes... Besides being so good for you, it's tasty too! But there are some benefits I don't think I've mentioned... Not only could it help shrink your waistline, new research suggests this lifestyle could help combat some of the deadliest killers....

Keep reading to see what Ed Martin has to say...

In the name of good health,

Taryn Strugnell
Managing Editor of Nutrition & Healing

P.S. It's time to go nuts... And I mean literally! Ed Martin reveals some startling info about this little pie ingredient!
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Mediterranean diet beats diabetes and heart disease
Ed Martin
Editor, House Calls

Can't quite quit the carbs? Don't be afraid to start small: Slashing even some of them could slash your disease risk.

A new study finds that the Mediterranean diet - a variation on the low-carb diet that still allows for whole grains, rice and even some pasta - could dramatically lower your risk for metabolic syndrome.

And that means you could lower your risk for some of the world's top killers: Diabetes and heart disease.

Researchers say their analysis of 50 studies involving a combined 535,000 people finds that those who followed the diet closely had smaller waistlines, better blood pressure control, higher levels of HDL cholesterol, lower triglycerides and better glucose levels than those who didn't follow the diet... Or tried to, but failed.

So what else is new? Studies have consistently found that the Mediterranean diet is far better for health and weight loss than the high-carb, low-fat diet being pushed all over the world.

And it's certainly better than a diet of fast food and processed meals. One recent study found that a Greek-style Mediterranean diet could lower your risk of cognitive decline.

Another found that Spaniards who stuck to the region's famous lifestyle could even enjoy two or three beers a day and actually lose weight.

The one catch here is that the researchers behind the new analysis in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology found that the Mediterranean diet worked best in, well, the Mediterranean region.

It's not hard to see why.

Here, the diet is something people try. Some people fail at it, but even the ones who stick to it can stray.

In the Mediterranean, however, it's just part of the local lifestyle. You don't "try" the diet - you're raised on it.

And when you're raised without sugar, you don't crave it as much - and that's the real secret to Mediterranean success: The lack of sugar.

But if you want to really slash your disease risk, go the whole way and cut all your carbs, not just sugar - at least until you reach a healthy weight, then you can add some of the better carbs back into your diet.

And no matter how much - or how little - you weigh, make like a Mediterranean and keep the sugar out of your house.

One big element of both low-carb and the Mediterranean diet is nuts... And there's big news on one in particular that could help keep you healthy.

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A pecan-do attitude towards health
Ed Martin
Editor, House Calls

Pecan Nuts might be known best as the nuts you'll find in ice cream and pie, but why sugarcoat it?

Eat a pecan right from the shell and you won't just get a tasty treat - a new study finds you'll get an antioxidant boost that could lower your risk for cancer and heart disease.

And that makes pecans a snack you can go nuts over.

Researchers gave 16 volunteers one of three test meals: 85g of whole pecans, 85g of pecans blended with water or a meal with similar nutritional value, but no pecans.

They found that those who ate either pecan meal had double the levels of gamma-tocopherols, a powerful form of vitamin E, eight hours later.

And those who ate the whole pecans slashed the oxidation of LDL cholesterol by up to 33% three hours after their meal.

That last bit is critical here - because the real damage of LDL cholesterol takes place when it oxidizes.

That process leads to inflammation as well as the formation of plaque, clogging arteries and upping your odds of heart attack and stroke.

The gamma-tocopherols, however, slow that process - robbing the LDL cholesterol of its ability to harm you.

The benefits didn't end there - the study in the Journal of Nutrition also found that pecans boosted the overall levels of antioxidants in the blood.

Those who ate whole pecans had a 12% increase in oxygen radical absorbance capabilities two hours after the meal. Those who had the blend saw a 10% jump.

That means pecans aren't just packed with antioxidants - but they exist in a form absorbed by your body and put to work, helping to lower your risk for everything from heart problems to cancer.

But wait! There's more!

An earlier study by the same researchers found pecans could lower levels of LDL cholesterol by 16.%, double the "benefit" of the Step 1 diet (low-calorie, fat-reduced diet) pushed by the American Heart Association.

And much tastier than a statin.

The only problems with pecans are those pies and ice creams I mentioned earlier - not to mention nuts roasted in sugary coatings.

Eat those and the only boost you'll see will be in your waistline.

If you really want the great benefits of pecans, eat them right out of the shell, sprinkle them into your salads or work them into your recipes.

Go nuts.

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