A Mediterranean Diet And Your Uterus: A Love Story

The Mediterranean diet is already quite magical. Fish, fresh veggies and hummus, what more could you ask for? Well, accoring to a new study, the Mediterranean diet might protect against uterine cancer. Published in the British Journal of Cancer, the study found that risk of uterine cancer was lowered by 57 percent in women who followed the plant-, grain-, and healthy fat-rich dietary plan — so if you were looking for another reason to drizzle olive oil on everything, now you've got one. Delicious!

The researchers broke the Mediterranean diet down into nine components: Vegetables, fruits, nuts, pulses, cereals and potatoes, fish, monounsaturated fats, milk and other dairy products, and moderate alcohol intake (does that mean alcohol is its own food group?). Researchers then measured how closely the participants — 5,000 Italian women — stuck to the diet. The results? Women who stuck to seven or more of the components reduced their risk of womb cancer by 57 percent — 57 percent!

So what does this mean? "Our study provides evidence for a beneficial role of the Mediterranean diet on endometrial cancer risk, suggesting a favourable effect of a combination of foods rich in antioxidants, fibres, phytochemicals, and unsaturated fatty acids," stated the researchers. Take that, cancer.

This just adds to the list of ways foods that fall under what we call the Mediterranean diet are fantastic for you. It's already been shown to improve brain function (even helping with Alzheimer's disease and dementia), reduce the risk of heart disease and even help with weight loss. It may just be the utopia of all the "fad diets" — although really, it's not a fad diet at all. Like the New Nordic diet, it's about getting the best nutrition from the ingredients available in a particular geographic area... ingredients which, thanks to the fact that the world is so small these days, are relatively easy to get a hold of.

How easy is it to get on board? Super easy. Here are a few pointers to start.

1. Eat A Lot Of Starchy Foods

Such as bread and pasta. Wait... A diet with carbs? Say no more.

2. Eat A Lot Of Fruits And Vegitables

Crisp and cool snacks in the summer? No problem.

3. Eat Some Fish

You know that quote... "Fish are friends not food?" Well now they can be both!

4. Eat Less Meat

Meat can be pretty fatty, so reducing your meat intake can also reduce fat intake.

5. Eat Plant Oils

Choose products made from vegetable and plant oils, such as olive oil.

Dear Mediterranean,

You're beautiful. You have beautiful people, and you have amazing healthy food.

Thank you.

Images: indradadze, mediterraneandiet/Instagram (4); Giphy.com (3)