Many people don’t realize that Greek food is some of the healthiest food that you can consume. The traditional Greek diet (also known as the Mediterranean diet) comes from how people used to eat in the areas surrounding places like Italy, Turkey, Spain, and Greece… and is well known for both the delicious nature of its dishes, and for being a very healthy diet for humankind.

Now, with that being said, keep in mind that all Greek dishes are a little bit different… but Greek food, in general, tends to tout some rather enlightening health benefits that you may not have ever been aware of.

Here are 3 of the health benefits of Greek food that you probably didn’t even realized existed! As it turns out, Greek food may be better for you than many people give it credit for!

It Is Full Of Anti-Inflammatory Foods

Greek cuisine has been praised for the wealth of anti-inflammatory foods that are often incorporated into it. This is due to the mostly plant-based foods that are used in it, but it also has to do with the healthy fats found within it.

As it turns out, people who consume a more Mediterranean-style diet are better protected against problems like heart disease, metabolic complications, cancer, depression, dementia, obesity, type 2 diabetes, and Parkinson’s.

Greek Cuisine Often Incorporates A Lot Of Olive Oil Into The Mix

Olive oil has a near-legendary status as a veritable super-food among most health-food experts… and indeed, this praise is not unwarranted. Olive oil contains a ton of omega-3 fat, and is said to reduce the risk of coronary heart disease.

Olive oil is also full of compounds called phenols, which are basically antioxidants that help to fight inflammation and free radical damage.

Greek Cuisine Often Contains Fewer Processed Foods

Generally, Greek cuisine incorporates more ‘whole’ and ‘raw’ foods into its dishes. This means that the foods are often much closer to nature, and much less processed. Greek food is also pretty well-known for containing very little to no high fructose corn syrup, GMOs, or other artificial ingredients.

It also contains more plant-based ingredients, wild-caught fish, and legumes, and uses far less red meat.

These healthier ingredients, mixed in with all of the olive oil in the food, does a lot to help boost the health benefits.

What Does All Of This Mean?

These are not the only health benefits that you will tend to find in Greek food, but they are benefits that should not go unnoticed. As a general rule, eating a diet that consists of real Mediterranean/Greek foods will help you to lose weight, will improve your heart health, will help you to fight cancer, and will help to improve your mood.

Of course, it is important to note that there are also other factors that must be taken into account when assessing the benefits of anything. Without proper exercise and sleep routines, eating better foods will only do you so much good… and while the red wine often associated with Greek foods is good for you, it is also important that you drink plenty of water and that you cut back on sugary beverages like soda, energy drinks, and sweetened tea.

And last, but certainly not least, remember that eating healthy portion sizes of any food is also important. A lot of people make the mistake of overdoing it on food during one or more meals of the day… and as a result, end up gaining more body fat.

As opposed to this, it is better to eat a bigger number of smaller portions of food throughout the day, so that you can stay energized without having such a large percentage of your food adding unhealthy inches to your waistline.