A Meal Plan for Optimal Health
Secrets of the Mediterranean Diet
Diets come and go, but there is one diet that has been working for centuries in countries like Greece, Turkey and Italy. The Mediterranean Diet. U.S. News and World Reports has polled a panel of health experts the past few years and the Mediterranean Diet has been ranked the #1 diet in 2019 and 2020. It is one of the most recommended diets by doctors and is one of the best diets for anyone suffering from diabetes, heart disease, lung disease, cancer or obesity.
Pondera is made from nutritional foods that are staples of the Mediterranean diet and we are strong advocates of the Mediterranean Diet. Dr. Sterling Wood, the creator of the Pondera nutritional meal replacement powder, also served as the Director of Chef Training for Zone Diets for over 25 years. Both diets share many similarities such as maintaining a balance of heatlhy fats, low glycemic fiber rich carbs and high quality proteins.
Below, we explore the reasons why this is important to your long term health and solutions to help people that struggle with diets.
The Pondera Meal Plan is a Mediterranean Diet Plan
If you are already a believer in the Mediterranean diet, you can skip the introduction and go right to section that includes the Pondera Meal Plan that is available for free download. Otherwise, to learn more, keep reading!
The Mediterranean Diet - One of the Healthiest Diets in the World
Dr. Oz on the Mediterranean diet: “I personally believe, its the “healthiest diet in the world”
Dr. Oz states that people that live in Mediterranean countries live longer than Americans. Some researchers say they are the healthiest people on the planet. People that live in this area of the world:
There have been scores of studies on this diet, including research published at HealthLine. Results & conclusions of these studies include:
Here’s what the Mayo Clinic says about the Mediterranean Diet:
Research has shown that the traditional Mediterranean diet reduces the risk of heart disease. The diet has been associated with a lower level of oxidized low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol — the "bad" cholesterol that's more likely to build up deposits in your arteries.
In fact, a meta-analysis of more than 1.5 million healthy adults demonstrated that following a Mediterranean diet was associated with a reduced risk of cardiovascular mortality as well as overall mortality.
The Mediterranean diet is also associated with a reduced incidence of cancer, and Parkinson's and Alzheimer's diseases. Women who eat a Mediterranean diet supplemented with extra-virgin olive oil and mixed nuts may have a reduced risk of breast cancer.
The Incredible Science Behind the Mediterranean Diet
The Mediterranean diet is effective because it naturally provides a unique and critical nutritional balance. This is not the same as the daily "balanced diet" with the basic food groups.
Research shows that the benefits of this diet are achieved through the balance of the right carbs, proteins and healthy fats at each meal. It all starts with a hormone in our bodies that was discovered almost 40 years ago.
Groundbreaking Discovery of the Super Hormone
In the 1982, Swedish researchers in conjunction with Harvard Unversity won a Nobel Prize for contributions to prostaglandin research and the body's response to the Eicosanoid hormone.
The Eicosanoid is a signaling compound that works like a hormone to control cellular functions. It exists in every cell of your body. When stimulated, this super hormone helps your body process blood sugar, metabolize fat and improves blood flow by expanding your blood vessels (unlike drugs that just thin blood). When the eicosanoid receives a positive stimulus, your body receives the following benefits:
These researchers also found that the ONLY way to stimulate the Eicosanoid is through diet. The eicosanoid is produced from fatty acids. A positive, healthy eicosanoid response requires a specific balance of diet that includes roughly equal amounts of healthy fats, high quality proteins and low glycemic high fiber carbohydrates.
Finding good proteins isn’t too difficult. Getting high fiber carbs isn't always easy. Good sources of unsaturated fats can be difficult to find and they are sorely lacking in western diets. A primary source of healthy fats include olive oil, avocados and almonds. Fish and seafood are high in Omega 3 fatty acids. The benefits of Omega 3 fatty acids are well established.
It just happens that many of these high-powered foods naturally exist in these countries that border the Mediterranean Sea. People from this area have immediate access to some of the healthiest foods in the world.
What Makes Up the Mediterranean Diet?
This diet has worked for centuries because people in this region eat native fruits and vegetables, whole wheat breads, seafood, legumes, greek yogurt and low quantities of lean red meat.
The natural foods of the region tend to be carbohydrates that are high in fiber. They naturally eat lean proteins. A high percentage of proteins come from legumes and fish rather than red meat.
They also tend to garnish their foods with UNCOOKED olive oil. You get the most nutritional benefit from raw olive oil as opposed to olive oil used for cooking / saute.
Download Pondera Meal Plan
By clicking the button below you can download the Pondera Meal Plan. This meal plan was created by Dr. Sterling Wood, the founder and creator of Pondera. It follows the principles of the Mediterranean Diet and the Zone Diet with a focus on balance needed to provide an optimal hormonal response and increase cellular efficiency.
Eating a Healthy Diet is Not Easy
While we encourage a healthy diet with foods from the Mediterranean region, we understand that it is not always practical. And you should understand something very important.
Everyone struggles with diets. Eating healthy today is harder than ever. Don't be fooled into feeling bad about your struggle to maintain a healthy diet.
There are many reasons why diets fail and why it can be difficult for everyone. Here are a few:
If any of these sound familiar, just realize that you are not alone and that there are solutions!
Dr. Sterling Wood Vows to Help People Get Healthy
Dr. Sterling Wood, a diabetic foot salvage surgeon for 30 years, watched his patients struggle to eat the right foods. Even with the risk of of amputation, most of his patients couldn't stick with a healthy diet. He wanted to make it easier and dedicated decades of work to find a solution that would make it easier for his patients to consume healthier foods. His solution was Pondera.
The challenge was turning affordable olive oil into an edible powder. This process took over 10 years, but he was finally able to get results. Just two scoops of Pondera can help you achieve a healthier diet. This can be used as a meal replacement or supplement your existing diet.
Pondera - The Perfect Meal to Create Balance
Pondera is an easy-to-consume healthy meal replacement powder that provides a "laboratory precise" combination of nutrients to balance the body. It is comprised of:
Healthy Meal Replacement or Dietary Supplement
The 30-30-40 balance of healthy carbs, fats and proteins generate a positive Eicosanoid response. Pondera was created for individuals requiring a diet that:
We are so confident in the nutritional benefits that we went through the long and expensive process of testing Pondera during a medically supervised human trial. A summary of the results are below.
Pondera Human Studies
(Results from Quapaw Indian Tribe, Medically Supervised Clinical Studies. Results of blood tests in Less Than 6 Weeks of consuming Pondera)
For full publication of the study, see Results from Medically Supervised Trial
Customer Testimonials
My name Is Cyndie. I am 61 years old and I was a Registered Nurse for 35 years. I have always believed in approaching health problems the traditional way, with doctors and medicine. I have always been a skeptic when people talk to me about vitamins and nutrition. I have cabinets full of vitamins and it never seemed to make a difference, so, I was no initially that interested nor did I believe his powder would work.
In 1974 I was in a car accident and broke both of my legs. Due to the accident, I suffer from arthritis and inflammation in both knees, and now my hip. About a year ago, I was finally diagnosed with Scleroderma. Scleroderma is an autoimmune disease which has been attacking my mouth and my entire digestive system. Everything is inflamed and I have been miserable for the last 2 years. I was beginning to believe that this was just going to be my new “quality of life”, and am very grateful that there was something that could do to change it. He stopped by my place of business and took one look at me and told me I looked terrible. He began once again to tell me to start drinking Pondera and follow a simple eating plan that he prepared for me. To surprise within 11/2 weeks of following his suggestions, my hip pain is gone, my knees are better, I move better and I have energy. Normally on my day off i sleep because I am so miserable but last weekend I woke up early feeling great and took my dog for a walk at 7:30 am!
My digestive system is greatly improved, and as a bonus, I have lost of weight without “dieting”. Pondera makes me feel full and I feel satisfied! I almost have forced my self to eat. I will continue with Pondera and Dr Sterling’s recommendations. Thank you Pondera and and for being there to urge me to try the Pondera and help me change my eating habits. I got my life back with Pondera and I never want to be without it!” - Cyndie
“My name is Patricia, I met Dr Sterling by chance at a Chrysler dealership. As he was discussing his experience with diabetes and Pondera, I decided to try his products.
Before Pondera: I am a type 2 diabetic. My diabetes’s discovered 10 years ago. I was prescribed Metform 40 mg 1 time a day and I take Novalog shot as follows: 12 morning 14 afternoon and 1o evening. My morning sugar is on average 135. I am dragging the morning, I have no energy and I have to push my self to do anything. My left ankle is swollen in the the morning and by evening my whole left leg is swollen and numb as though my leg is asleep and it is painful. I have a pain in the bottom of my foot and I continually stomp my foot trying to offset the pain.
After Pondera: After one week of Using Pondera I was able to discontinue my 40 mg of Metform. I feel really good, I have energy, I wake up at 4 am and so my laundry, go shopping, clean my house. There is now more swelling or pain in my left leg. It is completely gone. My blood sugars are averaging 97 in the morning and no higher than 101. People are noticing a difference in my skin. I look healthier and feel wonderful. I am so exited to find Pondera. I look forward to continuing this product and good eating habits to continue to get results and lower medications as my blood sugar continues to become normal.” - Patricia
A friend sent me Pondera. I was a bad diabetic & all my doctors did was up my insulin. I felt so awful, lethargic and in constant pain. I began taking Pondera twice a day.
Within one month I stopped craving sweets and I lost 15lbs. I started gaining energy and feeling like a new person. People couldn't believe the difference in me. Since then everything is so positive, friends are so excited that they have started Pondera!!! - Penny (trustpilot)
This product exceeded all of my expectations. I originally began taking Pondera for the heart health properties.
This has helped improve my quality of sleep, reduced the amount of blood pressure medication I was taking, helped me lose weight, and increased my energy. I cannot say enough about how this product has changed my life. Definitely not your typical protein shake, and worth every penny! - Bridget (trustpilot)
I saw this product on Facebook and was a bit skeptical. A user of Pondera assured me it was great. I Ordered this over a month ago and I love it. When I first took it I could feel the energy pick up and I lost weight.
I ran out and didn't reorder and I felt sluggish with in a few days. I just got my second bag last week and I feel incredible again. It keeps me full until lunch and I am using it as a meal replacement and a whole body balancer. It lasts longer than that expensive crap I would buy at GNC. It also helped to get my blood sugar down. - Vince (trustpilot)
“Dr.Wood I just want to thank you for introducing me to Pondera. This has helped me so much. Before I used it I was hurting all over in my joints, I didn’t have any energy. I just didn’t want to do anything because I was hurting so bad. But once I started using Pondera and I mean as soon as I started using it I felt my whole body start to tingle.
My sugar level is great now. It’s not jumping up and down. Plus now I don’t hurt any more in my joints. Now I’m outside more working in my yard.” - H
Pondera can be consumed daily or when you just don't have time to cook a healthy meal. Our goal is to help as many people as possible make a positive change in their lives. We are offering a $15 discount for anyone that wants to try Pondera. Use coupon code: mealplan at checkout!
There's More: You can also share this coupon to friends or family members that are struggling to eat healthy. It works for anyone that is a new customer!
Footnotes
- Eicosanoids: The Nobel Prize - Science Direct, 1982
- Prostaglandins and Leukotrienes: Advances in Eicosanoid Biology - ScienceMag, 2001
- Regulation of Inflammation in Cancer by Eicosanoids -NCBI, 2014
- Eicosanoids in Inflammation: Biosynthesis, Pharmacology, and Therapeutic Frontiers -ResearchGate, 2007
- Essential Fatty Acids and Eicosanoids: Invited Papers from the Third International Congress (Book) - Google Books, 1982
- Mediterranean diet: A heart-healthy eating plan - Mayo Clinic, 2019
- 5 Studies on The Mediterranean Diet - Does it Really Work? - HealthLine, 2008 - 2013
- What You Need to Know About Omega-3s, WebMD, 2019
- The Mediterranean Diet and Cardiovascular Health - AHA Journals, 2019
- The Mediterranean Diet: From an Environment-Driven Food Culture to an Emerging Medical Prescription - NCBI, 2015
Pondera Ingredients: olive oil powder, protein blend (whey protein concentrate, whey protein isolate, calcium caseinate, and milk protein concentrate), resistant maltodextrin, agave inulin, natural flavors, potassium phosphate, tricalcium phosphate, guar gum salt, silicon dioxide, organic rebaudioside-A, d-alpha-tocopheryl acetate and ferrous sulfate. Contains milk & soy.