Sophia Loren is set to turn 88 on September 20, yet the actress has said she still “feels 20”. Speaking as the cover girl for AARP the Magazine’s December 2020/January 2021, she said: “Sometimes when I say I’m 86, I don’t believe it. I feel 20.
“When I look in the mirror, I cheer for myself.
“I don’t ask, ‘Are you great?’ or ‘Are you beautiful?’
“No! It’s how I feel inside, how secure I am, how happy I am. That’s what matters.”
The Oscar-winning star has pointed to her diet for a lot of her health and positive body image.
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Speaking to Elle Australia, she revealed that she follows a classic Mediterranean diet, with a few treats thrown in.
As part of the article, she said: “Everything you see, I owe to spaghetti.”
The Mediterranean diet focuses on plant foods like fruit, vegetables,
whole grains, nuts, seeds, and pulses, like, beans, chickpeas and lentils.
What are the benefits of a Mediterranean diet?
The NHS University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire’s Department of Nutrition and Dietetics explained some of the positive benefits that eating a Mediterranean diet could have.
These include:
- Weight loss – plants are naturally lower in calories and high in
- fibre, which helps you feel fuller for longer.
- Reduced risk of having a heart attack or stroke – replacing
- saturated fat, found mostly in meat and dairy, with healthier fats in
- nuts and olive oil can lower your cholesterol levels. This is good for
- your heart and blood vessels.
- Diabetes – eating a diet rich in plants can help prevent type 2
- diabetes. For people with diabetes (type 1, type 2 and
- gestational), it can help lower blood glucose levels and may allow
- them to reduce their medication.
- Reduced blood pressure.
- Lower risk of developing certain cancers including bowel, breast, prostate,
- stomach, bladder, head and neck, lung and pancreatic cancer.
- Lower risk of developing dementia.
- Better balance of good gut bacteria, which
- can lead to better digestion.
- Improved mood and mental health.
- Better sleep.