Italian Food & Drink contents page
The
Mediterranean Diet -
Oh So Tasty
by
Natalia Kim
Yes, there is more
to the Mediterranean than sun, beach and wine... there
is the Mediterranean Diet...
For many years now the inhabitants of
countries bordering the Mediterranean Sea -
(such as southern Spain, Italy, Portugal,
Greece, Turkey, Syria, Libya,
Algeria,
Morocco, Lebanon and Israel) have been
considered to be among the healthiest in the
world enjoying both high life expectancy
plus showing health benefits like low
incidence of chronic diseases and in recent
years many studies have been made to
discover why and if it has to do with more
than just the sunshine!
Traditionally,
their diet has been based on the livestock,
fishing and agriculture of their land and
reliance on foods from a rich diversity of
plant sources including fruits, whole
grains, nuts, beans and seeds. In Northern
Africa for example, couscous, vegetables and
legumes form the centre of the diet, in the
Eastern Mediterranean, bulgar and rice along
with vegetables and legumes and in Southern
Europe, the basis is formed by rice, polenta,
pasta with plenty of vegetables and legumes
and everywhere bread is eaten at most meals
(but without butter!).
Nutritional research has shown the
advantages of a diet HIGH in vegetables,
fruits, grains, monounsaturated fats and
various complex carbohydrates but LOW in
cholesterol and certain forms of saturated
fat and led to greater public awareness.
It is true that these foods, like those
foods consumed by the rest of Europe and the
United States are rich in fat, BUT... of a
different type!
Let me explain this: There are three
types of dietary fats:
· Saturated fats, (from animals)
· Polyunsaturated fats (from plants, seeds,
nuts and vegetables)
· mono saturated fats (olive oil). Olive oil
isn’t only delicious (and somewhat
expensive) but it’s also rich in vitamins A,
B1, B2, C, D, E and K as well as iron.
The health and therapeutic benefits of
olive oil are vast: namely…
· it does not have the same cholesterol
raising effects as the saturated fats found
in animal fats
· it contains anti-oxidants that discourage
clogging of the arteries and chronic
diseases including cancer
· and it also has lubricating properties in
so far as it acts as a laxative, aids
digestion and protects the intestine from
ulcers.
Now, this "Mediterranean diet" - (though
not exactly a diet in the ´slimmers´ sense
of the word), has led to a style of eating
that is a move away from relying on
manufactured food stuffs to recipes
consisting of natural and healthy
ingredients eaten raw or minimally
processed.
So
WHAT typically comprises "The Mediterranean
Diet?"
When, in 1993, The Harvard University
School of Public Health and Oldways
Preservation and Exchange Trust (a Boston
based educational organisation) held a
conference on the Mediterranean diet and its
influence on public health, reviewing data
concerned with the dietary traditions of
those countries bordering the Mediterranean,
the committee developed the "Mediterranean
Food Guide Pyramid", the main points of
which are summarised as follows:
· plenty of food from plant sources,
including fruit, vegetables, breads and
grains, beans, nuts and seeds
· use of Olive Oil replacing other fats and
oils
· fresh fruit daily
· Seasonally fresh and locally grown foods
in preference to processed foods
· Saturated fat should constitute less than
20 per cent of total calories
· small amounts of cheese and yoghurt
(containing live cultures which may
contribute to good health)
· daily moderate amounts of fish and poultry
weekly and only a few eggs
· very little red meat
· a glass of wine (especially red) with
meals as it contains anti-oxidants and has
cholesterol reducing properties (although
optional as there are contraindications for
women related to breast cancer)
Natalia Kim is a journalist for
http://www.beginning-exercise-and-weight-loss-help.com
Article Source
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Mediterranean Diet
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