Based on the age-old dietary traditions of Crete, Greece and southern Italy, this “diet” or eating pattern, is based on 9 key healthy ingredients, including abundant fruits, vegetables and olive oil, a little meat and daily red wine.
This way of eating not only keeps Mediterraneans lean, it also boasts health benefits:
- Just last week, the British Medical Journal online
published a review that linked the Mediterranean diet with a
reduced risk of death and lower risk of developing
Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s diseases—the closer
people stuck to the “diet,” the greater the
benefit.
- Another recent study showed the Mediterranean eating pattern
helped people lose more weight than a conventional low-fat diet and
helped people with diabetes better control their blood-glucose
levels.
- We also know the diet reduces inflammation, a risk factor for heart attack and stroke, and may even ward off depression and lower the risk of developing type 2 diabetes.
Pretty impressive, huh?
Recognizing these many benefits, here are four easy ways to adapt the Mediterranean Diet to your life:
1. Stock your pantry and cook at home. Do your best to cook more and use whole, unprocessed Mediterranean-inspired ingredients, such as canned tomatoes, olives, whole-wheat pasta and frozen vegetables, so you can control portion sizes, salt and calories.
2. Get most of your protein from beans and fish. Swap out some of your meat and get your protein from beans, nuts and other plants. By displacing meat, you’ll lower your saturated-fat intake while adding healthful nutrients, like fiber and antioxidant-rich flavonols. Try to make the focus of the meal whole grains and vegetables and think of meat as a flavoring. Aim to make a plant-based dinner, like EatingWell’s Okra & Chickpea Tagine, once or twice a week.
Okra & Chickpea Tagine
1 pound fresh or frozen okra, stem ends trimmed, cut into
1/2-inch pieces
10 sprigs fresh cilantro, plus more leaves for garnish
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 red bell pepper, finely diced
1 medium onion, finely diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
3 plum tomatoes, diced, or 1 cup drained canned diced tomatoes
1/2 cup vegetable broth or reduced-sodium chicken broth
3/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1 15-ounce can chickpeas, rinsed
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon harissa (see Ingredient Note) or hot sauce, or to
taste
1. Place a large bowl of ice water next to the stove. Bring a
large saucepan of water to a boil. Add okra and cook for 2 minutes.
Transfer the okra with a slotted spoon to the ice water. Drain.
2. Tie cilantro sprigs together with kitchen string.
3. Heat oil in a tagine dish set over a heat diffuser or a large
saucepan over medium-high heat. Add bell pepper. Cook, stirring,
until soft, 2 to 5 minutes. Transfer to a bowl with a slotted
spoon.
4. Add onion, garlic, ginger and pepper to the pan. Cook, stirring,
until the onion is soft, 3 to 6 minutes. Mix in tomatoes, broth,
cumin, the okra, cilantro sprigs and half the bell pepper. Reduce
heat to medium; partially cover. Cook, stirring occasionally, until
the okra is soft, 10 to 15 minutes. Stir in chickpeas and salt;
cook for 4 minutes. Remove from the heat; discard the cilantro
sprigs. Stir in harissa (or hot sauce). Serve sprinkled with the
remaining bell pepper and cilantro leaves, if desired.
Ingredient note: Harissa is a fiery Tunisian chile paste commonly used in North African cooking. Find it at specialty-food stores, mustaphas.com or amazon.com. Harissa in a tube will be much hotter than that in a jar. You can substitute Chinese or Thai chile-garlic sauce for it.
Makes 6 servings.
Per serving: 136 calories; 6 g fat (1 g sat, 4 g mono); 0 mg cholesterol; 20 g carbohydrate; 5 g protein; 7 g fiber; 443 mg sodium; 389 mg potassium. Nutrition bonus: Vitamin C (80% daily value), Vitamin A (25% dv), Folate (20% dv).
3. Make olive oil your staple fat. Give heart-healthy olive oil as well as other plant-based oils like canola and walnut oil star billing over saturated-fat-laden, LDL-cholesterol-raising butter, lard or shortening—even in baking.
4. Enjoy a glass of wine with meals. Enjoy wine
in moderation during meals, never drinking alone outside of the
meal and never in excess. Drinking wine increases HDL (good)
cholesterol, may help regulate blood sugar and can even help you
digest your food and absorb its nutrients. Wines, especially red
wines, also deliver a dose of heart-healthy resveratrol.
By Rachel Johnson, Ph.D., M.P.H., R.D., for EatingWell Magazine
Rachel Johnson, EatingWell’s senior nutrition advisor, is dean of the University of Vermont College of Agriculture & Life Sciences.
Related Links from EatingWell:
- Read the full article, to find out more about the Mediterranean diet.
- 12 more tips on how to eat the Mediterranean way everyday.
- Sign up for EatingWell’s free weekly newsletters and get healthy recipes, diet tips and nutrition news delivered right to your inbox.
- Get a free trial issue when you subscribe to EatingWell Magazine.
