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Interior and Designer: Jane Archer
Art Producer: Meg Baggott
Editor: Adrian Potts
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photo 2021 Darren Muir; Food styling by Yolanda Muir.
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Paperback ISBN: 978-1-63807-049-8
eBook ISBN: 978-1-63807-732-9
R0
To my Husband.
Thank you for being my best friend
and supporting me through this
journey called life.
Contents
There is something magical about Mediterranean cuisine. You can feel that the food is about more than sustenance. Its about a lifestyle full of flavor and enjoyment. The first time I traveled to countries along the Mediterranean Seaincluding France, Spain, and ItalyI fell in love with the Mediterranean diet, even though I was only 21 and had never even heard of it at the time. Little did I know, this style of eating includes cuisines from many countries around the Mediterranean Sea, including ones in North Africa and the Middle East.
Multiple members of my family have suffered cardiac events, so I focus on recipe development for heart-healthy lifestyles in both my personal and professional life. Many chronic diseases are preventable if you have a healthy lifestyle. In fact, the American Heart Association estimates that up to 80 percent of cardiovascular disease is preventable. That is a truly eye-opening statistic! I consider the Mediterranean diet a deliciously appealing way to move toward greater whole-body wellness. Whether you want to help prevent heart disease and other chronic diseases or need to manage an existing diagnosis, this healthy way of eating works.
Doctors, registered dietitians, and other health professionals recommend the Mediterranean diet because it is one of the most researched eating patterns out there. Yes, I am talking about actual, evidence-based science! In eating this way, youll get plenty of important health-promoting components such as fiber, protein, heart-healthy fats (including omega-3 fatty acids), antioxidants, phytochemicals, vitamins, minerals, and more. Year after year, news outlets such as the US News & World Report rank the Mediterranean diet as the best overall diet. Not only is this eating pattern easy to follow and delicious, but it also works for people with busy lives, hectic schedules, and a variety of health goals.
The great thing about this diet is that it is not a diet in the typical restrictive way we think about that dreaded D word. The Mediterranean diet is an overall eating pattern that is sustainable for the long term. It consists of a loose set of suggestions that guide your food choices. I love that it emphasizes the foods you should be eating more of instead of telling you that certain foods are off-limits. You can even extend the principles of the Mediterranean dietary pattern to the cuisines of other cultures, such as those of Latin and South America, Japan, or Scandinavia!
I also love how easy it is to work the Mediterranean Diet into normal cooking schedules, whether youre cooking for just you or for you and your family. You dont have to spend all day in the kitchen cooking complicated dishes. Because there are so many different flavors and ingredients to work with, you can satisfy family members with many different taste preferences while also adding quick and easy creations to your cooking repertoire. I know that learning to eat in a new way can be daunting, but it doesnt have to be. Thats where this book comes in!
This book will help make home cooking easy and enjoyable, with quick and easy dishes that fit into various cooking strategiesone-pot, five-ingredient, time-bound, freezer-ready big batches, and even no cooking required. People have been eating a Mediterranean diet for thousands of years across many countries, so youre not likely to run out of recipe ideas once you learn how varied and enjoyable this way of eating can be.
Heres you can expect to find in this book:
Guidelines and health benefits of the Mediterranean diet
Quick, easy, and delicious recipes that fit into specific, easy strategies
Healthy, whole-food ingredients that are easy to find in your local grocery store
I am confident you will love the Mediterranean diet as much as I do, and I am so excited to share my love of this style of food with you. Healthy eating doesnt have to be difficult or monotonous. Because you have the flavors of so many countries to work with, the possibilities are practically endless. If youre looking to eat healthy and actually enjoy the food, this way of eating is for you. You can do this, so lets get cooking!
