Martha Stone - Mediterranean Diet: A Medically Recognized Diet For a Healthy Lifestyle.

Mediterranean Diet

A Medically Recognized Diet for aHealthy Lifestyle

Copyright 2014 MarthaStone

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Martha Stone is a chef and alsocookbook writer. She was born and raised in Idaho where she spentmost of her life growing up. Growing up in the country taught herhow to appreciate and also use fresh ingredients in her cooking.This love for using the freshest ingredients turned into a passionfor cooking. Martha loves to teach others how to cook and she lovesevery aspect of cooking from preparing the dish to smelling itcooking and sharing it with friends.

Martha eventually moved to California and metthe love of her life. She settled down and has two children. She isa stay at home mom and involves her children in her cooking as muchas possible. Martha decided to start writing cookbooks so that shecould share her love for food and cooking with everyone else.

You can also check out my blog at: http://martha-stone.blogspot.com

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The Mediterranean Diet is a UNESCO recognizeddiet pattern as a part of the intangible cultural heritage ofMorocco, Spain, Greece and Italy. Therefore, it is not a fad diet,but in fact is practiced by millions of people for a long period oftime already.
The name Mediterranean Diet is a misleading term because most oftenthan not, people equate it with Mediterranean cuisine. However, thetruth is, this is not always the case. Yes, plenty of Mediterraneanfood types are being used in this specific type of diet likeolives, olive oil, yogurt and many others. But other food typesfrom Greece and Italy are also used like butter, lard and evensheep fat and samna (rendered butter).

The Mediterranean Diet was first revealed by Ancel Keys, anAmerican doctor in 1945. Dr. Key was posted in Pioppi, Italy and itdid not gain much of a following during those years but gained ahuge following by the 1990s. The first objective study thatproclaimed the healthiness of the Mediterranean Diet was reportedin the Seven Countries Study.
Basically, what noted researchers found out about this diet isbased upon the relative study of mainstream nutrition which showsthat people living in the Mediterranean countries are eating hugeamounts of fat in their diet but have a relatively low occurrenceof cardiovascular diseases compared with people living in the USA,who likewise considerably consume the same amounts of fatbutdiffering on the type of fat consumed.

So what is the diet all about? What types of food do these peopleconsume? Listed below is a short and concise overview of the keyelements contained in the Mediterranean diet.

• Drink red wine in moderation, which is anoptional part of the diet.

• At least twice a week of fish and poultryconsumption

• Red meat should only be eaten only a fewtimes a month.

• Avoid the use of salt; instead make use ofspices and herbs.

• Use olive oil and other healthy fats insteadof butter.

• Consume a lot of plant based food groups suchas nuts, legumes, whole grains, vegetables and fruits.

Also included in the Mediterranean dietregimen is physical activity and the importance of enjoying a mealtogether with your friends and family.

Based on the many research and scientific studies conducted on theMediterranean diet, it has found out that people who followed theMediterranean Diet experienced the following:

• A reduced risk for developing Alzheimers andParkinsons diseases

• A healthy way to lose weight

• Reduces the possibility of a person becomingobese or prevents too much weight gain.

• Reduces the chance of developing thefollowing diseases: vascular and cardiac diseases, high bloodcholesterol, high blood pressure and type 2 diabetes. TheMediterranean Diet is also perfect for controlling the saiddiseases if you already have them along with medication.

• An increase lifespan due to the fact that itreduces the chances of up to 20% of you getting cancer and heartdiseases.

In order for you to reap the health benefits provided by aMediterranean Diet, we have shortlisted below a handful ofsatisfying recipes to help you get started with your MediterraneanDiet. Rest-assured, we have compiled these recipes meticulously tosatisfy both your senses and appetite.

The recipes listed below are quite farranging from main meals, sandwiches, pasta, salads and sides. Wehope that youll have a great time preparing these meals and mostof all enjoying your healthier lifestyle!

CROUTON INGREDIENTS:

• 1 slice of loaf bread, cubed

• 2 cloves garlic, minced

• 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 cups vegetable stock or broth

• 1 tbsp chopped fresh rosemary, plus 6figs

• tsp freshly ground black pepper

• 6 cloves garlic, minced

• 3 carrots, peeled and cubed

• 2 tbsps olive oil

• 1 bay leaf

• 1 tsp salt

• 6 cups water

• 2 cups dried cannellini or other whitebeans, picked over, rinsed, soak overnight and drained

DIRECTIONS:
1) Croutons: in a big fry pan, heat olive oil on medium fire andsaut garlic until lightly browned. Remove from fire, leave for tenminutes before removing and discarding the pieces of garlic. Thenreturn pan to fire and saut oil with the bread cubes for 3-5minutes or until golden brown. Remove from fire and leave in abowl.
2) On high heat, mix together: bay leaf, tsp salt, water andwhite beans. Let boil before putting fire on low. Simmer for 60-75minutes or until beans are soft. Once done, place the beans in adrainer and reserve a half up of the liquid.
3) In another bowl, mix the cup of cooked beans and the reservedliquid. Form a paste by mashing the beans with fork then stir inthe cooked beans into the paste.
4) In the same cooking pot, heat olive oil and add in the carrotsand onions. Cook until carrots are soft yet lightly crisped. Thenand let boil for five minutes the following: stock, bean mixture,chopped rosemary, pepper, and tsp salt.