John Chatham - The Mediterranean diet: unlock the Mediterranean secrets to health and weight loss with easy and delicious recipes

Copyright 2012 by Rockridge University Press, Berkeley, California

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ISBN: 978-1-62315-005-1

In this chapter, well talk about:

• What the Mediterranean People Eat
• How the Mediterranean People Eat
• Why its Different

T hese days, there seems to be a new diet making headlines every time you pick up a magazine or turn on the television. Weight loss is big business. Obesity is at an all-time high and the health effects of being overweight much more clear. Diets that promise an easier, faster way to lose weight are more popular than ever and everyone is scrambling to create the newest best-seller. Ironically, the most respected and successful diets have been around for centuries and the people that eat them dont eat them to lose weight. The Mediterranean Diet is one of those diets.

The Mediterranean Diet is a way of eating that is common among the coastal areas of Greece, Italy and Spain. It hasnt changed much over the years, but its recently gotten a great deal of attention from the medical community, nutrition professionals, the media and dieters. It isnt new science and it isnt rocket science. It isnt about counting calories, measuring grams or combining foods in just the right way at just the right time. The Mediterranean Diet isnt just about what the Mediterranean people eat, but about how they eat.

The Mediterranean diet focuses on:

• Fresh vegetables and fruits
• Whole grains
• Seafood and fish
• Beans and legumes and nuts

Dairy products dont figure very prominently in the diet and olive or canola oil is preferred over butter.

The Mediterranean people season their food with herbs (preferably fresh) far more than they do salt, so the Mediterranean diet is very low in sodium.

Red meat, pork and even poultry are far more uncommon in the daily diet than Americans are used to. Red meat is featured as an entre perhaps three or four times per month. Vegetarian and seafood-based dishes are much more common, with poultry coming in at a distant third.

Grains are often eaten in the form of legumes and beans, but the Mediterranean people also enjoy their bread. However, they choose dense, whole-grain breads and artisanal loaves with wonderful texture and flavor.

This daily diet is rich in vitamins, healthy fats, good fiber and antioxidants. Its also loaded with variety and flavor. However, the way the Mediterranean people eat is probably almost as important as what theyre eating.

The Mediterranean people love food.

They love and celebrate each ingredient for its flavor, texture and healthful goodness. Dishes are prepared simply and with a few carefully chosen ingredients, so that each one can be enjoyed for what it brings to the dish.

They Eat Locally

They focus on freshness. As in many European cultures, the Mediterranean diet is based on whats available locally, in season and freshly picked. Most people, even city-dwellers, have a pot of tomatoes on the terrace or a kitchen sill lined with tiny clay pots of herbs. Produce that isnt grown at home is purchased from people who do grow it at home, at the local farmers market.

This focus on freshness extends to fish and seafood as well. Because the Mediterranean diet is based on the diet of a coastal people, seafood is a mainstay. Fresh fish, mollusks and shellfish are everywhere and the fresher the better.

They Eat Seasonally

Because of this love for the freshest of ingredients, the Mediterranean people eat seasonally. Tomatoes and melons are cause for a summer celebration. Asparagus and baby lettuces signal the beginning of spring. Pumpkin and winter squash are for cozy autumn evenings. Because so much of their food is bought from local growers and purveyors, the people of the Mediterranean eat seasonally by default. Every food is loved and savored in its proper time.

They Eat Purposefully and Joyfully

The Mediterranean people, like the French and inland Italians, are very purposeful eaters. They eat to celebrate and they eat to celebrate food itself. They love to socialize and talk during a meal, but they seldom read, watch television or work while they eat. When they eat, they do so consciously. They actually smell and taste their food.

In America, we rarely eat to enjoy our food. We eat because were hungry, because were bored or because its time to eat.

We Dont Think About It

We dont eat very consciously. We eat while standing up, while driving, while cleaning up the dinner dishes and while watching TV. Eating is more of a habit or subconscious thing than a celebration of things that taste good. Its just as well, because we often eat things that dont.