Mediterranean Diet
Inspired by foods popular in the countries in the Mediterranean Basin, the Mediterranean Diet serves foods rich in mono-saturated fats and dietary fiber. Many of the foods common to countries like Southern Italy, Cyprus, Portugal, Spain, Turkey, and Greece are commonly cooked with olive oil and served with red wine.
While not gaining popularity until the 1990’s, the Mediterranean Diet was first publicized in 1945 by an American doctor, Ancel Keys. The Mediterranean Diet is based wholly on the paradox that large amounts of olive oil will lead to longer lives. It’s known that countries in the Mediterranean prepare much of their food with olive oil yet have considerably less cardiovascular disease than in the United States where fat is consumed at a similar pace typically with olive oil playing a far lesser role.
Simple Mediterranean Diet recipes are available in both Dr. Keys book and in numerous magazine features or online articles about the subject. A simple search engine search is all that’s required.
If you have diabetes you should speak to your doctor before you begin the Mediterranean Diet. Many people believe that the Mediterranean Diet follows some alternate mode of cooking but really the food pyramid is essentially the same across most Western Cultures.
It’s easy to ask “What is the Mediterranean Diet?” and that’s a question which has long floated around the isles. As since the Mediterranean Diet has never actually really been written down before a curious American came over and scripted it, it’s tough to say. Many recipes are local and the flavor for simple traditional Mediterranean recipes is one which has floated through the islands and other nations for a long while.
Is the Mediterranean Diet right for you? If you haven’t been eating olive oil en masse for most of your life, your body will probably be overwhelmed by the sudden introduction of all these alternate fats into your diet. But if you can just keep your mind clear and are really ready to drop old habits then maybe the Mediterranean Diet is one which can work for you.