A Mediterranean Diet - Good for Your Health?
Many health authorities recommend changing to a Mediterranean diet, citing the much lower incidence of heart disease and other obesity related illnesses in Mediterranean countries.

A Mediterranean diet might sound like bliss - all that delicious pasta in heavenly sauces - but is that what healthcare professionals mean when they recommend it? Probably not. What we think of as typical Mediterranean dishes are not necessarily the everyday food in those countries.

So what is it that makes this kind of diet so heart healthy?

• Large amounts of fruit and vegetables
• Small amounts of eggs, cream, butter and other saturated fats
• Low in trans fats
• High in monounsaturated fats, usually from olive oil
• High in omega 3 fats, especially from fish
• Low in protein
• High complex carbohydrates, eg wholegrain bread, brown rice, etc
• Daily consumption of wine in moderation

What should we eat on a Mediterranean Diet?

• The first thing to change is the way we use fruit and vegetables. These should become the backbone and predominant element in every meal. Aim to exceed the usual recommendations of 5 portions per day.
• Cut out all saturated fat. Use olive oil wherever possible as the main source of fat. Remember, though, that the traditional large quantities of olive oil used in Mediterranean countries is potentially a recipe for putting on weight unless you are doing a physically demanding job so use it sensibly.
• Cut out white bread, cakes and cookies, especially store bought ones that usually contain potentially harmful trans fats.
• Use lean cuts of meat and then only in small quantities. It should be more of a garnish than the main part of any meal.
• Eat fish, containing omega 3 oils, at least twice a week. This could be salmon, trout, tuna (fresh or canned in water), mackerel, herrings, etc. Try to avoid frying fish - it is much healthier to grill them or cook them in the oven wrapped in foil.
• Substitute whole grain bread and flour wherever possible and substitute brown rice for white - once you become accustomed to it, you can grow to prefer its nutty taste to the more bland flavour of white rice.
• Increase your consumption of pulses like lentils, peas and beans.
• Remember that a small glass of red wine or spirits can actually be good for your heart but only in moderation.

What to avoid

• Creamy, calorific sauces
• Regular sweet desserts, even if they are Italian! Remember, in the Mediterranean zabaglione and tiramisu would only be eaten on very special occasions, not daily or weekly.
• Fried food of any kind unless it prepared in sparingly used olive oil.
• Butter, eggs, cream, ice cream
• Meat that is high in saturated fat and this particularly includes sausages and other processed meat.
• Very salty food or putting too much salt in food when cooking or on your plate.
• Store bought cakes and cookies, white bread, white flour
• Limit your alcohol consumption

A Mediterranean diet isn't a quick fix for reducing cholesterol or losing weight although it can help with both. It means changing your whole way of eating and relating to food. If you have high cholesterol in weight problems, a change of diet will, hopefully, remove the causes of those problems.

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Copyright © 2004 Carol Fisher. All Rights Reserved.