Mediterranean Diets
The Mediterranean diet is a nutritional model inspired by the traditional dietary patterns of the countries of the Mediterranean basin, particularly Southern Italy, Greece, Cyprus, Portugal, Turkey and Spain.
Common to the diets of these regions are a high consumption of fruit and vegetables, bread and other cereals, olive oil and fish; making them low in saturated fat and high in monounsaturated fat and dietary fiber. A main factor in the appeal of the Mediterranean Diet is its rich, full flavored foods. Margarine and other unhealthy hydrogenated oils are considered bland and lacking the flavor olive oil can impart to foods. Red wine is also consumed regularly but in moderate quantities.
Although it was first publicized in 1945 by the American doctor Ancel Keys stationed in Salerno, Italy, the Mediterranean diet failed to gain widespread recognition until the 1990s. It is based on what from the point of view of mainstream nutrition is considered a paradox: that although the people living in Mediterranean countries tend to consume relatively high amounts of fat, they have far lower rates of cardiovascular disease than in countries like the United States, where similar levels of fat consumption are found.
One of the main explanations is thought to be the large amount of olive oil used in the Mediterranean diet. Unlike the high amount of animal fats typical to the American diet, olive oil lowers cholesterol levels in the blood. In addition, the consumption of red wine is considered a possible factor, as it contains flavonoids with powerful antioxidant properties.
There is also the far simpler explanation that inhabitants of the Mediterranean, and Europe in general, tend to lack the heavy reliance on the automobile as the basic means of transportation, and are far more likely to walk relatively short distances than Americans.
Dietary factors may be only part of the reason for the health benefits enjoyed by these cultures. Genetics, lifestyle, and environment may also be involved.
Some questions have been raised as to if the diet provides adequate amounts of all nutrients, particularly calcium and iron. Nonetheless, green vegetables, a good source of calcium and iron, is used in the Mediterranean diet as well as goat cheese, a good source of calcium.
Mediterranean Foods
Mediterranean cuisine is the cuisine of the areas around the Mediterranean
Sea.
Given the geography, these nation-states have influenced each other over
time and the cooking evolved into sharing common principles. The
Mediterranean Cuisine is characterized by its flexibility, its range of
ingredients and its many regional variations. The terrain has tended to
favour the raising of goats and sheep.
Fish dishes are also common, although today most of the fish is imported
since the Mediterranean Sea has been overfished. Seafood is still prominent
in many of the standard recipes.
Olive oil, produced from the olive trees prominent throughout Spain, Greece,
Italy, and other Mediterranean nations, adds to the distinctive taste of
Greek food.
It is believed this kind of cooking, especially olive oil, is one of the
factors responsible to the longevity of the Mediterranean people.Barbeque or
grilled meats, pita bread, hummus, and falafel are very popular forms of the
eastern type of the cuisine.