Everyone has heard about the benefits of the Mediterranean diet. This term first appeared in the middle of the last century, when researchers found many similarities in the diet and lifestyle of the inhabitants of the countries of the Mediterranean region, and associated it with the longevity and health for which they are Famous.
Since then, the Mediterranean diet has been widely studied around the world, both by specialists and by people who want to build a healthy and balanced diet to live a long and happy life. What are the principles of the Mediterranean diet and how to create a menu according to them, if you live not in Palermo, but in other cities, read below.
The main rules of the Mediterranean diet.
Today, the Mediterranean diet is a consolidated concept that is based on the eating habits of the inhabitants of the Mediterranean coast. These habits have been analyzed and compiled into a convenient system that anyone can follow. Briefly, the principles of the Mediterranean diet are as follows:
- High consumption of monounsaturated fats.Olive oil and other sources of monounsaturated fatty acids are widely used in cooking and provide up to a third of all calories.
- Low level of meat consumption.Traditionally, meat in Mediterranean countries was consumed on special occasions and not every day.
- High consumption of fish and shellfish.Marine sources of protein in the Mediterranean diet play the role of a kind of meat substitute, which is why they are consumed quite frequently.
- High consumption of vegetables, fruits, legumes, nuts, whole grains.Vegetable and vegetarian dishes owe their permanent place on the Mediterranean table to the good climate, and the most common dessert is fresh fruit.
- Average level of consumption of dairy products.The main dairy product consumed in Mediterranean countries is cheese; it is no coincidence that the largest number of cheeses in the world are found here.
- Average level of alcohol consumption.The inhabitants of the Mediterranean usually drink regularly, but in small quantities. This is usually a glass or two of wine with lunch and dinner.
- Physical activity.Although this element is not directly related to diet, residents of Mediterranean countries tend to lead an active lifestyle and spend a lot of time outdoors.
If you keep these rules in mind when creating your daily menu, you will be able to follow the Mediterranean diet, regardless of where you live. What will it give? Fortunately, there is more than enough research on this diet today, so we can say this with confidence.
Benefits of the Mediterranean diet
So, the Mediterranean diet:
- promotes the functioning of blood vessels, reducing the risk of cardiovascular diseases;
- prevents inflammatory processes and restores damaged cells;
- reduces the risk of cancer, as well as diseases such as diabetes, asthma, Alzheimer's disease and others;
Based on the general principles of the Mediterranean diet, the WHO developed dietary guidelines to reduce the risk of cardiovascular diseases and in 2010 UNESCO recognized the Mediterranean diet as a national cultural heritage.
Spanish scientists from the University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria and the University of Navarra went even further: they studied 11, 000 people and discovered that those who most carefully followed the aforementioned principles of the Mediterranean diet had a 30% lower risk. of depression than the rest. The reasons for this, however, are not entirely clear, but scientists have suggested that the reduced risk of depression is one of the consequences of the fact that the foods included in the Mediterranean diet improve vascular function and fight inflammation. .
If you want to start but don't know how
The benefits that the Mediterranean diet promises make your head spin. Of course, almost no one agrees to reduce the risk of certain diseases, but changing your diet all at once is quite difficult, especially if you have never done it before. Therefore, below I will give some tips and recommendations for those who want to start eating according to the Mediterranean diet, and at the end of the article I will create a test menu for the week so that the first step towards a new life is not so scary.
Here's what you should do first:
buy olive oil
No, I have no doubt that you eat cold-pressed olive oil without my advice, but if you don't have it in your kitchen at least sometimes (or, conversely, the same bottle of oil is collecting dust in your cupboard for more than two, maximum three months), you can forget about the Mediterranean diet. Season salads with oil, pour over fresh and cooked vegetables, pasta, cereals, fish and dip bread. Good olive oil is a versatile condiment that goes with literally everything, so the key here is to get into the habit. But frying in expensive, high-quality oil should only be cooked over low heat; In other cases, use vegetable butter or refined butter.
eat olives
Everything is clear here. Olive oil is made from olives, and the olives themselves also contain those monounsaturated fatty acids that make them so healthy. Eating seven olives a day is enough to obtain the full range of nutrients they contain. Fortunately, there are few difficulties with this, most adults love olives, but if this statement does not apply to you, add olives to salads, sauces, stews or fresh cheeses.
eat more fish
Forget about outdated recommendations to eat fish at least once a week. You should eat fish much more often, at least 3 or 4 times a week, which means you should improve your skills in choosing, buying and preparing fish. When choosing between sea and river fish, give preference to sea fish, among wild and caged fish, choose wild fish. Frozen fish, if thawed correctly, is not much worse than fresh fish, but it is much more affordable and the fish dish recipes on this site will last you another year.
More vegetables, good and different
In the minds of many compatriots, vegetables are a salad or a side dish, and this idea needs to be urgently changed. Get into the habit of preparing one or two dinners a week exclusively with vegetables and legumes. I'm not recommending the use of vegetables (adding cheese or a little ham is fine), but by unlocking the potential of vegetables as food, you will begin to enjoy them yourself. It would be nice, of course, if they were fresh and seasonal vegetables, but in winter our pickles and pickles will fit perfectly into the Mediterranean diet. Is it in vain that they contain so many useful substances and vitamin C?
the pasta is good
We have a partial attitude towards pasta; At best, it is considered an accompaniment and, at worst, a source of problems for the figure. At the same time, in one of the countries that gave us the Mediterranean diet, Italy, pasta is considered the mainstay of local cuisine: it is served before the main course, after cold appetizers, which are called antipasti, that is, "pasta first. " There is no point in exhausting yourself by eating three- or four-course dinners every day; It hasn't been done for a long time, not even in Italy itself. But discovering pasta as a complete dish is worth it. You can start with recipes for classic Italian sauces, giving preference to pasta made with durum wheat: they contain more nutrients and are better digestible.
Eat less sweets
If you can't imagine a day without a sweet bun or cake, you will have a hard time. In the Mediterranean diet, dessert is often replaced with fresh berries and fruits, which contain fiber and numerous vitamins and nutrients. The good news is that you can eat fruits in reasonable quantities every day, but if you can't live without them, it's best to reduce your consumption of other sweets to once or twice a week. And of course, we're not talking about store-bought baked goods with tons of sugar and margarine.
Mediterranean diet: menu of the week
As promised, an extra to the article will be a menu for the week, prepared according to the principles of the Mediterranean diet, but first some necessary explanations.
- First of all, the combinations of starters and main courses are given based on my subjective ideas about good cuisine, there is no hidden logic in them, and if you wish, the dishes on the menu can be shuffled to your liking. .
- Secondly, the menu is designed for a person who works 7 days a week and only dine at home on weekends. If this does not apply to you, also mix the dishes from the proposed menu or cook in reserve.
- Third, the menu is not tied to any specific season. If some of the products needed for the suggested recipes are not currently available, you can. . . Well, you get the idea! — shuffle the menu according to seasonality.
- Fourthly, do not be surprised if you see dishes on the menu that at first glance do not correspond to your ideas about the diet of the inhabitants of the Mediterranean. In Italy, many people are unlikely to eat cottage cheese and sour cream for breakfast, and yet these products fit very well into the Mediterranean diet.
- Finally, if you want to substitute a dish or expand the proposed menu, study the recipe catalog.
Monday
Breakfast:
cottage cheese with sour cream
Dinner:
fresh beet salad
fried cod and quickly sautéed spinach
seasonal fruits or berries
Tuesday
Breakfast:
natural yogurt with honey or jam
Dinner:
lentil soup
baked chicken pickle and cucumber and garden herb salad
seasonal fruits or berries
Wednesday
Breakfast:
cottage cheese with sour cream
Dinner:
toasts with roasted peppers and cheese
fish and rice with vegetables
seasonal fruits or berries
Thursday
Breakfast:
Sugar-free muesli with yogurt
Dinner:
minestrone soup
spaghetti with cherry tomatoes and basil
seasonal fruits or berries
Friday
Breakfast:
natural yogurt with honey or jam
Dinner:
squid and fennel salad
Beef entrecote with pepper sauce and roasted vegetables
seasonal fruits or berries
Saturday
Breakfast:
shakshuka
Dinner:
sea fish soup
baked squid with tomatoes
Dinner:
Caprese salad
lamb with eggplant and bulgur with peas
figs with honey and rosemary
Sunday
Breakfast:
homemade cupcake
Dinner:
roasted pepper soup
spaghetti amatriciana
Dinner:
fried shrimp with garlic
Baked flounder and potatoes with rosemary
baked apple
Finally
Many of us associate the word "diet" with a constant feeling of hunger and the need to limit ourselves in our desires for the sake of some ephemeral result. But the Mediterranean diet is completely different. Where, if not in the Mediterranean countries, do they know so much about good food and the pleasure that comes from a tasty and leisurely lunch that brings the whole family together around the table? In fact, the Mediterranean diet is not a diet or a nutritional system. This is a lifestyle that promises health and longevity and that we can all follow.
I hope that this article on the principles of the Mediterranean diet has been useful to you and you can easily plan your menu according to its principles. And to make this task even easier, you can use a variety of recipe collections that will help you find the right dishes.