Mediterranean Diet and Monounsaturated Fat

A very big caveat that goes along with suggesting Americans would do well to substitute monounsaturated fat for saturated is that such advice doesn't address the epidemic of obesity in our country. Each tablespoon of olive oil, or any cooking oil for that matter, consists of 120 calories of pure fat. And unlike carbohydrates, any fat we eat, whether saturated or mono-unsaturated, is stored very efficiently as body fat. In other words, the more fat in your diet, the fatter you are likely to end up with even when calorie consumption stays the same. And with excess body fat comes an increased risk of high blood pressure, which is considered a major risk factor for developing heart disease in and of itself.

Excess body fat also keeps down HDL-cholesterol, and much more dramatically than not eating olive oil. That is, body weight is a much more powerful regulator of HDL levels than monounsaturated fat in the diet. The less heavy a person is (the closer to healthy weight), the higher his HDL levels will be.

Another more powerful regulator of HDL-cholesterol than the amount of olive oil one eats is exercise. Vigorous physical activity helps maintain high HDL levels (in part because it can help keep off excess pounds).

These are extremely important considerations, since HDL levels are important for most Americans. People in the U.S. tend not to go on diets so low in fat that it doesn't matter whether or not artery-clearing HDL-cholesterol is present. Unfortunately, they also tend not to exercise, which is one reason obesity is so prevalent here.

Even if Americans did engage in a great deal of physical activity and manage as a whole to keep their weight at healthy levels (which not only maintains higher HDL- but also keeps down LDL-cholesterol), it is not at all clear that olive oil would be the dietary fat of choice for staving off heart disease. After all, canola oil is also high in mono-unsaturated fat. What's more, it has less than half the saturated fat of olive oil. Yes, olive oil contains some saturates; every cooking oil does. A particular one may be referred to as monounsaturated because monounsaturated fatty acids make up the bulk of its composition. But it is actually a combination of different types of fatty acids.

Other cooking oils that might do the job of keeping heart disease at bay are corn, safflower, and sunflower oils, all of which are high in poly- rather than mono-unsaturates. Indeed, when Harvard University nutritional biochemists recently reviewed hundreds of studies that addressed the effect of various oils on blood cholesterol levels, he found a pattern that indicated polyunsaturated fatty acids actively lower blood cholesterol, particularly LDL-cholesterol, while mono-unsaturates do not.

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Mediterranean Diet and Mediterranean Lifestyle

The Mediterranean diet, which includes olive oil and wine, may be a healthy diet, even though it obtains up to 40% of calories from fat. Not all researchers agree that this is a healthy diet. Lifestyle also may be a factor in the health of people living in the Mediterranean.

A Harvard University scientist arguing that a diet containing 35 to 40 percent of calories as fat--as much as 10 percent more than what health experts recommend--could be "very compatible with excellent health"? A member of the American Heart Association's Nutrition Committee saying it is possible to eat more fat than the Heart Association advises and still follows a heart-healthy eating plan? Are such things really happening?

Yes, even as Americans are being told to reduce their fat intake from 37 percent of calories to less than 30 percent in order to avoid the ravages of heart disease and various kinds of cancer, a handful of researchers believe it's possible to eat just as much fat as ever yet remain protected from the chronic diseases that plague so many Americans during the last 10 to 20 years of their lives. It's enough to make anyone struggling to stick to a low-fat diet break a pencil between his teeth.

The notion that how much fat one eats is not important for good health comes largely from research conducted some 35 to 40 years ago on the Greek island of Crete. Researchers found in the 1950s and early60s that while the farming community that populated the island took in close to 40 percent of calories as fat, mostly as olive (it is said that some men even drank a glass of olive oil in the morning), the rates of heart disease and various types of cancer there were among the lowest in the world, and the adult life expectancy was among the highest.

The residents of Crete in the 50s and 60s also drank much more wine than Americans do today--more than four times as much according to at least one estimate. And in southern Italy, where olive oil was also the principal dietary fat (total fat consumption hovered around 28 percent of calories rather than 35 to 40 percent), an estimated 14 times as much wine was drunk per person as in the present day United States--again, with lower rates of heart disease and cancer than in this country.

It certainly sounds like a diet many Americans would be more pleased to follow than the one that is currently recommended. After all, which would you rather eat, a U.S. Dietary Guidelines diet, with its "prim" instructions for choosing a diet low in fat and drinking alcoholic beverages in moderation if at all, or a Mediterranean diet that includes foods dripping with olive oil and a ready supply of wine?

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Mediterranean Diet Recipes - Lentil-Walnut Spread

Ingredients Required

3/4 cup lentils, rinsed
1/4 cup walnut halves
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 small clove garlic, peeled
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup finely minced arugula, spinach or watercress leaves
3 tablespoons vegetable broth
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/8 teaspoon ground coriander

Procedure

In a small saucepan, combine lentils and 1 1/2 cups water and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer until lentils are tender and water is absorbed, 35 to 40 minutes. Drain well. Transfer to a small bowl.

In a small food processor or blender, process walnuts and oil to a smooth paste. With a rubber spatula, scrape mixture into bowl with lentils. With a fork, mash mixture into a paste.

Cut garlic in half; sprinkle with 1/4 teaspoon salt. With the flat side of a knife, mash together. Add to lentil-walnut mixture along with arugula, broth, cumin, coriander and remaining salt. Mix well. Cover and refrigerate up to 4 days.

Serve with French bread slices or stuff it into a whole-wheat pita with red onion and romaine lettuce. Makes 6 servings.

Nutritional information per serving

Calories, 83.16;
Protein, 3.718 grams;
Carbohydrates, 6.064 grams;
Total fat, 5.379 grams;
Cholesterol, 0;
Saturated fat, 0.509 grams;
Dietary fiber, 2.341 grams.

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Mediterranean Diet Recipe - Greek-Style Pita

Do not confuse extra-virgin olive oil with "pure" olive oil, which is an inferior grade. Never substitute pure olive oil for extra-virgin olive oil in a recipe.

Ingredients Required

1/2 cup chopped romaine lettuce
1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese
1/4 cup chopped ripe olives
2 tablespoons chopped, jarred, roasted red peppers
4 teaspoons low-fat dressing with olive oil
2 whole-wheat pita pockets, cut in half

Procedure

In a small bowl, combine lettuce, cheese, olives, peppers and dressing. Mix well. Spoon into pita halves. Makes 2 servings.

Nutritional information per serving

Calories, 395.5;
Protein, 11.52 grams;
Carbohydrates, 38.89 grams;
Total fat, 23.58 grams;
Cholesterol, 28.25 mg;
Saturated fat, 6.897 grams;
Dietary fiber, 5.269.

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Mediterranean Diet a Heart-Healthful Diet

While the Mediterranean diet can be heart-healthful, it's not just about a heart attack. Eating more fruits and vegetables, rich in vitamins and minerals, can make you feel better and look better, he said. The incidence of, and death rates from, heart disease in Mediterranean countries are lower than in the United States.

This may not be entirely due to the diet. Lifestyle factors such as meal patterns, more physical activity, social support systems and drinking wine in moderation with meals may also play a part, according to the Heart Association.

The Mediterranean diet includes a modest breakfast, a more substantial lunch followed by a siesta when possible, and smaller, lighter dinners. Mediterranean meals also are social events.

Meals traditionally are shared with family and friends in pleasant surroundings. Mealtime is not rushed; people usually relax at the table, sharing food and conversation. This helps to reduce stress and improve the body's ability to digest foods and absorb nutrients.

Americans eat in a hurry. They spend as little time on meals as any people in the world. I don't think people are satisfied. Their bellies may be full, but they go to the refrigerator an hour later because they haven't necessarily enjoyed their food.

A Mediterranean-style diet isn't for everyone. Because of the fat content of the Mediterranean diet, adopting it may increase the risk of obesity for some people, according to the Heart Association.

When deciding whether it's right for you, focus on the big picture and the diet's healthful benefits. Eat more grains, fruits, vegetables and legumes, and less meat. And follow the Mediterranean example of enjoying relaxing meals and incorporating exercise into your daily routine.

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Getting a Mediterranean Frame of Mind and Diet

Winter's history. Add some sunshine to your diet with the flavorful foods of the Mediterranean region.

Getting in a Mediterranean frame of mind also is a great way to eat more healthfully. A traditional Mediterranean diet, rich in olive oil as well as fruits, vegetables and grains, has been correlated with heart-healthful benefits, lowering cancer risk and other health advantages.

"Heart disease is among the leading causes of death in the United States, and despite all the advances in treatment, it's still better if we can prevent the disease. One of the best ways to prevent heart disease is through diet and exercise," said dean of the University of South Carolina's School of Public Health.

But, because diet modification is difficult for many people, a Mediterranean-style diet may offer a healthful, more palatable option. He favors the Mediterranean diet over other traditional ethnic diets that show promise in preventing chronic disease because he believes it is easier to sustain than very low-fat diets. In addition, many of the foods are more familiar and easier to find.

There is no single, typical Mediterranean diet. Diets vary not only from country to country in the Mediterranean area, but also among regions within countries. However, there is a consensus among health professionals that a traditional Mediterranean-style diet is more healthful than the American diet because it includes more grains, such as pasta and couscous, fruits, vegetables, legumes, nuts and olive oil. It is a diet high in soluble fiber, antioxidants and other important nutrients.

The greatest difference is that red meat is much less important in the Mediterranean diet, with cheese and yogurt, along with eggs, poultry and fish constituting the predominant sources of protein. The American Heart Association, while noting health benefits that are correlated with a Mediterranean diet, recommends a diet with fewer calories coming from fat. And the Mediterranean-style diet is not a low-fat regimen.

About 30 to 40 percent of calories in a Mediterranean diet come from fat, about the same as in the typical American diet. The difference is that because of the emphasis on fruits, vegetables, grains and olive oil -- a monounsaturated fat-- saturated fat accounts for only 8 percent of calories in the Mediterranean diet. This level of saturated fat is lower than the average in the American diet and is within the Heart Association's dietary guidelines.

A low-fat diet can help prevent heart disease, but people tend not to remain on a low-fat diet.

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Cooking Oil in Mediterranean Diet

Aside from which cooking oil(s) might be most appropriate here in the Mediterranean diet, what needs to be considered is that although olive oil may not be harmful for lean and active populations that do not mean more is better. While the people on Crete ate enough olive oil to bring their fat consumption to 40 percent of their total calories, those in southern Italy, who enjoyed similarly low rates of heart disease and various forms of cancer, ate only 28 percent of their calories as fat. Perhaps if they had eaten less olive oil, their rates of chronic disease would have been even lower. Indeed, many researchers believe that for the purpose of avoiding breast cancer, the optimal amount of fat in the diet falls somewhere around 20 percent of total calories. That hypothesis is supported by the fact that in Japan, where fat intake has traditionally been quite low, breast cancer incidence is even lower than it was in 1960 Greece--and life expectancy for both women and men today is just about the highest in the world, certainly higher than in Greece and Italy.

An abundance of olive oil is just one part of the Mediterranean diet that may not travel well. But even from a fat-loving American's viewpoint that might not be a bad thing. As much as some people in this country enjoy olive oil's rich taste and smooth mouth feel, they still may not want to eat as much of it as did the folks in Greece or Italy, who averaged, per person, somewhere on the order of two to three tablespoons of the stuff a day. We currently average about three tablespoons of olive oil per person every four months or so! To make the switch we'd probably have to start eating it in all kinds of dishes at almost every single meal--a shift many would find not just monotonous but also expensive. Olive oil costs a lot more than other cooking oils.

Contrarily, a lot of Americans might not mind making the switch to the greater wine consumption of the Mediterranean. Many people really enjoy the taste of wine and above and beyond that, the calm, relaxed mood it tends to create. Currently, Americans drink very little wine, which in moderate amounts raises HDL-cholesterol levels and has consistently been associated with a reduced risk of heart disease. Consumption here averages less than an ounce per person per day, however, whereas in Greece it averaged three ounces a day and in Italy, an estimated 10 ounces, or two five-ounce glasses. Of course, in those areas people grew up learning to drink wine as an integral part of meals in a family setting; it was not used, as alcohol often is here, away from the table as a recreational drug.

But the issue of drinking more wine in the U.S. is a sticky one just because of our lack of "familiarity" with it. A good deal of strong evidence indicates that as increased wine consumption decreases the risk for heart disease, it increases the risk for breast cancer in women. Thus, the benefit to women who start to drink more wine is murky, as it is for anyone who has a family history of alcoholism or who must operate potentially dangerous machinery or drive a car during the workday. It should be noted, too, that alcohol increases the risk for liver disease as well as the risk of falls and other accidents.


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Mediterranean Diet Recipe - Contadina, California Olive Industry and Beringer Vineyards Pork Brochettes

Contadina, California Olive Industry and Beringer Vineyards Pork Brochettes

Ingredients
2 pounds pork, cut into 1 1/2-inch cubes; 1/2 cup olive oil;1 tablespoon paprika; 2 tablespoons ground cumin; 1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme; 2 teaspoons cayenne pepper; 1 teaspoon oregano; 2 teaspoons minced garlic. Place the meat in a non-reactive container.

In a small frying pan over low heat, warm together the oil and all the remaining ingredients. Let cool and rub the spice mixture on the meat to coat evenly. Cover and refrigerate overnight. Bring the meat to room temperature. Prepare a fire in a charcoal grill or preheat a broiler.

Thread the meat onto skewers and place on the grill rack or on a broiler tray in the broiler. Grill or broil, turning once, until done to taste, about four minutes per side for medium-rare.

Transfer to a warmed platter and serve. Makes four servings.

Notes: These spicy pork morsels, cut in smaller 1-inch cubes, are served at tapas bars all over Spain. The marinade can also be rubbed on a boneless pork loin which can be roasted or grilled.


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Mediterranean Diet Recipe - Skillet Chicken Cacciatore

Skillet Chicken Cacciatore

Ingredients
8 ounces dry pasta (linguine, fettucine or spaghetti); 2 tablespoons olive oil 2 cloves garlic, minced;1 cup sliced red onion; 1 medium green bell pepper, cut into strips; 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast halves (3 to 4); 1/4 cup dry white wine (such as chablis and riesling); 1 3/4 cups (14.5-ounce can) pasta-ready, chunky tomatoes with mushrooms; 1/2 teaspoon salt; 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper; 1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil; 1/4 cup sliced ripe (black) olives; Additional olives for garnish. Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain and keep warm.

In a large skillet heat oil. Sauté garlic, onion and bell pepper for one minute. Add chicken and cook over medium-high heat for six to eight minutes or until chicken is cooked.

Add wine and tomatoes, including their juice. Add salt and pepper. Cook five minutes. Serve over pasta. Sprinkle with basil and ripe olives. Makes six servings.


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Mediterranean Diet Recipe - CeCe Sullivan, Home Economist Seattle Times Rigatoni with Creamy Tomato Sauce

CeCe Sullivan, Home Economist Seattle Times Rigatoni with Creamy Tomato Sauce

Ingredients
8 ounces dry pasta (rigatoni or penne); 1 tablespoon olive oil; 1/2 cup diced onion; 2 tablespoons dry vermouth (wine) or white wine 1 3/4 cups (14.5-ounce can); pasta-ready chunky tomatoes, primavera style; 1/2 cup whipping cream;1 cup ripe (black) olives, halved;1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese; 1/4 cup sliced green onion. Cook pasta according to pacakge directions. Drain and keep warm.

In a large skillet heat oil. Sauté onion for four to five minutes. Onion should sizzle as it cooks. Add vermouth. Cook one minute. Stir in tomatoes and their juice, cream, pasta, olives and Parmesan cheese. Toss well. Sprinkle with green onions. Makes four servings.


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The Most Alluring Elements of Mediterranean Diet

Two seemingly alluring elements of the Mediterranean diet are the more liberal allowances of fat and alcohol when compared with the U.S. pyramid.

The Mediterranean plan lists fat - principally olive oil - midway down the pyramid is at the small top portion of the American version, in the ''use sparingly'' category.

Alcohol in the form of wine - one to two glasses for men, one for women per day, if alcohol does not pose a health risk - is an optional part of the Mediterranean diet. Alcohol is not included anywhere in the U.S. pyramid. However, for Americans who choose to drink, the U.S. Dietary Guidelines suggests only ''moderation'' - but with no comment on how much or how often.

Lest Americans be tempted to install casks of wine and olive oil in their dining rooms, they should contemplate the Mediterranean diet's remaining characteristics, which need to be followed to be effective. They include:

Eat an abundance of food from plant sources, including fruits and vegetables, potatoes, breads and grains, beans, nuts and seeds.

Emphasize eating a variety of minimally processed and, wherever possible, seasonally fresh and locally grown foods.

Total fat ranging from less than 25 percent to more than 35 percent of total calories, with saturated fat no more than 6 percent to 7 percent of total calories.

Daily, consume low to moderate amounts of fish and poultry (recent research suggesting fish somewhat favored over poultry) and from none to four eggs a week, including those used in cooking and baking fresh fruit as the typical dessert. Sweets with a noteworthy amount of sugar (time and again as honey) and saturated fat should not be taken more than a few times weekly.

Eat red meat only a few times per month. (Recent research suggests that if red meat is eaten, its consumption should be limited to a maximum of 12 ounces to 16 ounces per monthean versions may be preferable where flavor is acceptable.) Engage in regular physical activity at a level which promotes healthy weight, fitness and well-being.


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Mediterranean Diet Would Be Better Off Left Unimported

Perhaps it sounds as though the Mediterranean diet would be better off left unimported since two of its mainstays, olive oil and wine, would be of questionable value "plugged into" the American dietary pattern. However, there's no need to reject wholesale the adoption of Mediterranean eating habits. In fact, we would do well to follow suit in many, if not most, of their dining customs; much about the way Mediterranean's ate in the 1950s and 60s falls right in line with the 1993 dietary guidelines espoused by virtually every major health-promoting organization in this country. Consider the current call in the U.S. to cut back on saturated fat. Presently, saturated fat makes up some 13 percent of our calories, in large part because we eat large amounts of flesh foods--more than a half pound per person per day or upward of three and a half pounds per week. In the Mediterranean, on the other hand, saturated fat contributed only 7 to 8 percent of calories. It's not hard to see why. On Crete, the people had only about one ounce of red meat and poultry combined each day, or about half a pound per week. And in southern Italy, consumption of red meat, poultry, and fish came to just over two ounces a day, or less than a pound of flesh foods per week.

The difference in flesh food intake--and thereby saturated fat consumption--is highly significant, considering that some studies show that when people make various dietary modifications to reduce their risk for heart disease, the drop in saturated fat consumption by itself accounts for fully 60 to 80 percent of the drop in blood cholesterol levels. Another way of looking at it: even if Americans could cut back to no more than six ounces of flesh foods a day as the federal government's Dietary Guidelines recommend the beneficial changes in cholesterol would be substantial.

Along with just small amounts of meat, fish, and poultry, the people in Crete and southern Italy ate very little in the way of Trans fatty acids, which are formed when liquid vegetable oils are hardened via a process called hydrogenation and, like saturated fat, can raise blood cholesterol. What the rural residents of Crete and southern Italy did eat were about twice as many fruits and vegetables as Americans currently do. That's an important difference because fruits and vegetables are relatively high in soluble fiber--the kind found in oat bran--which is known to be helpful in keeping down blood cholesterol levels.

Of course, fruits and vegetables are also high in the anti-oxidant nutrients vitamin C and betacarotene, which some scientists believe may reduce the risk of heart disease by mitigating the negative effects of "bad" LDL-cholesterol. The thinking is that these anti-oxidants keep LDL-cholesterol from undergoing a process called oxidation, which makes it more likely to stick to artery walls and cause blockages that can stop the flow of blood to and from the heart. These same substances are believed, in addition, to help protect against biochemical changes that could promote the growth of various cancers.

Fruits and vegetables also contain a number of biologically active non-nutrient substances that are thought to possibly exert a health-promoting effect. These include compounds called bioflavonoids, anthocyanines, and tannins.


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Mediterranean Diet the World's Healthiest Cuisine

Mediterranean Diet has been called the world's healthiest cuisine. A delicious alternative for lifelong health. Healthy home cooking.

It is the rage among cookbook authors, trendy chefs, gourmets and food groupies, health-conscious consumers and even some members of the medical profession.

''It'' is the Mediterranean diet, which is catching on here slowly but surely. The diet dates to the late 1950s, when scientists examined the health, eating habits and lifestyles of residents of the Greek island of Crete. Primarily farmers, the Cretans had rates of heart disease and various types of cancer that were among the lowest in the world - despite the facts that approximately 40 percent of their daily calories came from fat and they drank four times as much wine as Americans do today.

And although medical services were limited, the island inhabitants' life expectancies were among the highest in the world.

Researchers have continued to examine the Cretan diet, similar to what was eaten in much of Greece and southern Italy 40 years ago and followed with variations in parts of Spain and Portugal, southern France, and other parts of Italy, North Africa (particularly Morocco and Tunisia), Turkey, the Balkan region and in the Middle East, especially Lebanon and Syria.

A detailed breakdown of the Mediterranean diet has evolved, culminating in "The Traditional Healthy Mediterranean Diet Pyramid." The plan was unveiled earlier this summer by the World Health Organization, the Harvard School of Public Health and Oldways Preservation & Exchange Trust, a food think tank based in Boston.

The pyramid, patterned after the educational graphic for Americans released 2 1/2 years ago by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, is the first in a series. The three sponsoring organizations say the plan will "illustrate graphically the healthful traditional food and dietary patterns of various cultures and regions of the world."

(Differences between the new pyramids and the U.S. version, the sponsors note, are considered "refinements," although they are "preliminary and subject to modification.")


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Mediterranean Diet Recipe - Mediterranean Foods 3025 S. 83rd Plaza Country-Style Grilled Eggplant

Mediterranean Foods 3025 S. 83rd Plaza Country-Style Grilled Eggplant

Ingredients
1 1/2-pound eggplant or 2 eggplants (3/4 pound each); Salt 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil; 1 tablespoon chopped parsley ;1 tablespoon slivered basil leaves; 2 tablespoons slivered spearmint leaves; 2 cloves garlic, peeled and sliced; Freshly ground black pepper; Optional: Vinegar Hull the eggplant and cut into 1-inch thick rounds. Soak the eggplant in cold, salted water (two tablespoons salt to one quart water) for 30 minutes or until the eggplant leaches brown juices.

Light hardwood charcoal and when there are white coals rinse the eggplant slices. Drain and place on the grid but not directly over the coals to avoid charring the flesh.

Cover and grill the slices, turning occasionally, until golden brown and completely cooked, about 30 minutes. The slower the cooking the creamier the centers.

Transfer the slices to a flat dish, sprinkle with olive oil, herbs, garlic and pepper. Let the dish stand at least four hours, turning the slices occasionally. If desired, drizzle with a few drops of vinegar.


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Mediterranean Diet Recipe - Chick Pea Dip (Hummus)

Chick Pea Dip (Hummus)

Ingredients: 1 cup dry chick peas (also called garbanzo beans); 1/2 teaspoon baking soda; 1/4 cup sesame seed paste; 1/3 cup lemon juice; 2 tablespoons olive oil; 2 cloves garlic, finely minced; 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley; 1/8 teaspoon hot red pepper; Salt to taste; Pita bread (pocket bread), about 6 small loaves.

Soak the dry chick peas with warm water overnight or for eight hours.

Drain and rinse the chick peas. Add baking soda to chick peas and let stand 15 minutes. Place chick peas in a deep pan. Add enough hot water until it is 2 inches above the level of the peas.

Bring to boiling. Reduce heat and cook 30 minutes or until chick peas are tender. Remove and discard any shells that float on top of the water.

Reserve two tablespoons cooked chick peas for garnish.

Rinse remaining cooked chick peas. Place in a blender with minced garlic and process on low speed until crushed. Remove chick peas from blender.

Thoroughly mix with tahini, lemon juice and salt. Spread on a flat serving plate, making outer edge thicker than the middle. On top, in three to four places, place the reserved two tablespoons of chick peas.

Sprinkle with parsley and red pepper. Pour olive oil on top. Serve with pita bread. Makes six servings.


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Mediterranean Diet Recipe - Baked Fish with Bread Crumbs and Tomatoes

Baked Fish with Bread Crumbs and Tomatoes

Ingredients: 2 pounds firm white fish fillets or steaks; 6 tablespoons olive oil; 1 tablespoon lemon juice; Salt and freshly ground pepper, 2 cups peeled, seeded and chopped tomatoes; 4 cloves garlic, finely minced; 1/2 cup dry white wine; 1 tablespoon sugar or honey; 4 tablespoons chopped fresh, flat-leaf (Italian) parsley Optional: 1 teaspoon dried oregano or ground cinnamon; 1 cup fine dried bread crumbs.


Arrange the fish in a baking dish in which the fillets or steaks fit in a single layer. In a small bowl whisk together two tablespoons of the oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper to taste and pour over the fish. Let stand for about 30 minutes at room temperature.

Meanwhile preheat an oven to 400 degrees.

In a saucepan over medium heat combine tomatoes, garlic, wine, sugar or honey, parsley and oregano or cinnamon, if using. Bring to a simmer and cook about 10 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Scatter bread crumbs evenly over the top. Drizzle with remaining four tablespoons oil. Bake until fish is cooked through and bread crumbs are golden brown, about 15 minutes. Serve immediately. Makes four servings.

Notes: This recipe is from the Greek island of Spetsai. The elements are simple: impeccably fresh fish, flavorful vine-ripened tomatoes and good-quality bread crumbs. Serve hot or cold.


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Mediterranean Diet Recipe

Recipe 1
CeCe Sullivan, Home Economist Seattle Times Rigatoni with Creamy Tomato Sauce

Ingredients: 8 ounces dry pasta (rigatoni or penne); 1 tablespoon olive oil; 1/2 cup diced onion; 2 tablespoons dry vermouth (wine) or white wine 1 3/4 cups (14.5-ounce can); pasta-ready chunky tomatoes, primavera style; 1/2 cup whipping cream;1 cup ripe (black) olives, halved;1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese; 1/4 cup sliced green onion. Cook pasta according to pacakge directions. Drain and keep warm.

In a large skillet heat oil. Sauté onion for four to five minutes. Onion should sizzle as it cooks. Add vermouth. Cook one minute. Stir in tomatoes and their juice, cream, pasta, olives and Parmesan cheese. Toss well. Sprinkle with green onions. Makes four servings.


Recipe 2
Skillet Chicken Cacciatore

Ingredients: 8 ounces dry pasta (linguine, fettucine or spaghetti); 2 tablespoons olive oil 2 cloves garlic, minced;1 cup sliced red onion; 1 medium green bell pepper, cut into strips; 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast halves (3 to 4); 1/4 cup dry white wine (such as chablis and riesling); 1 3/4 cups (14.5-ounce can) pasta-ready, chunky tomatoes with mushrooms; 1/2 teaspoon salt; 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper; 1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil; 1/4 cup sliced ripe (black) olives; Additional olives for garnish. Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain and keep warm.

In a large skillet heat oil. Sauté garlic, onion and bell pepper for one minute. Add chicken and cook over medium-high heat for six to eight minutes or until chicken is cooked.

Add wine and tomatoes, including their juice. Add salt and pepper. Cook five minutes. Serve over pasta. Sprinkle with basil and ripe olives. Makes six servings.


Recipe 3
Contadina, California Olive Industry and Beringer Vineyards Pork Brochettes

Ingredients: 2 pounds pork, cut into 1 1/2-inch cubes; 1/2 cup olive oil;1 tablespoon paprika; 2 tablespoons ground cumin; 1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme; 2 teaspoons cayenne pepper; 1 teaspoon oregano; 2 teaspoons minced garlic. Place the meat in a non-reactive container.

In a small frying pan over low heat, warm together the oil and all the remaining ingredients. Let cool and rub the spice mixture on the meat to coat evenly. Cover and refrigerate overnight. Bring the meat to room temperature. Prepare a fire in a charcoal grill or preheat a broiler.

Thread the meat onto skewers and place on the grill rack or on a broiler tray in the broiler. Grill or broil, turning once, until done to taste, about four minutes per side for medium-rare.

Transfer to a warmed platter and serve. Makes four servings.

Notes: These spicy pork morsels, cut in smaller 1-inch cubes, are served at tapas bars all over Spain. The marinade can also be rubbed on a boneless pork loin which can be roasted or grilled.

Copyright 2008, All Rights Reserved

Mediterranean Diet Helpful to Resist Heart Diseases

Lately, there has been much talk in nutrition circles about the Mediterranean diet.
There is something to be learned from the way people ate in the first half of the century in Greece, Italy, southern France, Spain, Portugal and Morocco. Their diets and lifestyles were definitely heart-healthy.

Unfortunately, even the people in these countries don't enjoy the health they once did. Diets have changed and their lifestyles, like ours, are less active now that television and labor-saving devices are common.

Keeping that in mind, here are some heart-healthy features of the Mediterranean diet that we can learn from:

• It was based primarily on foods prepared from locally grown crops, including grain-based foods (such as rice, pasta), legumes, vegetables, fruit, nuts and seeds.

• Lots of whole-grain bread was eaten plain, without butter or margarine.

• Olive oil was used liberally and almost exclusively as the source of dietary fat.
Since olive oil is low in saturated fat, the total diet was low in saturated fat. We now know that oils such as olive and canola oil, which are high in monounsaturated fat, help, raise the good HDL blood cholesterol while keeping the bad LDL cholesterol low. These oils also contain vitamin E, an antioxidant thought to promote heart health. However, we can't use olive oil as liberally as they did because we aren't as physically active. If you want to incorporate more olive oil into your diet, substitute it for other oils and fats in your diet. Keep in mind, though, that the main objective is to use less fat over-all.

• The Mediterranean people ate very little meat, fish, poultry and eggs, which helped to keep their saturated fat intake low. When you include these foods in your diet, choose lean cuts of meat, use smaller amounts, and avoid battering and frying chicken and fish.

• They ate small amounts of dairy foods, mostly cheese and yogurt. This also helped to keep their saturated fat intake low. Today, we can eat these foods a little more liberally because lower-fat dairy products are available.

• They drank wine in moderation with meals. However, be aware that while red wine may have some small benefit for heart health, alcohol is known to raise blood pressure.

• They used lots of garlic and herbs, which are thought to have some effect on heart health. As little as one clove of garlic a day has been known to lower cholesterol. (What it does for your love life is another matter.)

• They worked at physically demanding jobs and didn't have the cars and modern conveniences we have. We can't turn the clock back, but the message for us is to be as physically active as possible every day.

• Very important and likely to be ignored today is the fact that eating was a pleasurable social event often followed by a siesta. These habits may have played a role in relieving stress. While siestas are probably out for most of us, we can learn to relax and to enjoy food and eating more.


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Mediterranean Diet Cooking Books

Like armchair quarterbacks who imagine the possible plays of a football team during a televised game, the readers of Mediterranean cookbooks imagine the sights and the tastes of the region's finest fare.

Unlike the armchair quarterbacks who may never direct a team, armchair cooks usually have the option to tackle a recipe. The pleasures of the table also can be replayed with the same recipe.

Three standout cookbooks featuring Mediterranean cookery are
1) The Mediterranean Diet Cookbook: A Delicious Alternative for Lifelong Health by Nancy Harmon Jenkins

2)
Mediterranean Cooking Revised With 75 New Recipes by Paula Wolfert

3) Complete Mediterranean The Beautiful Cookbook by Joyce Goldstein and Ayla Algar.

Ms. Jenkins writes engagingly of the foods, the people and the history of the Mediterranean. Her book is nothing like a typical diet book, outlining ways to lose weight. Instead, her book explores the pleasures of the total diet and Mediterranean lifestyle.

Her anecdotes about wonderful meals created in kitchens with little more than a few dented pans encourage timid cooks.

Ms. Jenkins provides helpful guidelines for the selection and substitution of ingredients and offers recipe instructions geared to American kitchens and typical household equipment.

She writes that the best couscous, for example, is fine-grain Diafra variety from Morocco and, to her knowledge, is not imported to this country. A couscoussiere is a special two-part pot for preparing couscous.

The pot can be fabricated in American kitchens with a stockpot for the bottom and a colander that will just fit into the top. The colander should be lined with a double layer of cheesecloth to keep the grains from falling through the holes. A tight seal between the bottom and top is important to force the steam through the holes of the top and into the couscous.

Ms. Wolfert's updated collection of Mediterranean recipes emphasizes the traditional recipes of the region. When she first wrote the book in the 1970s, she worried that traditional foods were fading.

"Happily, it has turned out, I was wrong," Ms. Wolfert wrote in her introduction. "Mediterranean cooking is, I am pleased to report, very much alive. I underestimated the pull of age-old culinary traditions and longings of Mediterranean peoples to regain and recapture their identities."

"Simple authentic Mediterranean dishes are all the rage today."



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Mediterranean Cooking Books: Point Of Interest for All

Anthropologists, medical scientists and food writers study the Mediterranean diet cooking books. Better still, urban people have rediscovered and revived them. Now, nearly twenty years later, we find in almost every region (including those most favored by tourists) sincere attempts to revive regional traditions and wonderful, simple Mediterranean home cooking. Ms. Wolfert's recipes are grouped into chapters in the book
Mediterranean Cooking Revised With 75 New Recipes
according to staple foods of the region: garlic, oil, olives, eggplant and other vegetables, chick peas and other legumes, pasta and grains, yogurt, cheese, nuts, lemons and other fruits and herbs.

Complete Mediterranean The Beautiful Cookbook is, indeed, beautiful. It is a coffee-table book to pick up as much for its recipes and easy-to-read history as for its stunning color photography. The photos portray the region's sun-drenched countryside and the earthy appeal of its satisfying cuisine. The authors bring weighty credentials to the book.

Ms. Goldstein is the award-winning chef-owner of Square One Restaurant in San Francisco. Ms. Algar is the Mellon lecturer in Turkish at the University of California, Berkeley, and author of two books on Turkish cooking.

Chapters on recipes - appetizers, breads, fish, meat, vegetables and desserts - alternate with chapters on Spain, France, Italy, Greece and the Balkans, Turkey, the Middle East and North Africa.

In this way, the region's history helps to explain the food and the food helps to explain the history.

The accompanying recipes provide only a sampling of the foods of the Mediterranean.

Mediterranean Vegetable Pasta
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 cup finely chopped onion
2 medium cloves garlic, peeled and minced
1/2 pound eggplant (Japanese can be used), peeled and cut into 3/4-inch cubes
1 small zucchini, cut into 3/4-inch cubes
1 (16-ounce) can peeled and diced tomatoes undrained
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
crushed 1 teaspoon dried basil (or crushed Optional: 4 reconstituted sun-dried tomatoes)
slivered 1 tablespoon capers,
drained and rinsed 1/3 cup finely chopped parsley 8 ounces spiral
tube or bow-tie pasta cooked according to package directions
1/4 cup pasta cooking water
1/3 cup finely crumbled feta cheese
1 1/2 teaspoons balsamic or red wine vinegar
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
1/4 teaspoon salt

1. In a large pan, heat oil over medium heat. Add onion and garlic; saute five minutes.

2. Add eggplant and saute until it begins to brown and soften. Stir in zucchini and saute two minutes. Stir in undrained tomatoes, crushed red pepper, thyme, basil and dried tomatoes if using. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer 10 minutes. Stir in the capers and parsley.

3. Drain the cooked pasta, reserving 1/4 cup of the cooking water. Add pasta and reserved water to the sauce with the feta, vinegar, pepper and salt. Stir until the pasta is coated with the sauce and serve. Makes four servings.

Nutritional Information: One serving contains 348 calories, 12 grams protein, 9 grams fat (4 grams saturated fat, 4 grams monounsaturated fat and 1 gram polyunsaturated fat), 56 grams carbohydrates, 597 milligrams sodium, and 17 milligrams cholesterol.


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Evaluation of Mediterranean Diet

Mary Angela Miller and Michelle Yost, registered dietitians in the Department of Nutrition & Dietetics at University Hospitals, were asked to evaluate the Mediterranean diet from materials prepared by its sponsors. Neither nutritionist was involved in the project nor in its research heir duties involves food and dietetics services for University Hospitals' patients, staff and visitors.

The experience was enlightening for them.

Miller and Yost both agreed that the diet (they prefer to call it a "lifestyle") is a valid direction toward healthful living.

"There's nothing bad about it," said Miller, who is the department director. They praised the emphasis on fruits, vegetables and grains, regular exercise, unprocessed foods and sparing use of sugar.

But both had reservations about applying it to Americans overall. Miller said, "It worked for (the Cretans), but will it work for the rest of the world?'' Most Americans would have to make a drastic about-face from typical eating and living patterns, she said. ''If you put something like this out here, it sets you up to fail. Olive oil and wine sound appealing, but meat and potatoes are still the mainstay."

Yost, a senior dietitian, said that while the amount of fat in the Mediterranean diet is high compared with the U.S. guidelines (which call for less than 30 percent total fat calories), the fat is predominately olive oil. (Olive oil is thought to lower levels of bad serum cholesterol while maintaining good cholesterol levels).

But olive oil is not the fat of choice for Americans, who lean toward butter, margarine and oils made from legumes, vegetables and seeds for baking and cooking. According to the Tufts University Diet and Nutrition Letter, Americans consume only about 3 tablespoons of olive oil per person - about every four months.

Olive oil also is more expensive than traditional cooking fats, Yost added. She believes that Americans would have trouble adjusting to its unique flavor in common foods.

A better alternative, she said, would be canola oil, which contains a more healthful ratio of saturated, monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats than olive oil. It also is flavorless.


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Adopting Mediterranean Diet in American Style

If an American would want to adopt the Mediterranean way, olive oil would have to replace - not be added to - other fats. That would be tough for a lot of people.

We love the fat in candy bars and French fries. People would want to have their olive oil and eat their candy, too. But we can't afford those fat calories.

Miller and Yost the dieticians expressed concern about promoting alcohol as part of an eating regimen.

"I don't have a problem with it in a diet," Miller said. "Having wine with dinner makes you feel relaxed. But I don't want to put it up as having a strong food value."

"Alcohol does not deserve a place on the food pyramid except in the 'others' category."
Yost said the Mediterranean attitude toward alcohol differs from ours, a reason for her reluctance to endorse its value in an American diet. "(Europeans) drink it with their meals. Americans may have it with meals, but they also use it as a social event."

If people choose to drink, wine is "a better choice," Miller added. "But I worry about people consuming wine calories instead of other calories. Alcohol is second only to fat in the number of calories per ounce," and obesity is a national problem.

The Mediterranean diet also does not take into account the far-reaching genetic mixture of the U.S. population, the dietitians said. For example, low to moderate amounts of cheese and yogurt are recommended, which might be insufficient sources of calcium for fair-skinned American women, at high risk for osteoporosis.

"Even within our own country, eating styles vary according to different ethnic and cultural groups," Miller said. "Many are healthy, but they don't fit on the pyramid."

Miller and Yost said that although the Mediterranean diet may not mesh with typical American lifestyles, the plan has many things in common with the U.S. Food Pyramid. Emphasis on complex carbohydrates is one similarity, particularly the increase in fruit and vegetable consumption.

Miller said the two pyramids send the same message. "Eat a balanced diet with a variety of foods, which is what we've been saying for years," she said. "But there are other things we know that can improve your life. Limit fat. Stop smoking. Exercise. Control your weight."

"For people who do want to eat (the Mediterranean way), this will give them some guidelines to follow."

But for the masses, she suggested, "Try the American pyramid before starting something else. It's much more in line with how we now eat."


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Olive Oil Cookery The Mediterranean Diet By Maher A. Abbas, Marilyn J. Spiegl

Olive Oil Cookery (The Mediterranean Diet) has 150 easy-to-prepare dishes in true Mediterranean style. Not only a delight to the palate, these recipes will also help you stay healthy.

With its emphasis on fresh vegetables, legumes, grains, and olive oil, this cookbook presents 150 easy-to-prepare dishes in true Mediterranean style. Not only a delight to the palate, these recipes will help you stay healthy longer.

For more information, go to
Olive Oil Cookery The Mediterranean Diet


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28 Day Mediterranean Diet Plan

Ayhan introduces a healthy and professional diet that features delicious, fast, and easy-to-make recipes endorsed by doctors.

The purpose of The Mediterranean Diet Plan is to help people lose unwanted pounds in a way that is most satisfactory to them.

Pros
You will eat lots of fresh fruit and vegetables, increase intake of essential fatty acids with plenty of fish and healthy fats, lower your intake of red meat and processed foods, and improve cholesterol levels and thus lower the risk of heart disease on the Mediterranean Diet Plan. It is a very healthy way to eat and one that, once you adjust to, you will be able to maintain for a lifetime. You never have to gain those unwanted pounds back! You can look great and be healthy and satisfied all at the very same time.

A sample menu offered on the Mediterranean Diet Plan is:

1) Yogurt with fruit and nuts
2) Pasta salad and fruit
3) Salmon with roast vegetables
4) Crackers and hummus

That really sounds very tasty as well as very healthy and you would certainly be satisfied after eating a meal like that on the Mediterranean Diet Plan.

Cons
The Mediterranean Diet Plan consists of foods that are not found on most family dinner tables in America. Meals will require a lot of extra preparation.

Value for money
The Mediterranean Diet Plan is a very good value.

For more information, click
28 Day Mediterranean Diet Plan


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The Mediterranean Diet: Much about Lifestyle

The Mediterranean Diet is based on traditional whole-grain breads, pasta, rice, couscous, polenta, bulgur, other grains, and potatoes. Fresh vegetables and fruits along with beans, legumes, and nuts are also consumed in large amounts. Olive oil is the main source of fat in the diet, although omega-3 fatty acids from fish are also an important component. Dairy products are consumed in much smaller amounts and usually in the form of yogurt or fermented cheeses. Fish is the main source of animal protein, followed by poultry, eggs, and, occasionally, red meat. Sweets are an occasional treat. Wine usually produced by local growers, is consumed on a regular basis, but generally in moderation.

While diet is not the same throughout the entire Mediterranean area which includes Spain, France, Italy, Greece, and North Africa, one common denominator that scientists discovered is the low consumption of saturated fatty acids because of the plant-based nature of the cuisine.

The Mediterranean Diet is also as much about lifestyle as it is food. The people are active, and their foods are whole, natural, and inherently more tasty than the highly processed foods consumed in the United States. The sources of fats in the diet are mono-unsaturated, primarily olive oil, which represents 40 percent of the calorie intake.

They do eat a high amount of fat, although it is mono-unsaturated the good fat. In part, that's probably why they don't snack or overeat. Fat is very satisfying. Low-fat and no-fat processed foods, virtually unheard of in the Mediterranean, have not helped the nation's dietary well-being.

I think it's pretty much a documented fact that Americans went to the extreme with these kinds of foods. They may not be high-fat, but many are high-calorie, and few are nutritious, certainly nowhere near as good as eating a luscious piece of fruit that provides nutrients, fiber, and phytochemicals, which we are finding prevents a lot of diseases.

In the Mediterranean Diet, foods are as close to their natural state as possible. In the U.S., we have gone too far in making the use of fast foods, food substitutes, and prepared packaged meals a major component of our daily lives. Americans love fast foods, microwaveable foods, and as a result of the advent of TV dinners in the 1950s, we have forgotten how to cook.


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Taking the Mediterranean Diet from Laboratory to the Dining Room

The important goal for health professionals is to take the Mediterranean diet out of the laboratory and into the dining room. People need to know that this is healthful food that they can actually enjoy. The underpinning of the Mediterranean diet is the simple message that we must learn to take the time to prepare our own food, at least a few times a week. And we must limit the use of the prepared, precooked, ready-to-eat, or fast foods.

It is becoming increasingly clear that an antioxidant-rich diet that is also high in dietary fiber and low in saturated fat is linked to optimum health. Instead of telling Americans to live as they do in Mediterranean countries, it's better to suggest they look in their cupboards and refrigerators to see what they've been eating.

If you're only eating one piece of fruit a day, double the benefit, and eat two, the second as an afternoon snack. If you're cooking with butter, switch to olive oil. Consider whole-grain breads instead of enriched breads. Instead of fruit juices, eat whole fruits. Try at least one new vegetable or fruit each week.

Eat more "meal" salads in which greens and vegetables are the base, and meat or cheese, sliced thin, is added for accent. Substitute fruit for high-sugar desserts, such as an apple baked and dusted with cinnamon instead of a slice of apple pie.

It's also important to search for good information about healthful eating. Nutrition counseling with a dietitian is one way to obtain reliable information. But it is also important to consider the sources of information in newspapers, magazines, and books.

There's a degree of confusion about nutrition. Headlines herald the latest research, and the public tends to think it's the last word when in fact it is part of an ongoing process of
study, just one study among many studies.


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Pharmacist's Role in Mediterranean Diet

Community pharmacists have a wider role in health promotion than ever before. This expanded role takes a more holistic approach to health generally and includes alternative therapies and advice on lifestyle, as well as the more traditional role of advice on prescribed and non- prescribed medicines.

A relatively new area is advice on diet. The challenge is not just to advise patients taking medication for heart disease or high blood pressure, but to help all customers understand the benefits of a good diet, which may help prevent cardiovascular disease and some cancers.

The bonus of a glass or two of wine, particularly red wine, with meals makes the diet a pleasure to follow, not just for those at risk of heart disease or cancer. Community pharmacists can enjoy their role as advisers on lifestyle matters by recommending a Mediterranean-style diet.

Definition of Mediterranean Diet
The traditional (European) Mediterranean diet is characterized by an abundance of plant foods such as bread, pasta, vegetables, salad, legumes, fruit, nuts; olive oil as the principal source of fat; low to moderate amounts of fish, poultry, dairy products and eggs; only little amounts of red meat; low to moderate amounts of wine, normally consumed with meals. This diet is low in saturated fatty acids, rich in carbohydrate and fiber, and has a high content of monounsaturated fatty acids. These are primarily derived from olive oil.

There is strong evidence that a Mediterranean-style diet, in which olive oil is the main source of fat, contributes to the avoidance of cardiovascular risk factors like dyslipidaemia, hypertension, diabetes and obesity, and therefore to the prevention of CHD. Evidence also suggests that the Mediterranean diet protects against some cancers.

Action Plan
1) Record in your practice workbook exactly what foods you eat today. Find out the calorific value, the fat carbohydrate and protein values of each component and calculate these for your food intake today.

2) Calculate the various fat types in today's intake.


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Traditional Mediterranean Diet: Key Approach

What a person eats is one of the crucial elements in either promoting or preventing coronary artery disease. The Mediterranean diet has gotten much attention of late as a good eating plan to reduce the risk of heart disease. But does the thought of a Mediterranean diet conjure up images of dipping your bread in olive oil and eating tomatoes for breakfast, lunch, and dinner? Let's take a look at the key elements of this approach to healthy eating and how you can incorporate them into your life.

Unfortunately there is no one Mediterranean diet. The countries that border the Mediterranean Sea are culturally diverse, and the diets vary from country to country. Theoretically, a number of Mediterranean diets are possible, depending upon the place, the time in history, and the socioeconomic status of the people.

The food guide pyramid for the traditional Mediterranean diet is based upon the typical diet in working-class households of Greece and Southern Italy in the 1960s. During this period, physiologist Ancel Keys did his research showing that men living in Crete and Greece had the lowest rates of death from heart disease. This diet is somewhat different from the diet of this region in the 1990s, as saturated fats have begun to replace some of the olive oil, and refined carbohydrates are replacing whole grains.

Although the traditional diets of the Mediterranean can vary from one country to another, there are some common elements. In general, these diets are low in saturated fat and high in fiber. While total fat consumed may range from 29-40% of total calories, the principal fat is olive oil. Fruits, vegetables, grains, legumes, and nuts are eaten daily and make up about one half of the diet. Most people eat some cheese or yogurt each day as well. Fish, poultry, eggs, and sweets are consumed sparingly; red meat is eaten even less often. Typically, small amounts of red wine complement meals, and regular physical activity is a part of daily life.


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Unique Features of Mediterranean Diet

Several features of the Mediterranean diet make it unique. One of these is the relatively high consumption of olive oil, which is especially rich in the monounsaturated fat oleic acid. While dietary fat is generally considered something that increases a person's heart-disease risk, monounsaturated fats are beneficial for heart health because they tend to decrease total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, and triglycerides while slightly increasing HDL cholesterol. The net result is a more favorable ratio of total cholesterol to HDL cholesterol.

Another key heart-healthy aspect of the Mediterranean diet is the high antioxidant content of olive oil, fruits, and vegetables. Antioxidants not only protect cells from damage caused by free radicals; they also prevent "oxidation" of LDL. Scientists believe that oxidized LDL is an important factor in the development of atherosclerosis. Olive oil provides a rich source of vitamin E, while fruits and vegetables offer a good supply of carotenes, another type of antioxidant.

In addition to being a rich source of antioxidants, fruits, vegetables, and whole grains are also key sources of folic acid and vitamin B6. Folic acid is especially abundant in dark green leafy vegetables, a staple in the Mediterranean diet. Low levels of these nutrients have been associated with elevated homocysteine levels. And high blood levels of homocysteine have been associated with coronary heart disease.

Unlike the typical Western diet, the traditional Mediterranean diet emphasizes plant proteins over animal proteins. In fact, red meat which is high in cholesterol and saturated fats is eaten only a few times per month. Other sources of animal protein that are lower in saturated fats, such as fish and poultry, are consumed a few times per week. Plant proteins in the form of beans, legumes, and nuts are consumed daily. Not only are these proteins very low in saturated fats, but nuts are especially rich in heart-healthy monounsaturated fats.

Also important to the beneficial elements of the Mediterranean diet are two lifestyle components that accompany this way of eating consumption of moderate amounts of red wine with meals and regular physical activity. Red wine contains factors that can decrease platelet aggregation and formation of fibrinogen thereby reducing blood-clot formation. Regular physical activity is also crucial in the prevention of heart disease and contributes to a healthier lipid profile by increasing HDL and lowering triglycerides

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What is the Mediterranean Diet ?

The virtues of the Mediterranean diet have long been extolled by the medical profession, but convincing the British public has not been easy. People have become aware during this century that good health is linked to good diet. The difficulty has been explaining a good diet. The conflicting evidence and advice given, especially over the past 20 years, has not clarified the situation. Meanwhile, the national appetite for junk food continues unabated.

Most people are aware that they should increase fiber intake and cut down on fats, but that not all fats are bad. Unfortunately, much of this information has been gained from sources such as the popular press and television commercials, which do not always present a balanced view of the whole picture.

Small improvements in eating habits seen over the last 20 years have been incidental and usually triggered by other factors. For example, the reduction in egg consumption was because of the salmonella crisis in the late 1980s, and the beneficial changes from butter to margarine and red to white meat can be accounted for by price differences.

The diet followed in the UK, and indeed in much of northern Europe, is high in animal fats, which are very positively correlated with colorectal and breast cancers.

A number of large European and US population studies have also demonstrated that a diet rich in saturated fatty acids found in animal fats raises atherogenic low density lipoproteins (LDL) cholesterol and is thus causally related to a high incidence of coronary heart disease. The UK has a high incidence of heart disease, and cancers of the breast and large bowel.

On the other hand, the traditional European Mediterranean diet is well known to be associated with a reduced risk of heart disease, obesity, gallstones, diabetes, and cancers of the breast and large bowel.

The Mediterranean diet has always included more cereals, more fish, more fruit and vegetables, and more olive oil than countries in northern Europe. In addition, proteins and fats consumed in the UK tend to be from animals, whereas the Mediterranean diet contains a much higher proportion of fat and protein derived from vegetables.

The traditional source of fat in the Mediterranean diet is olive oil, and the benefits of adopting a Mediterranean-style diet, including the substitution of olive oil for animal fats, provide a clear direction and good news for all involved in the provision of dietary advice, including community pharmacists.

Although documented benefits of the Mediterranean diet concern cancer and coronary heart disease, evidence suggests that this may be mediated through several contributing mechanisms.


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Mediterranean Diet Vs Traditional British Diet

The Mediterranean diet is much better for the heart than the traditional British diet. It is hard to believe that a plate of pasta sprinkled with oil and garlic could be healthy as well as delicious, but statistics on heart attacks prove this to be so. And it is not just replacing butter with oil that makes the difference. Innumerable studies have confirmed the health benefits of moderate drinking. One or two glasses of wine a day is believed to cause a drop of between 30 and 70 per cent in the risk of heart disease. The Mediterranean Diet has been shown to be better for the heart than low-fat diets.

The Mediterranean Diet will keep you fit, well and gastronomically satisfied throughout the winter. Women who follow it can lose a steady pound a week, while men may lose up to four pounds. If you wish to maintain your current weight, you can use the Mediterranean diet to keep yourself healthy from the inside.

Carbohydrate is the cornerstone. Instead of protein, pasta and bread will release energy slowly while providing sufficient bulk to keep the stomach satisfied. Meat is used as a flavoring rather than a main ingredient. Around half of the diet's overall calories are provided by carbohydrates.

Choose from the wide variety of pastas and breads on the market, including specialty Italian loaves such as olive bread, ciabiatta and focaccia. These foods fill you up and, depending on what they're served with, don't need to be fattening.

It does not include fatty spreads such as butter. Plain bread may taste odd initially but you will quickly realize how you've been masking the flavor in the past. The pasta recipes avoid heavy, calorie-laden cream sauces in favor of simple, vegetable-based ones.

Britons tend to structure our meals around fatty foods such as pies, pastries, fried foods and meat. Following the Mediterranean Diet will help you re-educate your palate.

At the end, you should be able to apply the basic principle of building meals around starchy carbohydrates with the addition of a small amount of protein.


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Mediterranean Diet Recipe: Real Salade Nicoise

Authorities on the cuisine of Nice (including recently incarcerated former mayor Jacques Medecin, author of the definitive book on the subject) express outrage at the sins committed in the name of this famous, gloriously simple salad. Perhaps no dish of the region is more frequently or profoundly misinterpreted -- and the silliest misinterpretation of all, to the Nicoise, is the use of fresh tuna in a salad that has depended, since its creation generations ago, on preserved fish (either tuna or anchovies -- never both). The real thing, say the experts, has no lettuce and no cooked vegetables (potatoes, green beans, or otherwise). The particulars vary according to availability of ingredients, but this is a standard version. 6 tomatoes, ripe but still firm, quartered

Ingredients Required:
Salt
2 green peppers, ribbed, seeded and cut into rings
1 cucumber, sliced
6 small fresh artichoke hearts, sliced thin
3 to 4 ounces Nicoise olives
3 green onions, chopped
12 anchovy fillets, or 7 to 8 ounces top-quality oil-packed white tuna
3 hard-boiled eggs, halved, optional
Extra-virgin olive oil
Season tomatoes to taste with salt on all cut surfaces. Set aside.

Procedure:
• Arrange green peppers, cucumber slices and artichoke hearts on 6 plates, dividing evenly. Scatter olives and chopped green onions on top of vegetables, dividing evenly. Arrange salted tomatoes, anchovies or tuna (crumble tuna by hand into large chunks) and hard-boiled eggs on plates.

• Drizzle salads with olive oil to taste. Season to taste with salt. Do not toss.

• Makes 6 servings.

Each serving contains about:
211 calories;
206 mg sodium;
93 mg cholesterol;
52 grams fat;
13 grams carbohydrates;
13 grams protein;
0.82 gram fiber.


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Mediterranean Diet Recipe: Pasta De Patate

In the Ligurian entroterra or back-country above Sanremo and Ventimiglia, savory tortas (tortes) used to be eaten more often than pasta. This particular one even borrows the word pasta -- though in this case it doesn't mean noodles at all, but a pastry. This recipe was given to me by Sandro Oddo, director of the tiny folklore museum in Triora, and a student of local customs and gastronomy.

Ingredients Required:
6 medium-sized baking potatoes
1 1/2 cups flour
Extra-virgin olive oil
1 egg
1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, freshly grated
2 tablespoons ricotta
3/4 cup milk
1/2 cup butter
Freshly ground pepper
3 full sheets filo, cut in half

Procedure:
• Bring large pot of lightly salted water to boil. Add potatoes, unpeeled, and cook until done, 10 to 30 minutes, depending on size.

• When potatoes are cooked, remove from water, cool slightly, peel and put through ricer or crush potatoes with masher or fork.

• Add egg, 1/2 cup Parmigiano, ricotta, milk, 2 tablespoons butter and salt and pepper to taste. Mix until blended.

• Melt remaining 2 tablespoons butter. Lightly grease 11x17-inch baking dish. Lay 1 filo sheet half in bottom and lightly brush with melted butter. repeat with 2 more sheet halves.

• Add potato mixture and smooth surface. Top with 1 filo sheet half and brush with melted butter. repeat with remaining 2 sheet halves. Tuck in edges. Score top with knife in diagonal pattern. Sprinkle with remaining 1 tablespoon Parmesan. Bake at 450 degrees until browned, about 30 minutes.

• Makes 16 appetizer or 12 side dish servings.

Each serving contains about:
116 calories;
48 mg sodium;
34 mg cholesterol;
6 grams fat;
11 grams carbohydrates;
5 grams protein;
0.16 gram fiber.

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Mediterranean Diet Recipe: Minestrone Genovese

Forget that coffee-shop bowl of canned beans and carrots and soggy noodles. Real minestrone is a wonderful soup full of the mingled flavors of fresh -- but long-cooked -- vegetables. It might include green beans, peas, favas, escarole, Swiss chard, turnips, leeks, carrots, cauliflower, pumpkin or zucchini blossoms, and many kinds of both summer and winter squash. Some cooks add pine nuts; some also add tomatoes, though this is frowned upon by traditionalists. In Genoa, where the soup was quite possibly born, a particularly well-made one, with an abundance of ingredients -- the kind one might make to honor a guest, for instance -- is sometimes called Signore Minestrone.

Ingredients Required:
2 quarts Water
Salt
1 bunch spinach, rinsed and coarsely chopped
1 bunch kale, rinsed and coarsely chopped
2 small zucchini, cut in 1/4-inch slices
2 medium boiling potatoes, peeled, quartered lengthwise and cut in 1/2-inch slices
2 small Japanese eggplants, cut in 1-inch slices
1 ounce dried porcini mushrooms, soaked 20 minutes in warm water, then drained
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 pound tubetti or fideos pasta
2 cups cooked white beans
2 generous tablespoons pesto

Procedure:
• Lightly salt water and bring to boil in large pot. Add spinach, kale, zucchini, potatoes, eggplants, mushrooms and oil. Reduce heat to simmer. Cook, uncovered, 1 hour.

• Add pasta and cook about 10 minutes longer, or until pasta is almost done. Add cooked beans and cook about 5 minutes more.

• Remove pot from heat. Adjust seasonings to taste. Let cool about 10 minutes, then stir in pesto and serve.

• Makes 4 servings.

Each serving contains about:
539 calories;
228 mg sodium;
0 cholesterol;
14 grams fat;
87 grams carbohydrates;
21 grams protein;
4.96 gram fiber.

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Mediterranean Diet is like U.S. Tax Law

The Mediterranean diet is like U.S. tax law. Every year there's more to know.

Since the day Ancel Keyes published his groundbreaking Seven Countries Study in 1958, revealing that people who live in the Mediterranean basin lived longer and healthier lives because of their diet, scientists, doctors, and nutritionists have studied the reasons why.

The research has revealed important information about the beneficial aspects of Mediterranean cuisine in the prevention and treatment of heart disease, obesity, cancer, and diabetes.

Scientists now know that carotenoids, folic acid, and fiber, all abundant in the Mediterranean diet, play important roles in the prevention of certain cancers, coronary heart disease, neural tube defects, and cataracts. Scientists also believe that diets rich in
Mono-unsaturated fatty acids may play a pivotal role in the management of non-insulin-dependent diabetes.

Cholesterol-lowering properties of the Mediterranean diet are under investigation as well. Studies have shown that diets in which mono-unsaturated fatty acids are the predominant fat source, such as the olive-oil-rich diets of the Mediterranean countries, are also the most heart-healthy.

Epidemiological studies indicate a lower incidence of disease among people who eat a diet composed of vegetables, grains, and fruit. People who live in countries on the northern rim of the Mediterranean, Greece, Italy, Spain, and southern France, live and eat differently from us, and they also are half as likely to die of heart disease.

Americans, by comparison, consume twice as much milk, cream, and butter, but only half as much fish and aged cheese. Americans also eat:
• 20 % less whole grains and beans.
• 66 % less vegetables and 10 % less fruit.
• 45 % more meat.
• 16 % more eggs.
• 1/4 as much olive oil.

"Americans don't even eat the healthy American diet," said Diane Guagliani, a registered dietitian and spokeswoman for the American Dietetic Association. "Studies have shown that we're not getting the minimum of five fruits and vegetables a day even though this is something that teachers, the government, and nutritionists are promoting in this country. Going to the Mediterranean diet with its abundance of grains, legumes, fruits, and olive oils would be quite a leap."

Despite the good press and a multitude of cookbooks, most people don't understand the Mediterranean diet, Guagliani said. "They have a vague notion that it's Italian, but that's not the whole picture," she said.

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Mediterranean Diet: A Myth

According to modern-day culinary mythology, there is a nutritional system known as the Mediterranean Diet, and it goes something like this: whole gardens full of vegetables, glorious fruit straight from the tree, copious quantities of grains and legumes, very little meat or animal fat, an abundance of just-caught seafood (simply grilled or roasted, then dressed in delicate olive oil and scattered with fresh herbs), a bit of crusty homemade bread, a bit of wine -- everything fresh and bright and perfect, and in admirable moderation.

That's a very attractive idea, of course. But in truth, it sounds more the way people eat at Chez Panisse or Spago than the way they eat, and have traditionally eaten, in the Mediterranean, or at least in the part of the Mediterranean.

The so-called "Riviera" region that extends from Nice across the border into Italy and along the coast of Liguria, past Genoa, all the way to the Gulf of La Spezia and the Tuscan border has traditionally been a poor one. The single most important source of nourishment in the mountains for those who worked the land was probably the chestnut tree. Chestnuts were dried, then reconstituted in broth or milk as a kind of soup, or were ground into a flour that could be used to extend white flour (which was imported and expensive) in breads and pasta dough.

The favored seafood, for those who could afford it, was not fresh tuna but stockfish, the long-lasting air-dried cod (a little of which went a long way) imported from Norway. In fact, much of the food consumed, even by the wealthy, was preserved: dried fish, dried fruit and vegetables, dried pasta, olives and vegetables pickled or marinated in oil, cured ham and sausages.

Moderation was imposed by insufficiency and by the dietary laws of the Catholic Church (mandating periods of fasting and of abstinence from meat and other animal products), not elected as a secular moral -- or nutritional -- choice. Pork products, organ meats, cheese and eggs were all used enthusiastically when they could be obtained (and were permitted). Those who could afford it were gourmands; the ideal in 19th-Century Nice, for instance, was to be able to eat a crepa pansa -- until you had to unbutton your waistcoat.

If all this is true, then what is Mediterranean diet all about? The respective name given to the diet doesn't suit it at all.

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How to Adapt Mediterranean Diet

How can people in the United States, an ocean away from the Mediterranean, adapt their daily eating plan to include the beneficial elements of the Mediterranean diet? Choosing to dine at the local Greek or Italian restaurant once a week won't do the trick. But eating Mediterranean style is possible with a few simple changes to our current eating habits.

• Aim to make the diet rich in monounsaturated fats. Although olive oil can be expensive, canola oil is just as rich in monounsaturated fats and is more affordable. Choose salad dressings made with olive oil or canola oil. Substitute canola oil for butter, shortening, margarine, or other oils in baking. Use canola or olive oil for saut&Egraving. Add nuts to your meals and snacks. Spread peanut butter or almond butter on your sandwich, toast, or celery sticks. Read food labels and aim for ìright-fatî foods, rather than low-fat or fat-free foods. Look for products made with canola oil.

• Enjoy fruits and vegetables at every meal. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture Continuing Survey of Food Intakes by Individuals (CFSII), the average American consumes only 1.5 servings of fruit and 3.3 servings of vegetables each day. Increase your intake of these foods. Aim for a colorful plate where vegetables dominate! Be especially careful to consume dark green leafy vegetables every day. For salads, choose spinach or a dark leaf lettuce such as romaine, rather than iceberg.

• Limit red meat to two to three servings per month and poultry to two servings per week. Fish can be consumed three to four times per week. Enjoy beans, nuts, and legumes every day. Invest in a vegetarian or traditional Mediterranean diet cookbook and learn new ways to prepare these plant proteins. Eat moderate amounts of low-fat dairy products daily, such as milk, cheese, and yogurt. Limit the use of high-fat cheeses to a dusting over salads or pasta.

• Stick to whole grains rather than refined carbohydrates. According to the CFSII, the average American consumes only one serving of whole grains and a whopping 5.8 servings of refined grains each day. Contrary to popular belief, pasta is not the only carbohydrate typical of a Mediterranean cuisine. Try including whole-grain breads, barley, brown rice, kasha, polenta, and bulgur into your menus.

• Limit the use of simple sugars and desserts. Consumption of sugar displaces other foods that contain important micronutrients. Excess sugar intake has also been linked to higher triglyceride levels. In Mediterranean countries, meals often end with fruit. Desserts such as cakes and cookies are reserved for special holidays or Sunday guests.


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Reviewed: Mediterranean Diet Cookbook By Dominique Laty, Jacques Fricker, Pierre Hussenot and Pierre Cabannes

The Mediterranean Diet Cookbook: Recipes from the Island of Crete for Vitality, Health, and Longevity

By Jacques Fricker (Author), Dominque Laty (Author), Pierre Hussenot (Photographer), Pierre Cabannes (Photographer)

The Mediterranean Diet Cookbook reveals a collection of Mediterranean recipes, rich in flavour and healthy antioxidants, and low in saturated fats and cholesterol combined with the significant nutritional benefits and boundless culinary delights of the healthy cuisine enjoyed for centuries on the island of Crete.

The traditional Crete diet seamlessly combines good nutrition with extraordinary gastronomic pleasure. Physician and nutrition specialist Jacques Fricker teams up with chef and health writer Dominique Laty to explain the benefits of the Mediterranean Diet and the subtle alchemy it achieves through balanced nutrition and a healthy lifestyle.

The premise of the Mediterranean Diet as always been in line with my own philosophy: the combination of a healthy diet and enjoyable lifestyle. The Cretan principles are simple and unchanging. It is based around seasoning and cooking in olive oil, drinking loads of water, eating in moderation and having a jolly good time.
The Cretans indulge in having red wine several times a week and enjoy red lean meat only 3 to 4 times a month. They also eat small amounts of fried foods, cakes, pastries and chocolates. Pure delight!!

In the Mediterranean Diet Cookbook, you are treated to 70 tantalizing array of recipes inspired by the cuisine of Crete that combine ease in preparation with good nutrition and unalloyed delight to the senses. The recipe ranges from featuring richly diverse harvest pleasures for the impatient (Mediterranean Diet Cooking class 101) to the sublimely done Veal Escalope with Pine Nuts and Roasted Tomatoes.

The Mediterranean Diet Cookbook treats readers to a visual feast as well thanks to the lavish photography of international acclaim for their photographers, Pierre Hussenot and Pierre Cabannes.

About the Author
Dominique Laty is a specialist on the relationship between health and nutrition, as well as a highly regarded chef. She is the author of several books published in France on foods, lifestyle and well-being.
Jacques Fricker is a physician specializing in nutrition. Dr. Fricker is affiliated with Bichet Hospital in Paris, France. He is the author of several books published in France on nutrition, dietetics and health.

"We offer in this book some of our Cretan recipes, which were inspired by the products of our land and our present way of life," the authors observe in the foreword to The Mediterranean Diet Cookbook.


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Ayhan's Low Carb Mediterranean Recipes - Free

Quick Chicken Kebab Recipe

Lamb Kebab over Salad Recipe

Flounder Marmaris Recipe

Cucumber Salad with Yogurt Recipe

Chicken Kebab Recipe

Shrimp Kebab Recipe

Shepherd Salad Recipe

Israeli Salad Recipe

Chicken with Mushrooms Recipe

Anatolian Salad Recipe

Tel-Aviv Salad with Grilled Chicken Recipe

Sicilian Antipasto Salad Recipe

Grilled Chicken over Shepherd Salad Recipe

Mediterranean Spinach Salad Recipe

Artichoke And Walnut Salad Recipe

About Ayhan
Ayhan has devoted his career developing restaurants, food products and marketplaces (both online as well as a gourmet shop in Long Island) to make the wonderful offerings of the Mediterranean available to all. Born on the island of Cyprus which lies in the eastern Mediterranean, Ayhan came to the United States as a young man and soon became a successful restaurateur. Today he owns 5 restaurants as well as the renowned Mediterranean Cafe & Marketplace in Port Washington. He is now also marketing several food products (i.e. Ayhan's Famous Salad Dressings and more) under his own label and sells these fine Mediterranean delicacies both in his stores and on here at the Mediterranean Marketplace.

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Ayhan's Grilled Salad Mediterranean Recipes - Free

Grilled Romaine Salad with Feta Recipe

Grilled Iceberg Salad with Walnuts Recipe

Grilled Veggie Salad Recipe

Grilled Asparagus and Tomato Salad with Shrimp Recipe

About Ayhan
Ayhan has devoted his career developing restaurants, food products and marketplaces (both online as well as a gourmet shop in Long Island) to make the wonderful offerings of the Mediterranean available to all. Born on the island of Cyprus which lies in the eastern Mediterranean, Ayhan came to the United States as a young man and soon became a successful restaurateur. Today he owns 5 restaurants as well as the renowned Mediterranean Cafe & Marketplace in Port Washington. He is now also marketing several food products (i.e. Ayhan's Famous Salad Dressings and more) under his own label and sells these fine Mediterranean delicacies both in his stores and on here at the Mediterranean Marketplace.

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Ayhan's Marinade Mediterranean Recipes - Free

Balsamic Mushrooms Recipe

Balsamic Chicken Kebab Recipe

Marinated Fish Kebab Recipe

Marinated Shrimp Kebab Recipe

About Ayhan
Ayhan has devoted his career developing restaurants, food products and marketplaces (both online as well as a gourmet shop in Long Island) to make the wonderful offerings of the Mediterranean available to all. Born on the island of Cyprus which lies in the eastern Mediterranean, Ayhan came to the United States as a young man and soon became a successful restaurateur. Today he owns 5 restaurants as well as the renowned Mediterranean Cafe & Marketplace in Port Washington. He is now also marketing several food products (i.e. Ayhan's Famous Salad Dressings and more) under his own label and sells these fine Mediterranean delicacies both in his stores and on here at the Mediterranean Marketplace.

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Ayhan's Classic Mediterranean Recipes - Free

Traditional Greek Salad Recipe

Shepherd Salad Recipe

Cyprus Salad Recipe

Tel-Aviv Salad Recipe

About Ayhan
Ayhan has devoted his career developing restaurants, food products and marketplaces (both online as well as a gourmet shop in Long Island) to make the wonderful offerings of the Mediterranean available to all. Born on the island of Cyprus which lies in the eastern Mediterranean, Ayhan came to the United States as a young man and soon became a successful restaurateur. Today he owns 5 restaurants as well as the renowned Mediterranean Cafe & Marketplace in Port Washington. He is now also marketing several food products (i.e. Ayhan's Famous Salad Dressings and more) under his own label and sells these fine Mediterranean delicacies both in his stores and on here at the Mediterranean Marketplace.

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Effect of Mediterranean diet on Various Diseases - II

Oxidative mechanism:
There is extensive evidence that oxidation of LDL plays an important role in atherogenesis. Oxidation of LDL begins with peroxidation of PUFA in the LDL molecule. The fatty acid composition of LDL is subjective to the dietary fatty acids. A high MUFA intake renders LDL more resistant to oxidation than a PUFA-rich diet. MUFA-rich diets also lead to a higher MUFA content of cell membranes and so higher cellular resistance to oxidative damage.

Dietary antioxidants found in olive oil, fruit and vegetables provide additional protection against oxidation, further reducing the risk of atherosclerosis.

Coronary heart disease:
In the Seven Countries Study2 (Italy, Greece, Yugoslavia, Finland, US, Netherlands and Japan), published in 1970, death rates at 15 years were low among populations having a high olive oil intake where SFA was low (i.e. a high MUFA: SFA ratio), specifically Greece, Italy and Yugoslavia.

On the other hand, high MUFA intake in the US seemed to be counteracted by a high SFA intake (i.e. a low MUFA: SFA intake) and CHD mortality was high.

Many randomized prevention studies have confirmed the links between dietary SFA, serum cholesterol and CHD. Most involved reducing SFA and increasing PUFA and these had positive outcomes. None of the trial diets was particularly high in MUFAs therefore the typical Mediterranean diet has not been directly tested in the primary prevention of CHD. Diets similar to the Mediterranean diet have been shown to lower serum and LDL cholesterol without adversely affecting HDL cholesterol. Such reductions result in reduced morbidity and mortality.

The Lyons Diet Heart Study in patients recovering from heart attack showed that a Mediterranean-style diet, high in monounsaturated fatty acids, even when adapted to a Western population, protects against CHD better than other recommended linoleic-acid rich diets for such patients.

The components of the Mediterranean diet have a beneficial effect on risk factors for CHD both through direct effect and by protective effects like antioxidant activity.

National and international guidelines for the prevention of coronary heart disease recommend the following:
• total dietary fat should be no more than 30 per cent of the calorie intake
• SFA should be below 10 per cent
• PUFA should be 7-10 per cent
• MUFA should be 10-15 per cent
• dietary cholesterol should be below 300mg/day
• Intake of complex carbohydrates and fiber should be increased.

The Mediterranean diet helps to achieve these as it has:
• large quantities of plant foods, bread, grain products, vegetables, legumes
• fruit
• low to moderate amounts of animal products
• olive oil as the principal source of fat with its high MUFA content
• low SFA
• high carbohydrate and fiber content.

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