Delights of Mediterranean Diet

Nothing conjures up the delights of a Mediterranean holiday better than a snapshot of a simple wooden table laden with food. There's a rack of grilled sardines, a plate of tomatoes drizzled with olive oil and a bottle of robust warm red wine. Lazing on a sun dappled porch, every British tourist has harbored dreams of living like this back home. But as winter sets in, and the memories of the sun recede, so too does the lifestyle of Italy, Greece, southern France and Spain and the lithe, toned body we had begun to attain on holiday.

For it is one of life's ironies that we can eat and drink uninhibitedly while relaxing in the Mediterranean, yet gain weight instantly we return to England and a cupboard stocked with crisp breads.

This apparent contradiction has a simple explanation. The foods we eat on holiday are both delicious and naturally slimming - olive oil instead of animal fat, fish instead of meat, and lots of pasta, red wine and fresh fruit and vegetables.

Switching to a southern European diet could help us stay slim throughout the year. What's more, the sumptuous ingredients and tasty recipes will remind you of hotter, happier times.

So why do we not do as the Romans do, and eat like this all year round? The reason used to be that essential ingredients simply weren't available. That is no longer the case. Almost all the staples of the southern European diet are now available on our supermarket shelves.

It's now quite usual to find feta cheese, and fresh olives alongside the English cheddar and meat pies. Olive oil, once a specialist item, now takes up as much room on the shelves as lard. Even modest shops have several varieties.

Our new lifestyle plans very easily makes clear how to combine the flavors of the Mediterranean, and a more active lifestyle, to stay fit, strong and gastronomically satisfied throughout the winter months.

Pessimists will insist that such a luxurious existence cannot possibly be healthy. Thankfully they are wrong. Medical studies have shown that a gourmet diet with wine is better for both health and happiness than a strict low-fat regime.

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