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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