Mediterranean Diet

by Patty on in Blog
Graphic (with permission) from oldwayspt.org © 2009 Oldways Preservation & Exchange Trust,

Why Write This?

Since I commented on the Ketosis Diets, someone asked me to look into the Mediterranean Diet as well. So here is what I have found and what I know from visiting many of the countries this diet is named after.

Let me start with what this diet is NOT and then move to what it is.

Not Mediterranean-based Foods

Oct 2019: I was at a diner in Roseville CA and saw a person order an All American Breakfast. Here is what they got (thanks for letting me take a picture): 2 eggs scrambled with cheese, 2 bacon, coffee (with half-n–half) and 4 country biscuits covered in country sausage gravy. This is NOT Mediterranean, there is nothing here that is alive, and this is food with limited to no nutritional value. Photo by PattyCooks.

Non Mediterranean list:

  • Added sugar: Soda, candies, ice cream, table sugar, high fructose corn syrup, and many others.
  • Refined grains
  • Trans fats: Found in margarine and various processed foods.
  • Refined oils: Soybean oil, canola oil, cottonseed oil and others.
  • Processed meat: Processed sausages, hot dogs, bacon, etc.
  • Highly processed foods: Anything labeled “low-fat” or “diet” or which looks like it was made in a factory, comes in a box or plastic bowl.

What is the Mediterranean Diet?

The Mediterranean diet is a way of eating based on the traditional cuisine of countries bordering the Mediterranean Sea. This means recipes from Spain, Turkey, Morocco, Syria, Lebanon, Israel, Egypt, Libya, Algeria, Morocco, Tunisia, and southern Greece, France, Portugal, and Italy.

I have not found one defined Mediterranean diet, mainly because each of these countries have their own regional cuisine. But in common to all these countries is a “devotion” (to quote one website) to good and tasty food that is rich and authentic to the land. Featuring, simple and regionally-grown food prepared with care and shared with friends.

It is more a way of eating and lifestyle that defines the Mediterranean Diet. It is a diet rich in healthy plant foods and relatively low in animal products, with a focus on fish and seafood, smaller portions, and a variety of foods. It is a way of eating that includes family and friends over a table of delicious food, great company, and engaging conversation. This way we eat slower, feel full faster, and digest the food we eat better.

Mediterranean Diet Ranked

US News rated diets based on a review of medical professionals. The ratings below reflect how these experts view this particular diet, out of 42 they researched.

Overall Diet Guide

Mediterranean Foods

  • Vegetables: Tomatoes, broccoli, kale, spinach, onions, cauliflower, carrots, Brussels sprouts, peas, green beans, artichokes, cucumbers, onions, etc.
  • Fruits: Apples, bananas, oranges, pears, strawberries, grapes, dates, figs, melons, peaches, etc.
  • Nuts and seeds: Almonds, walnuts, macadamia nuts, hazelnuts, cashews, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, etc.
  • Legumes: Beans, peas, lentils, pulses, peanuts, chickpeas, etc.
  • Tubers: Potatoes, sweet potatoes, turnips, yams, etc.
  • Whole grains:  Barley, buckwheat, bulgur, farro, millet, oats, polenta, rice, wheat berries, breads, crackers, couscous, and pastas. 
  • Fish and seafood: Anchovies, salmon, shrimp, sardines, trout, tuna, mackerel, shrimp, oysters, clams, crab, mussels, etc.
  • Limited Meat:  Beef, chicken, duck, goat, guinea fowl, lamb, mutton, pork.
  • Eggs: Chicken, quail and duck eggs.
  • Dairy: Brie, chevre, corvo, feta, haloumi, manchego, Parmigiano-Reggiano, pecorino, ricotta, yogurt (including Greek yogurt).
  • Herbs and spices:  Anise, basil, bay leaf, chiles, cloves, cumin, fennel, garlic, lavender, marjoram, mint, oregano, parsley, pepper, pul biber, rosemary, sage, savory, sumac, tarragon, thyme, za’atar.
  • Healthy Fats: Extra virgin olive oil, olives, avocados and avocado oil.

Weekly Consumption Guide

Considering a week of food, here are the Wikipedia listed suggestions.

  • Daily: Fresh vegetables and fruits, whole grains and breads/crackers, nuts and seeds, herbs, spices, and olive oil. Eat all of these foods in moderate portion sizes.
  • 2x/week: Eat fish and seafood. Poultry, eggs, cheese and yogurt. Legumes, pasta, and potatoes.
  • 1x/week: Red meat.

HelpGuide: A true Mediterranean diet is based on the region’s traditional fruits, vegetables, beans, nuts, seafood, olive oil, and dairy—with perhaps a glass or two of red wine. That’s how the inhabitants of Crete, Greece, and southern Italy ate circa 1960, when their rates of chronic disease were among the lowest in the world and their life expectancy among the highest, despite having only limited medical services.

Comments on Restrictive Diets

  • Eating on this diet does not require calorie counting.
  • This diet is not low in fat, but low in saturated fats.
  • It is low sodium, and uses herbs and spices instead of salt to bring flavor to foods: oregano, thyme, sage, bay leaves, cilantro, coriander, rosemary, garlic, pepper, cumin and cinnamon, among others.
  • Fish and shellfish are high in purines.
  • Beans, grains, tomato, eggplant, potato, peppers all are high in lectins.
  • Nuts, some fruits, potato, tomato sauce, beans, cereals, are all high in oxalate.
  • Learn to make breads + crackers without gluten, and replace cereals with gluten free such as buckwheat.

CAUTION: Increasing the consumption of fish also introduces mercury, inorganic arsenic, and plastic into your diet. So I would focus on smaller fish (anchovies, sardines, shrimp, etc.) and some limited shellfish.

Mediterranean Drinks

Avod highly processed extra sugar-sweetened beverages like Big Gulps and fruit juices. But that leaves lots of drinking that you can do.

  • Water
  • Coffee
  • Tea
  • Wine (Greek 1-2 glasses red wine a day)
  • Aperitif and Digestives

There is a special time of day (defined differently in each country) where a person sits down at a table with friends to relax. What they drink varies (see list below), but critically the alcohol is not something to use to get drunk. It is slowly sipped, often watered down, and a glass can last hours.

Generally it is considered rude and bad form to get drunk. Any aperitif, wine or port is to be leisurely imbibed, with food, and company. Especially in Greece, people spend a long time at their tables nibbling, drinking, talking, laughing, singing and enjoying life.

  • Greek: Wine, Ouzo
  • Italy: Wine, Vermouth, Martini, Aperol Spritz and Campari with soda 
  • Spain: Vermouth, Sangria

In Sum: A Way of Life

The whole point of the mediterranean diet is to eat mainly in-season veggies and fruit, a variety of nuts and cereals/grains, limited meat, fowl or fish, and to make eating a very relaxing social event involving family and friends. It is eating and drinking slowly and appreciatively, while allowing time for the food to digest. It is about reducing stress, relaxing, enjoying company and good weather by eating outside in nature if you can. It includes daily shopping, walking to places, and is about various colors, smells, flavors, and textures of food and drink.

Sources

–Patty

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NEWS: CBC News headlines is Some tea bags may shed billions of microplastics per cup. A Montreal study shows that there is an increasing presence of micro- and nano-sized plastics in the environment and food chain. Tea bags are moving into having plastic bags, which apparently are leeching plastic during normal steeping. Specifically, they found that at normal steeping temps (95 °C) these tea bags releases approximately 11.6 billion microplastics and 3.1 billion nanoplastics into a single cup of the beverage.  Personally I prefer using stainless steel infusion sets rather than bags.

Cooking: Bouquet garni + Sachet

Recipes: I am updating the recipes with more details and nutritional counts so I will repost them here as they get updated. Ginger Pear Loaf, braised red cabbage, balsamic peach pork, French basic egg omelet and Crème Fraîche.

TIPS: Save time by cooking 2 items at once. Food that takes an hour or so to cook I save for the weekends. An example is a large squash or roast chicken or any slow cooked foods. But to make sure there are enough leftovers for the following week, I consider cooking two of the same item at once. One becomes part of dinner that night, some I freeze in portioned baggies (labeled with date) and the rest goes into the fridge for later use. Chicken is a good example for already-on-hand meat can make quick chili with canned beans, tarragon chicken salad, chicken quesadillas or enchiladas, or a side with salads, I also then save the carcuses, skin and fat in two freezer bags and thus have the ability to make chicken broth when it’s needed.

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