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Eat Like the Greeks

The Mediterranean Way-of-Eating (I dislike the word "diet" - too many bad connotations of unhappiness, restriction, deprivation and failure) has been in the news a lot lately as a good way to eat and I'm here to talk a bit about it and to give it my blessing. What is it? In a nutshell, it involves the food patterns typical of Crete , much of the rest of Greece and Southern Italy in the early 1960's. For example, residents of Greece eat very little red meat and average nine servings per day of antioxidant-rich fruits and vegetables. Among other things, this eating pattern has been associated with a lower level of LDL oxidation. (LDL's aren't bad for you no matter what your cardiologist tells you unless they are oxidized; this makes them sticky and dangerous.)

Another study, the Seven Countries Study found that Cretan men had very low death rates from heart disease despite the high intake of fat. Their diet consists of olive oil, bread, fish, moderate dairy and wine and an abundance of fruit and vegetables.

Yet another study, called the Lyon Diet Heart Study began as a copy of the Cretan diet. This included a 20% increase in vitamin C rich fruit and bread, a decrease in processed foods and red meat. The participants had so much trouble substituting olive oil for their beloved butter that the researchers, rather than scrap the whole study, made a margarine based on canola oil. Despite the genetically modified canola oil and the trans fats - which cause heart disease! - used to make the margarine, the diet resulted in a 70% drop in mortality from all causes.

The key components of the Med Way-of-Eating are: 1) Eating lots of fruits and vegetables 2) Consuming healthy fats, esp. olive oil 3) Eating small portions of nuts 4) Drinking red wine in moderation or, for those of us who don't drink alcohol, dark purple Concord grape juice which is as good - in flavenoid and antioxidant content - as red wine. 5) Consuming very little red meat. 6) Eating fish on a regular basis.

The Med Way-of-Eating pyramid looks like this: At the bottom is daily physical activity as regular exercise is seen as essential for promoting healthy weight, fitness and well-being. (Imagine yourself chasing your goats up and down the rocky hillsides of Crete with a big serotonin smile on your face and you have the picture.) Then in ascending order would be plant foods, whole grains, beans, nuts and seeds with red meat and sweets at the top. Bread would be consumed without butter or dipped in olive oil.

Olive oil would be your principle fat, daily consumption of low to moderate cheese and yogurt (goat preferred), weekly consumption of fish (sardines are common), and poultry and from zero to four eggs per week. You will note that meat is at the top of the Med Way -of Eating pyramid and the preferred meats are veal and lamb. In fact, you ranchers and steak devotees will hate this: What is suggested is only 12-16 ounces of red meat per month. In the Med-Way-of Eating, meat is used more as a condiment rather than the oversized plate containing the 20 oz. slab of bleeding T-bone that we Amurricans are wont (trained?) to eat.

Olive oil is a big deal in the Med Way-of-Eating. Why? Because the olive oil is seen as lowering cholesterol levels; it also makes the fats less sticky; it lowers blood sugar levels and blood pressure. Olive oil prevents ulcers and may be a factor in preventing cancer, although no one knows the mechanism of this. Make sure you get cold-pressed, organic and extra virgin.

Here's what to do if you want to incorporate more of the Med Way-of-Eating into your life: For starters, some foods to shop for immediately would be hummus, olives, sun dried tomatoes, olive oil instead of butter, balsamic vinegar, cans of sardines, colorful fruits and veggies, wild caught fish, a variety of nuts, chick peas and lentils, goat yogurts and cheeses and stay away from any yogurts or cheeses that are advertised as being reduced fat, low fat or fat free. And go through your cupboard and get rid of all your processed foods. What are processed foods? Anything that nature didn't directly make, mostly stuff in a bag, box, can, jar or wrapper. Think "Grains 'n Greens, Beans, Seeds 'n Weeds, Roots 'n Fruits."

Keep baby carrots, apples and bananas on hand for quick, satisfying snacks as well as walnuts, almonds and pecans. Add a bit of red wine or some dark purple grape juice with dinner and you're right on the Med track. Oh, and it's quite sunny in the Mediterranean , so be sure to get 30 minutes of sunlight every single day. Maybe while you are exercising?

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