Everyone has heard about the benefits of the Mediterranean diet. This term first appeared in the middle of the last century, when researchers found many similarities in the diet and lifestyle of the inhabitants of the countries of the Mediterranean region, and associated this with the longevity and health for which they are famous.
Since then, the Mediterranean diet has been closely studied all over the world, both by specialists and by people who want to build a healthy, balanced diet to live a long and happy life. What are the principles of the Mediterranean diet and how to create a menu in accordance with them, if you live not in Palermo, but in other cities, read below.
The main rules of the Mediterranean diet
Today, the Mediterranean diet is an established concept that is based on the eating habits of the inhabitants of the Mediterranean coast. These habits have been analyzed and compiled into a convenient system that anyone can follow. Briefly, the principles of the Mediterranean diet are as follows:
- High intake of monounsaturated fats.Olive oil and other sources of monounsaturated fatty acids are widely used in cooking, providing up to a third of all calories.
- Low level of meat consumption.Traditionally, meat in Mediterranean countries was eaten on special occasions rather than every day.
- High consumption of fish and seafood.Marine sources of protein in the Mediterranean diet play the role of a kind of meat substitute, so they are eaten quite often.
- High consumption of vegetables, fruits, legumes, nuts, whole grains.Vegetable and vegetarian dishes owe their permanent place on the Mediterranean table to the good climate, and the most common dessert is fresh fruit.
- Average level of dairy product consumption.The main dairy product consumed in Mediterranean countries is cheese; it is no coincidence that the largest number of cheeses in the world can be found here.
- Average level of alcohol consumption.Residents of the Mediterranean tend to drink regularly, but in small amounts. Usually this is one or two glasses of wine with lunch and dinner.
- Physical activity.Although this item is not directly related to diet, residents of Mediterranean countries tend to lead an active lifestyle, spending a lot of time outdoors.
By taking these rules into account when compiling your daily menu, you can adhere to the Mediterranean diet, regardless of where you actually live. What will it give? Fortunately, today there is more than enough research on this diet, so we can say with confidence.
Benefits of the Mediterranean diet
So, the Mediterranean diet:
- promotes the functioning of blood vessels, reducing the risk of cardiovascular diseases;
- prevents inflammatory processes and restores damaged cells;
- reduces the risk of cancer, as well as diseases such as diabetes, asthma, Alzheimer's disease and others;
Based on the general principles of the Mediterranean diet, WHO developed dietary guidelines to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease, and in 2010 UNESCO recognized the Mediterranean diet as a national cultural heritage.
Spanish scientists from the University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria and the University of Navarra went even further, studying 11, 000 people and found that those who followed the above principles of the Mediterranean diet most carefully had a 30% lower risk of depression thanrest. The reasons for this, however, are not entirely clear, but scientists have suggested that the reduced risk of depression is one of the consequences of the fact that foods included in the Mediterranean diet improve vascular function and fight inflammation.
If you want to start but don't know how
The benefits that the Mediterranean diet promises make your head spin. Of course, there is hardly anyone who will not agree to reduce the risk of certain diseases, but it is quite difficult to change your diet all at once, especially if you have never done this before. Therefore, below I will provide some tips and recommendations for those who want to start eating according to the Mediterranean diet, and at the end of the article I will create a trial menu for the week so that the first step to a new life will not be so scary.
Here's what you should do first:
Buy olive oil
No, I have no doubt that you eat cold-pressed olive oil without my advice, but if you don’t have it in your kitchen at least sometimes (or, on the contrary, the same bottle of oil is collecting dust in your cupboard for more than two, maximum three months), you can forget about the Mediterranean diet. Season salads with oil, pour over fresh and cooked vegetables, pasta, cereals, fish, and dip bread in it. Good olive oil is a versatile seasoning that goes with literally everything, so the key here is to get into the habit. But frying in expensive and high-quality oil is only worth it when you cook over low heat; in other cases, use refined vegetable or butter.
Eat olives
Everything is clear here. Olive oil is made from olives, and olives themselves also contain those monounsaturated fatty acids that make it so healthy. Eating seven olives a day is enough to get the full range of nutrients they contain. Fortunately, there are few difficulties with this, most adults love olives, but if this statement does not apply to you, add olives to salads, sauces, stews or fresh cheeses.
Eat more fish
Forget about outdated recommendations that you should eat fish at least once a week. You should eat fish much more often - at least 3-4 times a week, which means you should improve your skills in choosing, purchasing and preparing fish. When choosing between sea and river fish, give preference to sea fish; from wild and cage fish, choose wild fish. Frozen fish, if defrosted correctly, is not much worse than fresh fish, but it is much more affordable, and the recipes for fish dishes on this site will last you for a year ahead.
More vegetables, good and different
In the minds of many compatriots, vegetables are either a salad or a side dish, and this idea urgently needs to be changed. Get into the habit of preparing one or two dinners a week entirely from vegetables and legumes. I'm not advocating going plant-based - adding cheese or a little ham is fine - but by unlocking the potential of vegetables as a food, you will begin to enjoy it yourself. It would be nice, of course, if these were fresh and seasonal vegetables, but in winter our pickles and pickles will fit perfectly into the Mediterranean diet. Is it in vain that they contain so many useful substances and vitamin C?. .
Pasta is good
We have a biased attitude towards pasta; at best, they are considered a side dish, at worst, a source of problems for the figure. At the same time, in one of the countries that gave us the Mediterranean diet, Italy, pasta is considered the pillar of local cuisine: it is served before the main course, after cold appetizers, which are called antipasti, that is, "before pasta. "There is absolutely no point in exhausting yourself by eating three or four-course dinners every day - they haven’t done that for a long time even in Italy itself. But discovering pasta as a complete dish is well worth it. You can start with recipes for classic Italian sauces, giving preference to pasta made from durum wheat: they contain more nutrients and are better digestible.
Eat less sweets
If you can't imagine a day without a sweet bun or cake, you'll have a hard time. In the Mediterranean diet, dessert is often replaced by fresh berries and fruits, which contain fiber and a number of vitamins and nutrients. The good news is that you can eat fruits in reasonable quantities every day, but if you cannot live without them, it is better to reduce the consumption of other sweets to once or twice a week. And, of course, we are not talking about store-bought baked goods with tons of sugar and margarine.
Mediterranean diet: menu for the week
As I promised, a bonus to the article will be a menu for the week, compiled according to the principles of the Mediterranean diet, but first a few necessary explanations.
- Firstly, the combinations of appetizers and main dishes are given based on my subjective ideas about good cuisine, there is no hidden logic in them, and if you wish, the dishes listed on the menu can be shuffled as you please.
- Secondly, the menu is designed for a person who works 7 days a week, who only dines at home on weekends. If this doesn’t apply to you, similarly shuffle dishes from the proposed menu or cook in reserve.
- Thirdly, the menu is not tied to any specific season. If some of the products needed for the suggested recipes are not currently available, you can - well, you get the idea! — shuffle the menu according to seasonality.
- Fourthly, do not be surprised if you see dishes on the menu that at first glance do not correspond to your ideas about the diet of Mediterranean residents. In Italy, it’s unlikely that many people eat cottage cheese and sour cream for breakfast - and yet, these products more than fit into the Mediterranean diet.
- Finally, if you want to replace a dish or expand the proposed menu, study the recipe catalog.
Monday
Breakfast:
cottage cheese with sour cream
Dinner:
fresh beet salad
fried cod and quick sautéed spinach
seasonal fruits or berries
Tuesday
Breakfast:
natural yogurt with honey or jam
Dinner:
lentil soup
chicken gherkin in the oven and cucumber and garden herb salad
seasonal fruits or berries
Wednesday
Breakfast:
cottage cheese with sour cream
Dinner:
toast with baked peppers and cheese
fish and rice with vegetables
seasonal fruits or berries
Thursday
Breakfast:
Sugar free muesli with yoghurt
Dinner:
minestrone soup
spaghetti with cherry tomatoes and basil
seasonal fruits or berries
Friday
Breakfast:
natural yogurt with honey or jam
Dinner:
salad with squid and fennel
Beef entrecote with pepper sauce and grilled vegetables
seasonal fruits or berries
Saturday
Breakfast:
shakshuka
Dinner:
sea fish soup
squid baked with tomatoes
Dinner:
Caprese salad
lamb with eggplant and bulgur with green peas
figs with honey and rosemary
Sunday
Breakfast:
homemade cupcake
Dinner:
roasted pepper soup
spaghetti amatriciana
Dinner:
fried shrimp with garlic
flounder in the oven and potatoes with rosemary
baked apple
Finally
Many of us associate the word "diet" with a constant feeling of hunger and the need to limit ourselves in our desires for the sake of some ephemeral result. But the Mediterranean diet is completely different. Where, if not in the Mediterranean countries, do they know a lot about good food and the pleasure that comes from a tasty and leisurely lunch that brings the whole family around the table? In fact, the Mediterranean diet is not a diet or a nutritional system. This is a lifestyle that promises health and longevity, which each of us can follow.
I hope this article about the principles of the Mediterranean diet was useful to you, and you can easily plan your menu in accordance with its principles. And to make this task even easier, you can use a variety of recipe collections to help you find the right dishes.