Mediterranean Diet for Healthy Living

The Mediterranean is considered by most as the basin of civilization. The place that has given birth to great philosophers, writers, mathematicians, scholars, generals and many others, including Christ himself. It is in this area that people lived a healthy life and prospered and civilizations flourished.

So what was their secret? There is no secret. It is the way their Healthy living. All the people in this area lived and were nourished around the Mediterranean cuisine which is based on the basic products of the area: Olives, olive oil, wheat, fish, fresh and dried fruits, nuts and wine.

The Mediterranean eating habits are now called Mediterranean diet or cuisine. It is however no diet, it is a way of living. It the way that people over the past 5 to 6 thousand years lived and prospered.

From the historical perspective, when people hear Mediterranean,  hey of the olives and the olive oil. Well, this is true because The Mediterranean basin is considered the birthplace of olive oil. Wild olive trees are native to the region and are well adapted to the poor, rocky soil and hot, dry climate. Despite primitive processing methods, olive oil was widely used for lamps, lotions and in food thousands of years ago. Archaeological evidence indicates use of the oil along the eastern Mediterranean region before 4000 B.C., and in the Greek isles by 3000 B.C. Indeed, given the climate and geography, there were few other sources of fat in the diet. In Greece, for example, some 60% of cultivated land is still devoted to olive trees.  The Olive tree was the sacred tree of Athens and Goddess Athena was the protector of the Olive tree and the city of Athens.

But people could live on Olives and olive oil alone. They had domestic animals that thrived on the rocky landscape and these were goats and sheep, providing milk to make yogurt and cheese. Large fields of grain crops were not possible on the steep terrain, but small plots of vegetables and legumes were. They also planted wheat and barley which formed the basis of bread.  Various nut and fruit trees are native to the Mediterranean, thanks to mild winters. And of course, the sea was a constant presence. Without the tides and storms common in open oceans, fishing provided a ready and reliable source of high protein food.

Finally, there are grapes and wine. Like olive trees, grape vines are adapted to the Mediterranean climate, and were cultivated by ancient people. Wine has been consumed for thousands of years, and is still an important part of daily life.

The Mediterranean diet is simple, lean and mean as it is usually called. It consists of the following eaten around the week in a weekly plan often repeating itself over the week:

Bread: – white bread made from wheat

Legumes: beans, broadbeans, etc

Vegetables: cooked (boiled) or raw

Fruits: dried or fresh

Olives: black or green usually soaked in Olive all for taste and preservation

Fish: fresh cooked on charcoal or dried in the sun

Milk and Milk products like cheese and yogurt

Meat: Goat or sheep ( eaten once or twice a week )

Sweets: Honey based products

Wine: accompanying the daily meals

Mediterranean diet is healthier because of the combination effect of all of the above constituents of the diet. The effect of the mono-unsaturated fat in olive oil is well known, the eating of fish mean high intake of omega 3 fats again known for their healthy benefits. The reliance on vegetables, whole grains and fresh fruit implies high intake of fiber, vitamins and antioxidants.

The Mediterranean cuisine and diet has been around for thousands of years and it should be on everyone’s table not because of the latest trend or fashion but because it is a healthy way of living.

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