mediterranean diet

Kid-Friendly Mediterranean Diet Recipes
Food and Fun

How to Incorporate the Mediterranean Diet Into Your Family's Kitchen

With a new study out of Spain putting the Mediterranean Diet in the spotlight, health-conscious mamas are likely intrigued by the myriad health benefits that the way of eating has to offer.
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With a new study out of Spain putting the Mediterranean Diet in the spotlight, health-conscious mamas are likely intrigued by the myriad health benefits that the way of eating has to offer. Embracing the Mediterranean style puts a focus on fish, nuts, seeds, olive oil, whole grains, fruits, and veggies, and has been found to lower your risk of heart disease by some 30 percent.

The beauty of the Mediterranean approach is that you can incorporate elements of it into your family's dining routine without going to extreme measures. While we'd never advocate putting healthy tots on a full-blown diet, what mom doesn't want to get her kids to eat more fruits, veggies, and whole grains? Here, six family-friendly recipes that would be right at home on a Mediterranean table. To your health!

Stuffed Butternut Squash Cornflake-Crusted Fish Baked Oatmeal With Sour Cherries and Almonds Mediterranean Quiche Simply Super Salmon Teriyaki An Easy School-Day Breakfast
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What Foods Are in the Mediterranean Diet?
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5 Staples of a Mediterranean Diet

There are already many proven benefits from eating a Mediterranean diet, and now we can add another major one: a recent, large study of 7,500 people in Spain found that following a Mediterranean diet can cut your risk of heart attack, stroke, and heart disease-related deaths by about 30 percent compared to a typical Western diet that didn't include Mediterranean staples.
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There are already many proven benefits from eating a Mediterranean diet, and now we can add another major one: a recent, large study of 7,500 people in Spain found that following a Mediterranean diet can cut your risk of heart attack, stroke, and heart disease-related deaths by about 30 percent compared to a typical Western diet that didn't include Mediterranean staples. Since this study followed people who were overweight, had diabetes or heart disease risk factors, and currently smoked, many say the results show just how beneficial the diet is for people who are at high risk of developing cardiovascular complications.

Past studies have found that following a Mediterranean diet can help lower the risk of heart and eye complications, control your weight, protect brain function, and help you live longer, so there are more than a few good reasons to eat like you're on an overseas vacation. Read on for five staples of the Mediterranean diet you should be eating.

Sources: Thinkstock, Flickr Users bochalla and Gustty

Nuts, Legumes, and Seeds Olive Oil Whole Grains Fruits and Vegetables Fish
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How to Make a Mediterranean Diet Salad
healthy living

Craft a Heart-Healthy Salad in Honor of Mediterranean Diet Month

We might not be able to make it to Greece or Southern Italy anytime soon, but we can bring the cuisine to us by celebrating Mediterranean Diet Month in our own kitchens.
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We might not be able to make it to Greece or Southern Italy anytime soon, but we can bring the cuisine to us by celebrating Mediterranean Diet Month in our own kitchens. The healthy benefits of the Mediterranean diet are touted by numerous studies, and for good reason: it promotes heart health, good vision, and weight control, to name a few. An easy way to get the Mediterranean diet into your own life is by dressing up an everyday salad with elements of this regional cuisine.


Nuts, legumes, and seeds: The next time you are debating salad toppings, consider a handful of walnuts, a serving of chickpeas, or a sprinkle of sunflower seeds. The protein, fiber, and healthy fats contained in these small bites will help keep you full and energized throughout the day. Even better, center your entire salad around a legume, like this chickpea, almond, and goat cheese salad.


Fresh vegetables: You'll be hard-pressed to find any Mediterranean meal served without a good helping of vegetables. Foods like greens, eggplant, zucchini, artichokes, tomatoes, and cucumbers are popular choices, which is why YumSugar's recipe for a warm mushroom and artichoke salad is a natural choice.

Learn more ways to make your salad Mediterranean after the break!

Cindy Crawford in Ladies' Home Journal: "I've Tried Botox but It Scares Me."
Celebrity

A Healthy Bite: Cindy Crawford

"If the kids want to go for ice cream, I'll get ice cream, too.
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"If the kids want to go for ice cream, I'll get ice cream, too. I don't want my daughter to think that being a beautiful woman is about depriving yourself. She sees me exercising. She sees me eating right. I want to be a good example for her."

— Cindy Crawford on setting a healthy example for her daughter Kaia. The former supermodel appears in Ladies' Home Journal this month, telling the mag that she stays healthy by working out at the gym three days a week and by following the Mediterranean diet.


Recipe For Chickpeas and Cucumbers
Healthy Recipe

Healthy Recipe: Roasted Chickpeas and Cucumber Salad

If you're dieting and looking for filling, high-fiber, low-fat fat foods, then the simple chickpea is a dream food come true.
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If you're dieting and looking for filling, high-fiber, low-fat fat foods, then the simple chickpea is a dream food come true. These beans have been shown to help dieters stay on track and avoid unhealthy snacks. Inspired by this news, I created a simple side dish featuring roasted chickpeas, because I think they taste so much better that way. This salad makes a perfect side dish or a light lunch.

To see the recipe, just read more

Mediterranean Diet May Protect Against Depression
Diet

Another Reason to Love the Med Diet: It Fights Depression

We've been touting the benefits of the Mediterranean diet for a while now — it reduces allergy symptoms, helps with weight control, supports longevity, and is good for vision and heart health.
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We've been touting the benefits of the Mediterranean diet for a while now — it reduces allergy symptoms, helps with weight control, supports longevity, and is good for vision and heart health. A new study gives us yet another reason to go the way of Mediterranean: it may protect against depression.

Researchers studied a pool of 11,000 Spanish adults over a four-and-a-half-year period and found that those who stuck closely to a Mediterranean diet were 30 percent less likely to develop depression than those that didn't.

It's unclear exactly why the diet acts as a mood lifter, but researches noted that the diet may improve blood vessel function, reduce the risk of heart disease, fight inflammation, and repair oxygen-related cell damage, elements which may be key in warding off depression.

To learn how to eat like a Mediterranean, check out our tips.

 

 

5 Things About the Mediterranean Diet
Food

5 Things About the Mediterranean Diet

People have been following the Mediterranean Diet for ages, and researchers continually discover new benefits to this style of cuisine.
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5 Things About the Mediterranean Diet

People have been following the Mediterranean Diet for ages, and researchers continually discover new benefits to this style of cuisine. The diet has an impressive collection of attributes — besides its delicious focus on nuts, whole grains, legumes, and more, there are a number of health benefits associated with the diet. Check out five ways the Mediterranean Diet can do your body good.

Protects Vision Promotes Heart-Health Good For Weight Control Supports Longevity Reduces Allergy Symptoms Do You Follow a Mediterranean Diet?
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The Only Proven Heart-Healthy Diet
Food

The Only Proven Heart-Healthy Diet

By now we know that certain types of food do more for our health than others, but when it comes down to it, a lot of the research we read states that a particular item "may" promote heart health.
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By now we know that certain types of food do more for our health than others, but when it comes down to it, a lot of the research we read states that a particular item "may" promote heart health. Researchers sorted through 50 years of studies to weed out the definites from the maybes and discovered that only some diets claiming heart-healthy benefits are supported by strong evidence.

They found that the Mediterranean diet, incorporating plenty of vegetables, legumes, fruits, nuts, whole grains, cheese or yogurt, and fish, legitimately promotes heart health, and diets rich in vegetables and nuts also serve to lower your risk for heart disease. While there's some evidence about the ability for omega-3 fatty acids, whole grains, alcohol, vitamins E and C, beta carotene, folate, fruit, and fiber to positively affect heart health, the jury is undecided on whether or not these elements live up to the claims.

While more research needs to be done to qualify those dietary factors as being heart healthy, there is conclusive evidence that diets high in red meat, butter, refined grains, and high-fat dairy products, high-glycemic index foods, and trans-fatty acids are harmful to heart health. If you're concerned about heart health, revising your diet to resemble the typical Mediterranean diet could be a good place to start.

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Mediterranean Diet and Low-Carb Diet Neck and Neck
healthy living

Mediterranean Diet and Low-Carb Diet Neck and Neck

When it comes to dieting, we all want to know what is most effective.
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When it comes to dieting, we all want to know what is most effective. A new study performed in Israel found that a low-carb Atkins like diet and the Mediterranean diet outperformed the low-fat diet. The study lasted two years, considerably longer than previous studies, and the weight loss period was limited to 6 months with a maintenance period of 18 months – I think the maintenance period is truly where a diet's success can be measured.

To see what the different dieters ate, just read more

The Mediterranean Diet May Lengthen Americans' Lives
mediterranean diet

Another Reason to Go Mediterranean

I am a big fan of the Mediterranean Diet.
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I am a big fan of the Mediterranean Diet. It is full of nuts, whole grains, and healthy fats — what's not to like? A new study provides yet another reason to go Mediterranean – it could help you live longer.

In a large five-year study conducted jointly by the National Institute of Health and AARP, both men and women who followed a Mediterranean-style diet were about 20 percent less likely to die during the study. In particular, deaths from cancer or cardiovascular disease were significantly lower in the Med style diet group as well.

Eating a diet rich in fish, nuts, fruits, and veggies and eating red meat and milk products in limited amounts seems to be the way to go. To read more on this style of eating, check out: What's the Deal With: The Mediterranean Diet.

Also look for the med mark stamp on food labels; they will appear on foods that are considered healthy Mediterranean Diet food, drinks, and products.

Hummus here I come!