FitSugar

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

Michele Foley — Wed, 09 May 2012 16:10:25 PDT

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!

5 Staples of a Mediterranean Diet

Leta Shy — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 17:08:45 PST

There are already many proven benefits to following a Mediterranean diet, and now we can add another one: a new study of the dietary habits of about 1,000 people found that the high levels of monounsaturated fats found in a Mediterranean diet may help your smarts by protecting against small vessel damage in your brain. That benefit may help slow cognitive decline as well as prevent strokes.

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

Sources: Thinkstock, Flickr Users bochalla and Gustty

A Healthy Bite: Cindy Crawford

FitSugar — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 04:30:07 PDT

"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.

Healthy Recipe: Roasted Chickpeas and Cucumber Salad

FitSugar — Thu, 01 Apr 2010 10:00:25 PDT

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

Cucumber and Roasted Chickpea Salad
Original Recipe

Ingredients

1 15.5-ounce can chickpeas, well rinsed
4 cloves of garlic
2 teaspoons olive oil, divided
1 medium-sized English cucumber
2 tablespoons fresh mint, finely chopped
3 tablespoons nonfat Greek yogurt
juice of one lemon, about 2 tablespoons
3 tablespoons fresh dill, finely chopped
salt and pepper to taste

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Place chickpeas in a shallow roasting dish and cover with olive oil. Place unpeeled garlic cloves at edge of pan. Roast for 30 minutes, or until golden brown, stirring occasionally.
Chop cucumber into quarter-inch-thick disks. Then quarter the disks. Place in medium size bowl and set aside.
Whisk remaining teaspoon of oil with mint. Pour over cucumbers.
Place peeled roasted garlic in a small bowl and combine with lemon juice. Mix well. Add Greek yogurt and whisk together well. Salt and pepper to taste.
When chickpeas are cool, add to dressed cucumbers.
Divide cucumber-chickpea mixture evenly onto four plates and spoon yogurt dressing over the mixture. Serve with toasted whole wheat pita bread.

Serves 4.

Calories: 174, Protein 6.7 g, Fat 3.6 g, Fiber 5.9 g, Sodium 330 mg, Carbs 29.9 g

Print recipe with images | without images

Another Reason to Love the Med Diet: It Fights Depression

FitSugar — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 04:30:18 PDT

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

FitSugar — Thu, 14 May 2009 10:00:00 PDT

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.

The Only Proven Heart-Healthy Diet

FitSugar — Thu, 16 Apr 2009 16:00:00 PDT

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.

Source

Mediterranean Diet and Low-Carb Diet Neck and Neck

FitSugar — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 11:00:00 PDT

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

Here's a breakdown of what randomly assigned 322 moderately obese participants ate:

Low-Fat: Based on the American Heart Association guidelines, women ate 1,500 calories a day and men ate 1,800. Only 30 percent of daily calories came from fat, and dietary cholesterol was restricted to 300 mg – an egg has about 210 mg. Meals were built around low-fat grains, veggies, beans and fruit.
Low-Carb: Based on the Atkins plan, calories were not restricted but the daily intake of carbs was limited to 20 grams of carbs a day, for the first two months, but increased to 120 grams for the remainder of the study – a half cup of cooked white rice contains about 30 grams of carbs. Participants were to obtain fat and protein mostly from vegetarian sources and avoid trans fat.
Mediterranean: Based on Harvard Medical School's Walter Millet's dietary suggestions, women ate 1,500 calories a day and men ate 1,800 calories. Only 35 percent of the calories were to come from fat, mostly in the form of olive oil and nuts. The meals were high in veggies, but low in red meat. Beef and lamb were replaced with fish and chicken.

The results were pretty interesting. On average, those following the low-carb diet lost 10.3 pounds and the average weight loss for the Mediterranean diet was 10 pounds even. The low-fat diet average weight loss was 6.5 pounds. Interestingly enough, the women following the Mediterranean diet lost 13 pounds compared to the women on the low-fat diet who only lost one pound. All the diets show other health benefits as well, with an increase in healthy cholesterol in the low-carb diet and a decrease in blood sugar levels in the Mediterranean diet.

The bottom line is that all the diets offer benefits and there is not a one size fits all approach to dieting. If counting calories doesn't work for you a low-carb option might be best for you, but if limiting carbs is beyond measure for you then go Mediterranean. The trick is to pick a diet, or should I say lifestyle, that you can follow for the long term.

Have you followed any of these diets? Tell us how it worked for you in the comment section below.

Source

Another Reason to Go Mediterranean

FitSugar — Wed, 12 Dec 2007 02:00:00 PST

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!

5 Ways to Eat Like a Mediterranean

FitSugar — Thu, 19 Jul 2007 12:30:00 PDT

The Mediterranean Diet has gained a lot of popularity because not only is it healthy, but it's darn delicious too! Who can pass up tasty fruits and veggies, fresh fish, and the occasional glass of wine? Not me!

Before you jump right into the diet, though, the British Dietetic Association has five tips so you can follow a Mediterranean-style diet without having to hop on a flight or read the whole book:

Fill up on fruit and veg. Aim to eat a minimum of five portions of a variety of different colored fruits and vegetables each day. They contain a wide range of protective plant nutrients or phytochemicals. Fresh, frozen, canned or dried fruits and vegetables all count in the diet. Beans and pulses and 100 percent juice or smoothies count too but only as one portion a day, no matter how much you have.
Feast on fish. Go for fish dishes more often, including at least one portion of oil-rich fish a week. Choose from salmon, trout, mackerel, herrings, sardines or pilchards. Fresh, smoked, frozen, and canned varieties all count.
Choose your fats wisely. Use vegetable oils, such as rapeseed (canola) oil or olive oil, in moderation for cooking and to dress salad, and soft spreads made from these oils on bread. When using animal fats, such as butter or cream, do so very sparingly. Cut down on fatty cuts of red meat and meat products such as sausages, pies, and streaky bacon. Trim the fat from cuts of red meat and the skin from chicken and limit your intake of fried fast food.
Make it whole grain. When choosing foods from the starchy food group, replace refined cereal foods with whole grain varieties. Wheat, oats, barley, rye, and rice can all be eaten in the whole grain form. Aim to get at least half your starchy carbohydrates as whole grains - at least two to three servings a day.
Go easy on alcohol. Moderate drinking has been shown to have protective health effects in men and post-menopausal women. In particular, red wine contains beneficial substances that may protect artery walls. Experts recommend only moderate consumption of alcohol - one to two units per day. Over this amount, the detrimental effects (for example, liver cirrhosis_ are greater than any positive effects.

If all this is right up your alley, then you may want to consider reading The Mediterranean Diet book.

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