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The Mediterranean Diet
The fountain of eternal youth ....
We really should begin this piece by explaining that the 'Mediterranean Diet' is NOT a diet at all - it is a way a life. The way that food is eaten has as much to do with better health as the food itself. For example, did you know that the Italians never eat large plates of pasta for lunch or dinner and that pasta is rarely if ever served as a main course. Pasta is often served as a first course and this is very important because many families enjoy a 4 course meal for lunch and dinner. You can imagine then at the amounts served are not large.
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Italy fights obesity with its own Mediterranean diet Read more HERE |
Bread is served at every Italian table and there is always plenty of it, the same is true for the French dining table too. Perhaps the best way to describe the diet that Enzo and I now enjoy here in Italy, is by taking a look at this food pyramid:
Adapted from: Womens Heart Foundation
As you can see, bread, pasta and grains, along with vegetables, fruits and olive oil forms the very foundation of the so-called Mediterranean diet. It really is a 'poor mans' diet and many of these items are made, grown and gathered by many households here in southern Italy. Just take a look at Enzo making tomato sauce, or his help gathering grapes and you will get an idea of exactly what it takes to enjoy the cusine of these regions.
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The most commonly-understood version of the Mediterranean diet was presented by Dr Walter Willett of Harvard University's School of Public Health in the mid-1990s. Based on "food patterns typical of Crete, much of the rest of Greece, and southern Italy in the early 1960s", this diet, in addition to "regular physical activity," emphasizes "abundant plant foods, fresh fruit as the typical daily dessert, olive oil as the principal source of fat, dairy products (principally cheese and yogurt), and fish and poultry consumed in low to moderate amounts, zero to four eggs consumed weekly, red meat consumed in low amounts, and wine consumed in low to moderate amounts". Total fat in this diet is 25% to 35% of calories, with saturated fat at 8% or less of calories. The principal aspects of this diet include high olive oil consumption, high consumption of legumes, high consumption of unrefined cereals, high consumption of fruits, high consumption of vegetables, moderate consumption of dairy products (mostly as cheese and yogurt), moderate to high consumption of fish, low consumption of meat and meat products, and moderate wine consumption. Olive oil is particularly characteristic of the Mediterranean diet. It contains a very high level of monounsaturated fats, most notably oleic acid, which epidemiological studies suggest may be linked to a reduction in coronary heart disease risk. There is also evidence that the antioxidants in olive oil improve cholesterol regulation and LDL cholesterol reduction, and that it has other anti-inflammatory and anti-hypertensive effects. |
There are many noteable and noticable habits of Italian eating that even my Mother pointed out:
- Meals are like one long snack - most meals are what Americans would recognised as snack size
- The meals are tasty and colourful
- Salads, fruits and vegetables make up most of the dishes
- There often appears to be a lot to eat and this is because there is.
- Pasta is rarely eaten in the evening
- Red meat is not often eaten and may make up only 1 meal in the week
- Olive oil is served with almost everything
- They NEVER skimp on dessert but when you have eaten 3 courses already, the small portion that you can manage is always welcome
- Italian dining tables are HUGE seating as few as 8 and as many as 16.
- Many meals are cooked from scratch and often contain meats, fish or vegetables that have been chosen at the morning market
- Food is VERY important to the Italians. Even when they are eating they are talking about it
There are problems for the Italians and their Mediterranean diet though. It seems that with every passing generation the desire to farm, gather and cook your own, or your neighbours fresh produce is threatened. Even the lastest 'faddie' diet, the Mediterranean lifestyle has suffered such misunderstanding that it has been lost on the outside world. But Italy continues to produce some of the most wonderful food in the world and they are proud to celebrate it at every opportunity. So the next time you are in Italy seek out your nearest 'Sagra' and discover that what the real Italian/Mediterranean diet is all about is not just the food.
Some other points to consider:
- Alfredo sauce is NOT Italian
- Capuccino is not drank by the pint
- Breakfast is a low-key affair
- Lunch can take up to 2 hours to consume
- It seems compulsory to eat gelato every day
- Nutella rules!
To follow a Mediterranean diet you may have to consider changing your eating habits entirely.
We hope that by passing through Enzo's Place and stopping a while, you will soon get the flavour of Italian living to your table and ultimately to your whole family.
