When you come to Greece
chances are you will eat
Greek food and, thus,
immerse yourself in what doctors, in the
last 40 years, proclaim to be the key to a
long and healthy life: the
Mediterranean diet.
What is known as the Mediterranean diet
first came to public attention in the 1960s,
when doctors and public health officials
from Europe and the US started studying the
likely factors that contribute to the
populations around the Mediterranean basin
having considerable better health records
and longer life expectancies than the
populations of richer countries in the
North.
This interest was sparked from the
observation that the people of Crete
exhibited low incidence of chronic disease,
including heart disease and cancer, and had
perhaps the highest life expectancy rates in
the world. Those studies concluded that
dietary habits were the factor that made the
difference in heart disease,
cancer,
and
mortality rates.
In January 1993, a joint committee of the
Harvard
University School of Public Health
and the Oldways Preservation and Exchange
Trust, a Boston based educational
organization, reviewed data from a variety
of epidemiological studies that described
the dietary traditions of the people from
the Mediterranean area (Crete, the rest of
Greece, Southern Italy and Northern Africa)
and developed the
Mediterranean Food Guide Pyramid.
The traditional diets of the Mediterranean
region were mainly based on a diverse menu
of plant sources, including fruits,
vegetables, whole grains, beans, nuts and
seeds. In North Africa, couscous, vegetables
and legumes form the center of the diet; in
Southern Europe it was rice, polenta, pasta,
potatoes with vegetables and legumes.
In the Eastern Mediterranean, bulgur and
rice together with vegetables and legumes,
such as chick peas, constitute the core of
many meals. Throughout the Mediterranean
bread is a staple in the diet and is eaten
without butter or margarine.
The
Mediterranean diet
delivers as much as 40% of total daily
calories from fat, yet the associated
incidence of cardiovascular diseases is
significantly decreased because the fat
comes mainly from olive oil and fish.
As a monosaturated fatty acid, olive oil
does not have the same cholesterol-raising
effect of saturated fats. Olive oil is also
a good source of antioxidants.
Eating fish a few times per week benefits
the Mediterranean people by increasing the
amount of "omega-3 fatty acids", something
that the rest of the developed societies
don't get enough of.
Eating red meat sparingly also seems to
increase health. There is a general
consensus among health professionals that
the Mediterranean diet is healthier
than the North European and American diets
because of the higher consumption of grains
such as spaghetti, fruits, vegetables,
legumes, nuts, and olive oil.
But,
what
exactly is the Mediterranean diet?
The Mediterranean diet is not a diet in the
sense of the "Atkins diet" and other such
prescribed eating programs. Rather, it is a
set of eating habits that evolved through
the centuries, and are mainly based on the
particular flora and fauna of the
Mediterranean basin.
It so happens that these eating habits
result in low levels of heart and other
chronic diseases. Some of its key
characteristics include:
- In traditional
Mediterranean diets,
fruits and vegetables are locally grown and
often consumed raw or minimally processed. This may
be a crucial factor given our present understanding
of the potential protective factors of dietary
fiber, antioxidants, and other micronutrients found
in plant foods.
-
Olive oil,
high in monounsaturated fat, is a good source of
antioxidants and is the area's principle source of
fat. Evidence suggests that Mediterranean diets are
about 40% fat, when bodies like the American Heart
Association recommend 30%. However, it is very low
in saturated and polyunsaturated fat. A high intake
of fat in the form of olive oil in the traditional
Greek diet does not have any apparent negative
health consequences. It is believed that olive oil
is neutral with respect to effects of serum
cholesterol. However, current research has found
olive oil and its high monounsaturated fat may
actually increase HDL (good) cholesterol, but has
little effect on LDL (bad) cholesterol.
- Dairy
products from a
variety of animals like goats, sheep, buffaloes,
cows, and camels, primarily in the form of cheese
and yogurt, are traditionally consumed in low to
moderate amounts. In the entire region, fresh milk
is consumed sparingly and meals are usually
accompanied by wine or water. Research suggests that
the live bacterial cultures of yogurt may have
contributed to the region's good health.
- Meat and especially
red meat is avoided. Fish consumption
varies between countries but overall is slightly
higher than red meat. There is evidence to suggest
that red meat is associated with colon cancer,
prostate cancer, and heart disease, possibly due to
carcinogens formed from cooking. Furthermore, animal
products contain no fiber or antioxidants and may
displace plant based foods that do contain these
important elements.
- Throughout the
Mediterranean
wine
is drunk in moderation and usually taken with meals.
For men moderation is two glasses per day, for women
moderation is one glass per day. That is important
because current research suggests there is a
correlation between alcohol intake and a reduction
in heart disease. The Mediterranean diet food
pyramid is not based solely on either the weight or
the percentage of calories intake. It is rather a
combination of these that is meant to convey
relative proportions and a general sense of
frequency of servings, as well as an indication of
which foods to favor in a healthy
Mediterranean-style diet.
So, when you come to Greece,
partake of the local eating habits and try
to adopt some or all them when you return
home. This may turn out to be a much more
important long-term legacy of your stay here
than the memories, the experiences, and the
photos.
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