Written by Daphne Stamos Keshishian, M.D.
January 10, 2014
A Mediterranean diet is a diet front-loaded with vegetables, fruits, legumes, healthy grains, fish, olive oil, and includes lean meats, dairy and alcohol in moderation. As a Greek-American physician raised with a Mediterranean based lifestyle and routine, I have seen firsthand the positive effects of such a diet on my own family members and in my patients who enjoy this lifestyle. Having three out of four grandparents who lived well into their nineties, I can honestly attest to the fact that they all routinely enjoyed rich foods full of flavor and packed with micronutrients, as well as an active lifestyle with social outlets. Today, there is clinical data that supports the claim that a Mediterranean diet can help prevent heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes and even cancer. The diet is not necessarily low calorie, vegetarian or low fat, and its applications span many international and ethnic cuisines. In my own home, I routinely cook and regularly solicit the help of my three children in food preparation — the more the merrier!
The diet works best when meals are home-cooked and infused with rich flavors and spices AND shared with friends and family. One of my favorite ways of achieving great flavor with added nutritional value is cooking with fruit. Adding mango, peaches, cranberries, or apples, for example, to your recipes can add intense levels of flavors that make food even more appealing, healthful and delicious. I’ve noticed that some Asian cuisines routinely use fruits in their meals. Malaysian and Indonesian cuisine are prime examples, combining tropical fruits such as guava, pineapple and mango with rice, chicken and shrimp, for example. This is pure genius! Being creative with food can make cooking more satisfying and enjoyable. Cooking is truly a blend of art and science.
Try the following simple ways of bringing some fruit into your diet:
*Add some wedges of tart apples to romaine lettuce. Dress with 1 tablespoon olive oil, 3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar, salt and pepper and top with blue cheese or feta crumbles.
*Grill some pineapple chunks with chicken next time you barbeque or make shish kebob. So easy and so delicious.
*Freeze bananas and put into blender with small amount of juice of your choice. Add strawberries (or other berries). You will have a delicious and nutritional smoothie treat for your children. When bananas start to brown I put them into my freezer. When I want to use them, I peel them under warm water and put them in the blender as a basis for smoothies.
*Add some chopped peaches or berries to plain or vanilla yogurt. it is better than buying the fruit varieties of yogurt. If you choose plain yogurt, add a teaspoon of sugar or honey to lightly sweeten yogurt. This will still contain less sugar than the fruit varieties.
*Saute some sliced bananas in a tablespoon of butter and olive oil until soft and brown. Serve as your next dessert instead of cake or pie, or put on top of ice cream…so good!
Here is one of my favorite recipes for spinach, perfect for the fall and winter.
Sauteed spinach with apples and garlic
This is a simple recipe packed with flavor, micronutrients and all around goodness! Variations of this recipe are served in local tapas restaurants as it is based on a traditional Spanish recipe.
Ingredients:
1 bag (9-12 ounces) baby spinach, washed and dried
2 cloves garlic chopped
1-2 apple cut into small cubes. A tart, firm apple such as a green apple works well
2-3 tablespoons pine nuts
2 tablespoons olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
Directions:
1. Add garlic to heated olive oil to release the flavor of the garlic. Saute 1-2 minutes on low heat.
2. Add apples and saute until apples start to become slighty translucent and soft.
3. Add spinach to pan with medium to high flame. The spinach will wilt and shrink in size quickly. Stir rapidly so spinach on top is moved to bottom and has chance to cook. When about ½ spinach is wilted, add pine nuts into pan and gently mix around The spinach will cook quickly, in about 5-6 minutes. The goal is to wilt all the spinach leaves. Be careful to not overcook.
4. Add salt and pepper for taste.
Serves about 4 people
Enjoy immediately!
For more information about the Mediterranean diet and way of life, visit my blog and website, diningwithadoc.com.
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