ad dressings, on vegetables, and instead of butter on bread. Brush olive or canola oil on vegetables, fish, and poultry before broiling, roasting, or grilling. To cut back on saturated fat, use fish instead of meat in some recipes. Add small amounts of cooked fish to salads, pastas, and soups.
6. Spice it up. Mediterranean cuisines benefit from a climate ideal for growing spices and herbs, which impart flavor, add nutrients, and can substitute for salt. Some also have medicinal uses; for example, mint aids digestion. So spice up your meals, especially if it encourages you to enjoy a greater variety of good foods. Keep it interesting: When fresh herbs are available, use them instead of dried herbs in salads and grain or other dishes. Try growing your own herbs. Visit ethnic markets to explore the spices and herbs of other cultures; ask at the market how they're used, or look them up on the Internet or in cookbooks.
7. Love those legumes. Mediterranean cuisine relies on legumes — plants that house their seeds in pods, like peas, lentils, and beans. Legumes are an excellent low-fat source of protein, vitamins, minerals, and fiber, and are a good substitute for meat. If you don't have time for rehydrating dried beans, use canned or frozen. Keep it interesting: Add legumes to soups and salads. Use beans instead of meat in stews or casseroles. Puree beans with herbs, spices, some stock, and a splash of olive oil and serve as a sauce over whole-grain pasta. Substitute lentils or beans for pasta or potatoes at meals.
8. Toast your good health. Wine (particularly red wine) with meals is a feature of the Mediterranean diet, but any alcohol should be taken in moderate amounts and considered optional. If you're pregnant or at risk for alcohol problems, you should avoid drinking altogether. Moderate drinking (one glass a day for women) has been associated with reduced risk for heart disease and death from all causes. Alcohol of any kind increases HDL (good) cholesterol, improves insulin sensitivity, and reduces inflammation. Wine in particular contains small amounts of plant substances called flavonoids that have demonstrated anti-inflammatory and anticancer activity in laboratory experiments.
9. Slow down. Ancel Keys' research convinced him that diet played a primary role in the health benefits he observed in the Mediterranean, but later, he concluded that the leisurely pace of life also mattered. These days, that may seem moot if you're juggling work, family, and other responsibilities. But eating on the run and under stress can cause heartburn and less efficient absorption of nutrients. Eating fast also makes it more difficult to achieve and maintain a healthy weight. In a study at the University of Rhode Island, researchers fed two groups of women the same pasta and vegetable dish. They asked one group to eat as quickly as possible and the other to chew slowly, savor the food, and lay the fork down between bites. The fast eaters finished in 10 minutes; the slow eaters, who took three times as long, consumed 70 fewer calories but enjoyed the meal more and felt fuller afterward. That's one more reason to embrace the traditions of the Mediterranean, where eating well includes taking time to enjoy the meal.
Original article can be found at Harvard Women's Health Watch
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