Eat for Life

It’s no secret that the foods we consume affect our health. Eating healthy goes beyond avoiding junk food, it includes eating foods that fuel our vitality. Some diets can even add years to our life.  For instance, the Mediterranean diet is associated with health and longevity. This diet includes lots of fruits, vegetables, legumes, seeds, nuts, olive oil, and whole grains, plus moderate amounts of fish, poultry, and wine.  Limited servings of lean red meat are also allowed on the Mediterranean diet.

Armed with this information, I ventured to make improvements in my family’s diet. In addition to serving more whole grains, fruits, and veggies on a daily basis, my husband and I agreed to reduce the amount of meat we serve the family during the week.  From that decision came “Meatless Mondays” and “Fish Fridays.” These themed diets worked for a while, but then it became too restrictive for us. Resisting Sunday dinner leftovers on a Monday or limiting ourselves to seafood when we dined out on a Friday night just wasn’t working. More recently, we shifted to a strategy of reducing meat in our diet overall — preparing vegetarian and seafood dishes a few times during the week, which flows a lot better in planning meals in my household.

As the cold winter months approach, I anticipate we will have to continue making adjustments to our diet. Frankly, it feels easier to eat lots of fresh fruit and veggies, particularly salads, during the warmer months. When the temperature goes down, the craving for comfort food (sadly, junk food too) tends to go up. I suspect I am not the only one who has this experience. So, after a fair amount of research, I am happy to offer a few guidelines for eating the Mediterranean way during the winter.

1. Stick to Seasonal Fruit

Staying with the natural rhythm of the change in harvest provides more variety of fruit in your diet. It also increases the likelihood that the fruit will come from a local farm and will be at the peak of freshness. Sliced apples, oranges and mandarins are typically eaten during the colder months in Mediterranean countries as well as dried fruit such as dried figs, apricots, and prunes.

2. Use Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Mediterranean dishes are cooked with extra virgin olive oil year-round, which packs several health benefits, including improving digestion and suppressing inflammation. Don’t be fooled by substitutes — only extra virgin olive oil is associated with health benefits.

3. Eat Whole Grains and Legumes

Polenta, barley, buckwheat, farro, and bulgar wheat are some of the whole grains that are typically found on the Mediterranean table. Beans are also an integral part of the Mediterranean diet. During the winter months, beans are usually cooked in thick soups such as lentil soup. They are also served with fish or salad drizzled with olive oil and lemon juice.Have thoughts to share? Leave a comment and join the conversation.

4. Prepare Savory Vegetables 

A good portion of your plate should contain vegetables – in fact, nutritionists recommend that half the plate consists of vegetables. Cauliflower and broccoli and root veggies are great to eat during the winter. Roasting these veggies with olive oil or stewing them with tomatoes makes for delicious Mediterranean dishes. Top it off with pine nuts or feta cheese for additional flavor.

5. Unleash Your Inner Baker

Savory pies, known as pites in Greek, are quite filling and can be a meal on their own. Popular pites include spanakopita (an all-time favorite of my girls), hortopita (pie with greens), pumpkin pie, leek pie, and onion pie. You can find yummy pites recipes here.

6. Drink Herbal Tea

Drinking herbal tea during the winter months is common in Mediterranean countries.  With such a variety of herbal teas available, winter is a great time to “drink up” to warm your body and delight your taste buds.

As winter approaches, I look forward to preparing Mediterranean “comfort” dishes!

Have thoughts or a suggestion for following the Mediterranean diet? Leave a comment and join the conversation.

Be well,