Mediterranean Diet
Replies
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I like it and the Mediterranean plate is balanced just the way I was trained to eat as a diabetic. Lots of fresh fruits and vegetables. An oil and vinegar dressing. A protein on the side (more fish than red meat).
I notice that the American adapted “Mediterranean” recipes go low fat and I think that is a mistake. That little bit of oil goes a long ways towards satiety.
Making my hummus I found out I enjoyed it a lot more when I added enough oil. Making it this way results in a macro profile similar to Edamame or peanut butter. Then it hit me. A balanced macro meal including the fats, are going to keep my blood sugars stable and give me that all day good feeling. Embrace the oil (in moderation).
Remember the Greeks were masters in moderation, and they are Mediterranean too.
Mediterranean is not low fat. It's low saturated fats, but high Monounsaturated fatty acid, MUFA. They stress using olive oil, fatty fish like salmon or sardines, avocado, and nuts for fats.
It seems every time I google a Mediterranean recipe, if it is North American (measures in cups) it will also be low fat. I think Americans are losing out in the good fats.
This is very true. It's not a good idea to overdo, but fats are necessary.0 -
My idea of a Mediterranean diet is having lunch somewhere in Tuscany. And, yes, I could stick to that diet for the rest of my life.18
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I like it and the Mediterranean plate is balanced just the way I was trained to eat as a diabetic. Lots of fresh fruits and vegetables. An oil and vinegar dressing. A protein on the side (more fish than red meat).
I notice that the American adapted “Mediterranean” recipes go low fat and I think that is a mistake. That little bit of oil goes a long ways towards satiety.
Making my hummus I found out I enjoyed it a lot more when I added enough oil. Making it this way results in a macro profile similar to Edamame or peanut butter. Then it hit me. A balanced macro meal including the fats, are going to keep my blood sugars stable and give me that all day good feeling. Embrace the oil (in moderation).
Remember the Greeks were masters in moderation, and they are Mediterranean too.
Mediterranean is not low fat. It's low saturated fats, but high Monounsaturated fatty acid, MUFA. They stress using olive oil, fatty fish like salmon or sardines, avocado, and nuts for fats.
Actually in the Mediterranean basin, there is no Salmon and there are no avocados cultivated. There is a lot of fish eaten. Bacala, Branzino (a huge favorite), sardines, smelts, shrimp, octopus and squid and clams. There are lots of nuts and cheeses, so saturated fats are not unknown. There are lots of vegetables in a huge variety and lots of fruits. Also, lots of herbs and spices, both cultivated and wild. And lot of legumes as well as grains and pastas. For meats, there is a lot of lamb, goat and some pork and beef.
Salmon is a North Atlantic and Pacific Fish. So, not indigenous to the Mediterranean Basin. Avocados are grown in California, Mexico and Central America. They are unknown in the Mediterranean.
FWIW, I am a Chef who has spent a career specializing in Mediterranean Cuisine. I am of Italian heritage and have studied the cuisines of the Near East, North Africa, Spain, the Provencal Region of France and Greece as well as extensive study of regional Italian cuisine.
Avocados and Salmon are not considered Mediterranean.
I was just in Egypt visiting family. My dad bought some avocados from the store, and my grandma and her caretaker asked me what they were.
nobody eats them, and I only found salmon in 1 restaurant.
By the way, can you cook for me?5 -
I like it and the Mediterranean plate is balanced just the way I was trained to eat as a diabetic. Lots of fresh fruits and vegetables. An oil and vinegar dressing. A protein on the side (more fish than red meat).
I notice that the American adapted “Mediterranean” recipes go low fat and I think that is a mistake. That little bit of oil goes a long ways towards satiety.
Making my hummus I found out I enjoyed it a lot more when I added enough oil. Making it this way results in a macro profile similar to Edamame or peanut butter. Then it hit me. A balanced macro meal including the fats, are going to keep my blood sugars stable and give me that all day good feeling. Embrace the oil (in moderation).
Remember the Greeks were masters in moderation, and they are Mediterranean too.
Mediterranean is not low fat. It's low saturated fats, but high Monounsaturated fatty acid, MUFA. They stress using olive oil, fatty fish like salmon or sardines, avocado, and nuts for fats.
Actually in the Mediterranean basin, there is no Salmon and there are no avocados cultivated. There is a lot of fish eaten. Bacala, Branzino (a huge favorite), sardines, smelts, shrimp, octopus and squid and clams. There are lots of nuts and cheeses, so saturated fats are not unknown. There are lots of vegetables in a huge variety and lots of fruits. Also, lots of herbs and spices, both cultivated and wild. And lot of legumes as well as grains and pastas. For meats, there is a lot of lamb, goat and some pork and beef.
Salmon is a North Atlantic and Pacific Fish. So, not indigenous to the Mediterranean Basin. Avocados are grown in California, Mexico and Central America. They are unknown in the Mediterranean.
FWIW, I am a Chef who has spent a career specializing in Mediterranean Cuisine. I am of Italian heritage and have studied the cuisines of the Near East, North Africa, Spain, the Provencal Region of France and Greece as well as extensive study of regional Italian cuisine.
Avocados and Salmon are not considered Mediterranean.
I think you are taking the term a little too literally there. You know there used to be a time before Europeans discovered the Americas, where tomatoes weren't found in the Mediterranean region either so. Anyway, Its super cool that you are chef. I love cooking, and I can appreciated that. I'm kinda doing this diet, not really intentionally just happened to land here by trying to reduce my meat intake and increase my healthy fat intake for health reasons from malabsorption. To me the "mediterranean diet" seems more like an eating philosophy than an actual literal diet. There's not really a vegetarian diet, there are vegetarians who eat that way. Anyway that's how I see it. It has helped with my bathroom issues, but I'm still uncertain if I'm getting enough nutrients from fat sources.5 -
I like it and the Mediterranean plate is balanced just the way I was trained to eat as a diabetic. Lots of fresh fruits and vegetables. An oil and vinegar dressing. A protein on the side (more fish than red meat).
I notice that the American adapted “Mediterranean” recipes go low fat and I think that is a mistake. That little bit of oil goes a long ways towards satiety.
Making my hummus I found out I enjoyed it a lot more when I added enough oil. Making it this way results in a macro profile similar to Edamame or peanut butter. Then it hit me. A balanced macro meal including the fats, are going to keep my blood sugars stable and give me that all day good feeling. Embrace the oil (in moderation).
Remember the Greeks were masters in moderation, and they are Mediterranean too.
Mediterranean is not low fat. It's low saturated fats, but high Monounsaturated fatty acid, MUFA. They stress using olive oil, fatty fish like salmon or sardines, avocado, and nuts for fats.
It seems every time I google a Mediterranean recipe, if it is North American (measures in cups) it will also be low fat. I think Americans are losing out in the good fats.
Yeah, I'm not sure. I have been eating in this style and my fat content is quite high, intentionally so. My fat macro is aimed at 35% I'm almost always there or a little over.4 -
I think a problem in this discussion is that some organizations are trying to popularize the "Mediterranean Diet" as a healthy weight loss diet here in America, with rules and meal ideas set up to mimic what people in the Mediterranean eat, but with food that the typical American would find in their local grocery store, and that sounds like a "diet" so it can become a fad.
So some of you are talking about "what people who live in the Mediterranean eat", some of you are talking about "I have read about what people in the Mediterranean eat and I'm doing my best to eat that way in a different part of the world", and some of you are talking about "American diet industry's Mediterranean diet plan which may or may not be similar to what people in the Mediterranean eat".
I wouldn't be surprised if weight loss media experts promote "mediterranean" meal plans or recipes where they have lowered the fat as the easiest way to lower the calories. It misses the point, but the diet industry tends to choose expedient over useful.16 -
I guess I've never seen anyone to trying sell a mediterranean weight loss program. So I'm not sure about that. The Mediterranean style eating plan is about rebalancing to a more plant based, without eliminating meat completely. Using healthier sources for your fat content, even changing alcohol content to mostly red wine. I've always seen it as discussion of making healthier choices, rather than a weight loss plan or a diet of any kind.5
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mutantspicy wrote: »I guess I've never seen anyone to trying sell a mediterranean weight loss program. So I'm not sure about that. The Mediterranean style eating plan is about rebalancing to a more plant based, without eliminating meat completely. Using healthier sources for your fat content, even changing alcohol content to mostly red wine. I've always seen it as discussion of making healthier choices, rather than a weight loss plan or a diet of any kind.
The South Beach Diet. Look at their website0 -
L1zardQueen wrote: »mutantspicy wrote: »I guess I've never seen anyone to trying sell a mediterranean weight loss program. So I'm not sure about that. The Mediterranean style eating plan is about rebalancing to a more plant based, without eliminating meat completely. Using healthier sources for your fat content, even changing alcohol content to mostly red wine. I've always seen it as discussion of making healthier choices, rather than a weight loss plan or a diet of any kind.
The South Beach Diet. Look at their website
Isn't that low carb diet?3 -
mutantspicy wrote: »L1zardQueen wrote: »mutantspicy wrote: »I guess I've never seen anyone to trying sell a mediterranean weight loss program. So I'm not sure about that. The Mediterranean style eating plan is about rebalancing to a more plant based, without eliminating meat completely. Using healthier sources for your fat content, even changing alcohol content to mostly red wine. I've always seen it as discussion of making healthier choices, rather than a weight loss plan or a diet of any kind.
The South Beach Diet. Look at their website
Isn't that low carb diet?
Only in the first phase.2 -
mutantspicy wrote: »The Mediterranean style eating plan is about rebalancing to a more plant based, without eliminating meat completely. Using healthier sources for your fat content, even changing alcohol content to mostly red wine. I've always seen it as discussion of making healthier choices, rather than a weight loss plan or a diet of any kind.
This is my impression as well. I think of it as a "style" of eating, rather than a prescribed diet.
Regarding fats and carbs, it seems to be less a question of "Low Carb vs High Carb" or "Low Fat vs High Fat" and more about which type and how much of each. For example, a diet that includes plenty of unsaturated fats, such as those found in olive oil, fish, almonds and walnuts, but low in saturated, hydrogenated and trans fats. As far as carbs, plenty of complex carbohydrates, (legumes, vegetables, whole breads) but low in sugars and fairly limited in simple carbs such as pasta, rice bread, fruit, etc, which are easily converted to sugars.
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When I went on vacation to Greece 2 years ago, the food was delicious. I ate so many tasty vegetable dishes. The produce was also very fresh.3
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mutantspicy wrote: »L1zardQueen wrote: »mutantspicy wrote: »I guess I've never seen anyone to trying sell a mediterranean weight loss program. So I'm not sure about that. The Mediterranean style eating plan is about rebalancing to a more plant based, without eliminating meat completely. Using healthier sources for your fat content, even changing alcohol content to mostly red wine. I've always seen it as discussion of making healthier choices, rather than a weight loss plan or a diet of any kind.
The South Beach Diet. Look at their website
Isn't that low carb diet?
To some extent...phase I is the lowest carb, but you can still eat things like legumes, lentils, etc...just no starchy veg, grains, etc. phase I is typically a short run...minimum of 2 weeks or longer depending on how much you have to lose.
Phase II re-introduces more fruit as well as some starchy vegetables, grains, brown rice, quinoa, etc. Phase II is basically what I run when I get serious about cutting my winter weight.
Phase II is basically the maintenance phase and how you're supposed to eat for the most part going forward.
SB is basically a whole foods based approach to weight management...probably one of the better plans out there if one were to be looking for a diet plan.4 -
Thank you everyone for the information!0
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How mmapags described it is how I think about it, and why I say my eating style is similar but not exactly Med, since I use the food items more available to me (both locally and seasonally -- Chicago is much colder and different in a lot of ways, and I am also from cultures that use a lot of dairy historically and probably use more dairy than a Med diet would). I also, of course, use foods like salmon (which I grew up on, in the PNW) and avocados and various ethnic cooking and supplies that I can find easily around me (like at Indian and Asian groceries).
Here's a great site with different versions of a food pyramid based on different traditional diets (and comments demonstrating that they understand how nuts it is to group all the areas under these umbrellas together):
https://oldwayspt.org/traditional-diets/mediterranean-diet
https://oldwayspt.org/traditional-diets/latin-american-diet
https://oldwayspt.org/traditional-diets/asian-diet
There's also one for vegetarians and vegans.2 -
Interesting article about the Mediterranean way of eating:
https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/nutrition-and-healthy-eating/in-depth/mediterranean-diet/art-20047801
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I wouldn't call it a diet, but the Mediterranean way of eating seems like a good option to me. If you have access to fresh seafood and otherwise good quality vegetables and fruits, that is. For me it's always a pleasure to travel to that part of the world and nothing beats a Greek yogurt with fruits, nuts and a bit of honey + Greek coffee or a nice Italian ristretto in the morning!
Oh... and don't skimp on olive oil, nuts and wine
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SabAteNine wrote: »I wouldn't call it a diet, but the Mediterranean way of eating seems like a good option to me. If you have access to fresh seafood and otherwise good quality vegetables and fruits, that is. For me it's always a pleasure to travel to that part of the world and nothing beats a Greek yogurt with fruits, nuts and a bit of honey + Greek coffee or a nice Italian ristretto in the morning!
Oh... and don't skimp on olive oil, nuts and wine
My thoughts exactly! Greek and Italian food is delicious - I tend to overdo the pasta sometimes though
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mutantspicy wrote: »I like it and the Mediterranean plate is balanced just the way I was trained to eat as a diabetic. Lots of fresh fruits and vegetables. An oil and vinegar dressing. A protein on the side (more fish than red meat).
I notice that the American adapted “Mediterranean” recipes go low fat and I think that is a mistake. That little bit of oil goes a long ways towards satiety.
Making my hummus I found out I enjoyed it a lot more when I added enough oil. Making it this way results in a macro profile similar to Edamame or peanut butter. Then it hit me. A balanced macro meal including the fats, are going to keep my blood sugars stable and give me that all day good feeling. Embrace the oil (in moderation).
Remember the Greeks were masters in moderation, and they are Mediterranean too.
Mediterranean is not low fat. It's low saturated fats, but high Monounsaturated fatty acid, MUFA. They stress using olive oil, fatty fish like salmon or sardines, avocado, and nuts for fats.
Actually in the Mediterranean basin, there is no Salmon and there are no avocados cultivated. There is a lot of fish eaten. Bacala, Branzino (a huge favorite), sardines, smelts, shrimp, octopus and squid and clams. There are lots of nuts and cheeses, so saturated fats are not unknown. There are lots of vegetables in a huge variety and lots of fruits. Also, lots of herbs and spices, both cultivated and wild. And lot of legumes as well as grains and pastas. For meats, there is a lot of lamb, goat and some pork and beef.
Salmon is a North Atlantic and Pacific Fish. So, not indigenous to the Mediterranean Basin. Avocados are grown in California, Mexico and Central America. They are unknown in the Mediterranean.
FWIW, I am a Chef who has spent a career specializing in Mediterranean Cuisine. I am of Italian heritage and have studied the cuisines of the Near East, North Africa, Spain, the Provencal Region of France and Greece as well as extensive study of regional Italian cuisine.
Avocados and Salmon are not considered Mediterranean.
I think you are taking the term a little too literally there. You know there used to be a time before Europeans discovered the Americas, where tomatoes weren't found in the Mediterranean region either so. Anyway, Its super cool that you are chef. I love cooking, and I can appreciated that. I'm kinda doing this diet, not really intentionally just happened to land here by trying to reduce my meat intake and increase my healthy fat intake for health reasons from malabsorption. To me the "mediterranean diet" seems more like an eating philosophy than an actual literal diet. There's not really a vegetarian diet, there are vegetarians who eat that way. Anyway that's how I see it. It has helped with my bathroom issues, but I'm still uncertain if I'm getting enough nutrients from fat sources.
Naturally these ingredients are also found in the Mediterranean area and are being used more and more, but saying that in the Mediterranean diet there is a stress on the use of salmon and avocado is just false. They are not very used here, and they also costs a lot more then in America or other places in the world, so they are seen more as an exotic (the avocado) or luxury thing (the salmon).
On the other hand, I think I understand what you say, in many cuisines in the area the meal is structured in a certain way and there is a stress on certain food groups, and it is very different from a classical american cuisine, so I do understand that someone who wants to change their eating habit may rely on a "mediterranean" way of eating and find it more healty.
What I don't understand is, I can see a lot in common between the Italian and Greek food, but not much with the north african or east mediterranean, except maybe olives, so what is considered to be a mediterranean diet? You say is more of an eating philosophy, can you explain it better?
I'm not trying to be polemic, I'm sincerily interested.
Maybe I just don't get it because for me it's my normal way of eating...3 -
mutantspicy wrote: »I like it and the Mediterranean plate is balanced just the way I was trained to eat as a diabetic. Lots of fresh fruits and vegetables. An oil and vinegar dressing. A protein on the side (more fish than red meat).
I notice that the American adapted “Mediterranean” recipes go low fat and I think that is a mistake. That little bit of oil goes a long ways towards satiety.
Making my hummus I found out I enjoyed it a lot more when I added enough oil. Making it this way results in a macro profile similar to Edamame or peanut butter. Then it hit me. A balanced macro meal including the fats, are going to keep my blood sugars stable and give me that all day good feeling. Embrace the oil (in moderation).
Remember the Greeks were masters in moderation, and they are Mediterranean too.
Mediterranean is not low fat. It's low saturated fats, but high Monounsaturated fatty acid, MUFA. They stress using olive oil, fatty fish like salmon or sardines, avocado, and nuts for fats.
Actually in the Mediterranean basin, there is no Salmon and there are no avocados cultivated. There is a lot of fish eaten. Bacala, Branzino (a huge favorite), sardines, smelts, shrimp, octopus and squid and clams. There are lots of nuts and cheeses, so saturated fats are not unknown. There are lots of vegetables in a huge variety and lots of fruits. Also, lots of herbs and spices, both cultivated and wild. And lot of legumes as well as grains and pastas. For meats, there is a lot of lamb, goat and some pork and beef.
Salmon is a North Atlantic and Pacific Fish. So, not indigenous to the Mediterranean Basin. Avocados are grown in California, Mexico and Central America. They are unknown in the Mediterranean.
FWIW, I am a Chef who has spent a career specializing in Mediterranean Cuisine. I am of Italian heritage and have studied the cuisines of the Near East, North Africa, Spain, the Provencal Region of France and Greece as well as extensive study of regional Italian cuisine.
Avocados and Salmon are not considered Mediterranean.
I think you are taking the term a little too literally there. You know there used to be a time before Europeans discovered the Americas, where tomatoes weren't found in the Mediterranean region either so. Anyway, Its super cool that you are chef. I love cooking, and I can appreciated that. I'm kinda doing this diet, not really intentionally just happened to land here by trying to reduce my meat intake and increase my healthy fat intake for health reasons from malabsorption. To me the "mediterranean diet" seems more like an eating philosophy than an actual literal diet. There's not really a vegetarian diet, there are vegetarians who eat that way. Anyway that's how I see it. It has helped with my bathroom issues, but I'm still uncertain if I'm getting enough nutrients from fat sources.
Naturally these ingredients are also found in the Mediterranean area and are being used more and more, but saying that in the Mediterranean diet there is a stress on the use of salmon and avocado is just false. They are not very used here, and they also costs a lot more then in America or other places in the world, so they are seen more as an exotic (the avocado) or luxury thing (the salmon).
On the other hand, I think I understand what you say, in many cuisines in the area the meal is structured in a certain way and there is a stress on certain food groups, and it is very different from a classical american cuisine, so I do understand that someone who wants to change their eating habit may rely on a "mediterranean" way of eating and find it more healty.
What I don't understand is, I can see a lot in common between the Italian and Greek food, but not much with the north african or east mediterranean, except maybe olives, so what is considered to be a mediterranean diet? You say is more of an eating philosophy, can you explain it better?
I'm not trying to be polemic, I'm sincerily interested.
Maybe I just don't get it because for me it's my normal way of eating...
I kind of agree with you, that it's silly to talk of one Med diet, but this link gives a good idea of what is normally discussed under that category: https://oldwayspt.org/traditional-diets/mediterranean-diet0 -
Thanks, the link was actually very useful! A food pyramid like the one in the article is in every children textbook when they teach you a healty wat of eating, so yes, the basic idea in there is how an average person in Italy would think of a normal or healty way of eating. Not that everyone would follow it, obviously.
I was puzzled because I always thought that this was the same everywhere in the world, how you would imagine an ideal diet (and with diet I mean way of eating, not a weightloss plan, I don't know if it is the correct word)0 -
lemurcat12 wrote: »mutantspicy wrote: »I like it and the Mediterranean plate is balanced just the way I was trained to eat as a diabetic. Lots of fresh fruits and vegetables. An oil and vinegar dressing. A protein on the side (more fish than red meat).
I notice that the American adapted “Mediterranean” recipes go low fat and I think that is a mistake. That little bit of oil goes a long ways towards satiety.
Making my hummus I found out I enjoyed it a lot more when I added enough oil. Making it this way results in a macro profile similar to Edamame or peanut butter. Then it hit me. A balanced macro meal including the fats, are going to keep my blood sugars stable and give me that all day good feeling. Embrace the oil (in moderation).
Remember the Greeks were masters in moderation, and they are Mediterranean too.
Mediterranean is not low fat. It's low saturated fats, but high Monounsaturated fatty acid, MUFA. They stress using olive oil, fatty fish like salmon or sardines, avocado, and nuts for fats.
Actually in the Mediterranean basin, there is no Salmon and there are no avocados cultivated. There is a lot of fish eaten. Bacala, Branzino (a huge favorite), sardines, smelts, shrimp, octopus and squid and clams. There are lots of nuts and cheeses, so saturated fats are not unknown. There are lots of vegetables in a huge variety and lots of fruits. Also, lots of herbs and spices, both cultivated and wild. And lot of legumes as well as grains and pastas. For meats, there is a lot of lamb, goat and some pork and beef.
Salmon is a North Atlantic and Pacific Fish. So, not indigenous to the Mediterranean Basin. Avocados are grown in California, Mexico and Central America. They are unknown in the Mediterranean.
FWIW, I am a Chef who has spent a career specializing in Mediterranean Cuisine. I am of Italian heritage and have studied the cuisines of the Near East, North Africa, Spain, the Provencal Region of France and Greece as well as extensive study of regional Italian cuisine.
Avocados and Salmon are not considered Mediterranean.
I think you are taking the term a little too literally there. You know there used to be a time before Europeans discovered the Americas, where tomatoes weren't found in the Mediterranean region either so. Anyway, Its super cool that you are chef. I love cooking, and I can appreciated that. I'm kinda doing this diet, not really intentionally just happened to land here by trying to reduce my meat intake and increase my healthy fat intake for health reasons from malabsorption. To me the "mediterranean diet" seems more like an eating philosophy than an actual literal diet. There's not really a vegetarian diet, there are vegetarians who eat that way. Anyway that's how I see it. It has helped with my bathroom issues, but I'm still uncertain if I'm getting enough nutrients from fat sources.
Naturally these ingredients are also found in the Mediterranean area and are being used more and more, but saying that in the Mediterranean diet there is a stress on the use of salmon and avocado is just false. They are not very used here, and they also costs a lot more then in America or other places in the world, so they are seen more as an exotic (the avocado) or luxury thing (the salmon).
On the other hand, I think I understand what you say, in many cuisines in the area the meal is structured in a certain way and there is a stress on certain food groups, and it is very different from a classical american cuisine, so I do understand that someone who wants to change their eating habit may rely on a "mediterranean" way of eating and find it more healty.
What I don't understand is, I can see a lot in common between the Italian and Greek food, but not much with the north african or east mediterranean, except maybe olives, so what is considered to be a mediterranean diet? You say is more of an eating philosophy, can you explain it better?
I'm not trying to be polemic, I'm sincerily interested.
Maybe I just don't get it because for me it's my normal way of eating...
I kind of agree with you, that it's silly to talk of one Med diet, but this link gives a good idea of what is normally discussed under that category: https://oldwayspt.org/traditional-diets/mediterranean-diet
Thanks for the link that's a real easy way of describing it. I understand the misunderstanding of the Americanized term from people who actually live in the Mediterranean regions. Avocados and Salmon are simply substituted in because they serve a similar purpose and but are easy and affordable to come by in America.1 -
This diet was suggested to me by my doctor. I have been on it for a month and a half. I previously used Atkins for weight loss, but couldn't maintain it. I burnt out on the Atkins after a couple of months because I would fall into a rut and couldn't find new foods to put in the rotation. With the Mediterranean diet I am eating a wide variety of things and it is really easy to vary what I eat. I have also restricted calories and I am losing weight with it. I am down about 20 lbs since I started.2
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mutantspicy wrote: »L1zardQueen wrote: »mutantspicy wrote: »I guess I've never seen anyone to trying sell a mediterranean weight loss program. So I'm not sure about that. The Mediterranean style eating plan is about rebalancing to a more plant based, without eliminating meat completely. Using healthier sources for your fat content, even changing alcohol content to mostly red wine. I've always seen it as discussion of making healthier choices, rather than a weight loss plan or a diet of any kind.
The South Beach Diet. Look at their website
Isn't that low carb diet?
Nope. Only the optional first two weeks.0 -
The original SB diet was openly based on the mediterranean diet, yes.L1zardQueen wrote: »mutantspicy wrote: »I guess I've never seen anyone to trying sell a mediterranean weight loss program. So I'm not sure about that. The Mediterranean style eating plan is about rebalancing to a more plant based, without eliminating meat completely. Using healthier sources for your fat content, even changing alcohol content to mostly red wine. I've always seen it as discussion of making healthier choices, rather than a weight loss plan or a diet of any kind.
The South Beach Diet. Look at their website
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Glad you bumped the oldways site. I was going to as well.lemurcat12 wrote: »How mmapags described it is how I think about it, and why I say my eating style is similar but not exactly Med, since I use the food items more available to me (both locally and seasonally -- Chicago is much colder and different in a lot of ways, and I am also from cultures that use a lot of dairy historically and probably use more dairy than a Med diet would). I also, of course, use foods like salmon (which I grew up on, in the PNW) and avocados and various ethnic cooking and supplies that I can find easily around me (like at Indian and Asian groceries).
Here's a great site with different versions of a food pyramid based on different traditional diets (and comments demonstrating that they understand how nuts it is to group all the areas under these umbrellas together):
https://oldwayspt.org/traditional-diets/mediterranean-diet
https://oldwayspt.org/traditional-diets/latin-american-diet
https://oldwayspt.org/traditional-diets/asian-diet
There's also one for vegetarians and vegans.0 -
Shan_Wow89 wrote: »When I said keep your negative opinions to your self, I simply meant I don’t want people being nasty! I’ve seen a lot of that and it’s flat out unnecessary! If someone doesn’t agree with this diet there is a way to voice that without being negative.
If someone gets nasty it says more about them then it does about you. If you can't ignore nasty people then you should look inside yourself to find the reason why.
All that Zen hoopla aside, I think the Mediterranean is great...0 -
mutantspicy wrote: »lemurcat12 wrote: »mutantspicy wrote: »I like it and the Mediterranean plate is balanced just the way I was trained to eat as a diabetic. Lots of fresh fruits and vegetables. An oil and vinegar dressing. A protein on the side (more fish than red meat).
I notice that the American adapted “Mediterranean” recipes go low fat and I think that is a mistake. That little bit of oil goes a long ways towards satiety.
Making my hummus I found out I enjoyed it a lot more when I added enough oil. Making it this way results in a macro profile similar to Edamame or peanut butter. Then it hit me. A balanced macro meal including the fats, are going to keep my blood sugars stable and give me that all day good feeling. Embrace the oil (in moderation).
Remember the Greeks were masters in moderation, and they are Mediterranean too.
Mediterranean is not low fat. It's low saturated fats, but high Monounsaturated fatty acid, MUFA. They stress using olive oil, fatty fish like salmon or sardines, avocado, and nuts for fats.
Actually in the Mediterranean basin, there is no Salmon and there are no avocados cultivated. There is a lot of fish eaten. Bacala, Branzino (a huge favorite), sardines, smelts, shrimp, octopus and squid and clams. There are lots of nuts and cheeses, so saturated fats are not unknown. There are lots of vegetables in a huge variety and lots of fruits. Also, lots of herbs and spices, both cultivated and wild. And lot of legumes as well as grains and pastas. For meats, there is a lot of lamb, goat and some pork and beef.
Salmon is a North Atlantic and Pacific Fish. So, not indigenous to the Mediterranean Basin. Avocados are grown in California, Mexico and Central America. They are unknown in the Mediterranean.
FWIW, I am a Chef who has spent a career specializing in Mediterranean Cuisine. I am of Italian heritage and have studied the cuisines of the Near East, North Africa, Spain, the Provencal Region of France and Greece as well as extensive study of regional Italian cuisine.
Avocados and Salmon are not considered Mediterranean.
I think you are taking the term a little too literally there. You know there used to be a time before Europeans discovered the Americas, where tomatoes weren't found in the Mediterranean region either so. Anyway, Its super cool that you are chef. I love cooking, and I can appreciated that. I'm kinda doing this diet, not really intentionally just happened to land here by trying to reduce my meat intake and increase my healthy fat intake for health reasons from malabsorption. To me the "mediterranean diet" seems more like an eating philosophy than an actual literal diet. There's not really a vegetarian diet, there are vegetarians who eat that way. Anyway that's how I see it. It has helped with my bathroom issues, but I'm still uncertain if I'm getting enough nutrients from fat sources.
Naturally these ingredients are also found in the Mediterranean area and are being used more and more, but saying that in the Mediterranean diet there is a stress on the use of salmon and avocado is just false. They are not very used here, and they also costs a lot more then in America or other places in the world, so they are seen more as an exotic (the avocado) or luxury thing (the salmon).
On the other hand, I think I understand what you say, in many cuisines in the area the meal is structured in a certain way and there is a stress on certain food groups, and it is very different from a classical american cuisine, so I do understand that someone who wants to change their eating habit may rely on a "mediterranean" way of eating and find it more healty.
What I don't understand is, I can see a lot in common between the Italian and Greek food, but not much with the north african or east mediterranean, except maybe olives, so what is considered to be a mediterranean diet? You say is more of an eating philosophy, can you explain it better?
I'm not trying to be polemic, I'm sincerily interested.
Maybe I just don't get it because for me it's my normal way of eating...
I kind of agree with you, that it's silly to talk of one Med diet, but this link gives a good idea of what is normally discussed under that category: https://oldwayspt.org/traditional-diets/mediterranean-diet
Thanks for the link that's a real easy way of describing it. I understand the misunderstanding of the Americanized term from people who actually live in the Mediterranean regions. Avocados and Salmon are simply substituted in because they serve a similar purpose and but are easy and affordable to come by in America.
I understand it better now. I thought it was about using products from the Mediterranean region, but I see is more a way of saying a balanced diet with lots of vegetable, grains, oil, and less meat0 -
Thanks, the link was actually very useful! A food pyramid like the one in the article is in every children textbook when they teach you a healty wat of eating, so yes, the basic idea in there is how an average person in Italy would think of a normal or healty way of eating. Not that everyone would follow it, obviously.
I was puzzled because I always thought that this was the same everywhere in the world, how you would imagine an ideal diet (and with diet I mean way of eating, not a weightloss plan, I don't know if it is the correct word)
The traditional US diet -- and I mean the traditional, reasonably healthy one I grew up with, not whatever the SAD is currently supposed to be -- is different in some ways related to climate and food customs of the countries that had the most input into the US basic patterns (outside of areas where you might get more of an Italian or Mexican influence, or Asian or so on).
Basically, ours included lots of vegetables (both my parents grew up on farms), but also meat and potatoes at most dinners, and more butter instead of olive oil when I was growing up (olive oil is much more common in the US now). We ate lots of fish since fishing was common where we lived and where my dad grew up part of the time, but I think that's really regional (or used to be). My parents' ancestry is all from NW Europe, and you probably see some carryover from that in the food culture, as well as just traditional midwestern farming patterns (grandparents all farmers from the midwest).
I still don't really claim to eat a Med diet, although I share many of the patterns (lots of veg and fruit, in season when possible, not much meat, good amount of beans and lentils and seafood, olive oil as my main fat), since I also try to eat as locally and seasonally as possible and the climate and agriculture here, even on local farms and in my own garden are going to be quite different from what you get in the Mediterranean.1 -
lemurcat12 wrote: »Thanks, the link was actually very useful! A food pyramid like the one in the article is in every children textbook when they teach you a healty wat of eating, so yes, the basic idea in there is how an average person in Italy would think of a normal or healty way of eating. Not that everyone would follow it, obviously.
I was puzzled because I always thought that this was the same everywhere in the world, how you would imagine an ideal diet (and with diet I mean way of eating, not a weightloss plan, I don't know if it is the correct word)
The traditional US diet -- and I mean the traditional, reasonably healthy one I grew up with, not whatever the SAD is currently supposed to be -- is different in some ways related to climate and food customs of the countries that had the most input into the US basic patterns (outside of areas where you might get more of an Italian or Mexican influence, or Asian or so on).
Basically, ours included lots of vegetables (both my parents grew up on farms), but also meat and potatoes at most dinners, and more butter instead of olive oil when I was growing up (olive oil is much more common in the US now). We ate lots of fish since fishing was common where we lived and where my dad grew up part of the time, but I think that's really regional (or used to be). My parents' ancestry is all from NW Europe, and you probably see some carryover from that in the food culture, as well as just traditional midwestern farming patterns (grandparents all farmers from the midwest).
I still don't really claim to eat a Med diet, although I share many of the patterns (lots of veg and fruit, in season when possible, not much meat, good amount of beans and lentils and seafood, olive oil as my main fat), since I also try to eat as locally and seasonally as possible and the climate and agriculture here, even on local farms and in my own garden are going to be quite different from what you get in the Mediterranean.
Thanks for the infos. I think that every culture in the world has, with different culinary basis, his own way to build a healty and balanced diet. This that you described is one of the best approach to nutrition in general, in my opinion. If, with a Med Diet one means to say to try to eat less meat and more fish and legumes, and try to consume maybe more healty fats, but using the products that are available locally and seasonally, then it is an approach I really like a lot. It may create confusion to call it "mediterranean" even when not using mediterranean products, but who cares, it's just a name. Better to eat things that grow near home, in my opinion, then to import a lot of foreign food that risks to be expensive and not tasty as the original thing.1
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