Diet and Health FAQ

Tagged As: mediterranean diet cook book

Question:
I was listening to public radio the other day and they had a nutritionist on who was talking about the benefits of a Mediteranean Diet. Low in meat, concentrating on bread, nuts, fruits and veges grown locally. Heavy on the olive oil and garlic. I was curious about a few things? 1) Is there any data to show this type of diet is superior to the balanced diets that are taught in the US (ie four basic food groups, etc.). 2) Is olive oil good for you? What is virgin olive oil? What is the significance of double virgin olive oil? 3) Is there some further reading/cookbooks that simplify this type of diet? I was in a bookstore the other day and looked at two cookbooks that discussed recipes from this area of the world. Seems like they chose the most complicated and time consuming recipes. Maybe this is the case; but, are there recommended books that have some recipes that are more representive of the mainstream. Thanks

Answer:
Take into account that this is all from wire stories and radio news, and have mercy: The Mediteranean Diet is very similar to the Food Pyramid that was endorsed last year by a branch of our own Federal Gov. While I'm short on specifics, the pyramid goes beyond the old four-food-groups model in part by suggesting not only the ingredients of a proper diet, but the proper proportions: veggies and grains near the broad bottom of the pyramid (indicating that they should make up a very large portion of your diet) and red meat and such at the peak. The Mediterranean Diet, says much the same thing, but specifically emphasizes certain Mediterranean foodstuffs, such as olive oil for fats. It also recommends a glass of wine per day. The Med Diet is backed by the World Health Organization. On the radio, I've heard federal spokesmen quibbling with the specifics of the Med Diet, although I'm not sure whether their arguments are strictly parochial or not. As you can guess, the Wine Institute is an enthusiastic backer of the Mediterranean Diet. Apparently olive oil includes large amounts of the good cholesterol. Apparently Med cultures that use large amounts of olive oil instead of animal fats have pretty good records for general health, even though the amount of fat in the average diet is quite high -- apparently 40 percent in Greece, but largely from OO. I never heard of double virgin olive oil. But extra-virgin OO is, if I recall correctly, the first press (or nearly first press) from a batch of olives. In successive presses, the rating drops from extra-virgin to virgin, and then down to other classifications including pure, which is probably the lowest you can buy in a supermarket. As far as cooking is concerned, extra-virgin has the strongest taste while pure and other lower grades are more bland. If there's also a nutritional fallout as you go down the grades, it's news to me; but I wouldn't be surprised. According to SF Bay radio/TV food guru Narsai David, a cookbook specifically based on the principals of the Med Diet is now out. Don't remember the author. It's either called The Mediterranean Diet or the Mediterranean Diet Cookbook.