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Article by Chris Zellers, MPP Rutgers Cooperative Extension of Cape May County’s Family Community & Health Sciences, published on June 21, 2023.
The word diet is often associated with quick weight loss where extreme practices involve removing essential nutrients, while these diets sometimes show quick results the weight seldom stays off and most people gain extra weight when they return to normal eating patterns. Creating an eating pattern or diet that is enjoyable and offers health benefits is much more sustainable than removing nutrients because essentially your body needs a balanced diet. The Mediterranean Diet is a lifestyle that is scientifically supported by the longevity of those living in countries around the Mediterranean Sea and includes good nutrition, sleep, relaxation, social ties, and physical activity to support chronic disease prevention.
The Mediterranean Diet incorporates fruits and vegetables, whole grains, legumes, fish and shellfish, healthy fats like canola and olive oil, herbs and spices, nuts, and wine in moderation. Additionally, the Mediterranean Lifestyle includes a light breakfast, long lunch which may include a nap, daily physical activity, and social interaction. The focus is not just food but living a holistic life that supports overall wellness. The food included in the Mediterranean Diet is local and fresh and plant based, it is also easy to prepare and includes herbs and spices to season food for robust flavor. The base of this lifestyle is being active most days and meals include fruits, vegetables, whole grains, beans, nuts, legumes, seeds, herbs, and spices. Fish and seafood are eaten twice a week and poultry, eggs, cheese, and yogurt are included in moderate portions. Meats and sweets are enjoyed less often than the foods already mentioned and eating leisurely meals with family or friends is a must.
The components of a Mediterranean Lifestyle support longevity and living disease free. Beneficial foods from this diet include apples, grapefruit, dates, grapes, melons, oranges, peaches, pears, strawberries, lemons, artichokes, broccoli, brussel sprouts, peppers, potatoes, carrots, pumpkin, lettuce, tomatoes, avocadoes, and olives. A variety of these foods’ supplies potassium, magnesium, iron, vitamin A and C, calcium, and vitamin B6 with monounsaturated fats. The plan also encourages the use of lemon juice, vinegar, and olive oil for flavoring. Whole grains are important because they contain fiber as well as zinc, thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, folate, iron, magnesium, and selenium. Advantageous grains from the diet are buckwheat, farro, bread, pasta, oats, quinoa, couscous, bulgur, barley, millet, polenta, and Arborio rice. Beans and legumes are essential to round out this plan too as are nuts and seeds. Healthy fats include monounsaturated fats like olive oil, canola oil, peanut oil, and safflower oil because they help decrease LDL Cholesterol or bad Cholesterol, unhealthy fats are discouraged. People living in areas around the Mediterranean have low rates of middle-aged mortality, lower rates of dementia, the highest life expectancy rates in the world, ten times the centenarians per capita than the U.S., low rates of heart disease and diabetes, very low obesity rates, and a happier population. Adding more fruits and vegetables every day, especially while local produce is available and delicious, could start you on your way to preventing chronic disease as can using healthy fats, whole grains, and legumes.
Hummus is easy to make and full of nutrients! It makes a delicious spread on your sandwich or is perfect as a dip for fresh veggies. This hummus recipe uses chickpeas, olive oil and garlic it’s a good example of a Mediterranean dish that can be kept on hand to take to work or the beach as a snack. This Hummus recipe is from the Rutgers Cooperative Extension Family and Community Health Sciences webpage.
Ingredients
- 1 head fresh garlic
- 1 tablespoon olive oil for roasting garlic
- 1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- Sprinkle of salt & pepper
- 2 tablespoons olive oil for hummus
Preparation Steps
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees (if you have a toaster/broiler oven you can use it instead of heating your large oven). Cut a piece of aluminum foil about 12 inches square. Cut the garlic head in half crosswise. Place it on the foil. Drizzle olive oil over the cut sides of the garlic. Put the garlic back together and seal the foil tightly. Bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes. The garlic cloves will be soft and fork tender.
- When cool enough to handle, squeeze the garlic cloves out of the head. Set aside. Place chickpeas and garlic in a food processor. Add a sprinkle of salt and pepper to taste. Add 2 tablespoons olive oil. Blend until thick and smooth. Add additional salt & pepper to taste.
- Serve hummus with whole grain pita bread, or fresh carrots, broccoli, celery, and red or green peppers. Enjoy