THE MEDITERRANEAN DIET AND SEVEN REASONS WHY WE LOVE IT

When you think of the Mediterranean, you think of blue sky, gorgeous beaches and blue skies, each of these do represent this beautiful part of the world. Maybe you think of the wonderful food and exotic flavors, the wide variety of delectable dishes that not only tease the senses, but fulfill them as well. However, if you are one of the people out there that love a great flavor in an even more amazing diet, and then look no farther, you have found the information for you.

The Mediterranean Diet is both new and modern, but it has also been around for centuries. An American Doctor first published it in 1945, though it did not truly catch on until 1990. You will find that the diet is based upon such cultures as Southern Italy, Greece, Cyprus, Portugal, Turkey, and Spain. The diet is comprised of mainly fruits, vegetables, bread, wheat, cereals, olive oil, and Fish.

Each of these products causes this particular diet to be low in saturated fats. When you think of some of the foods that are a part of this plan and the fat content being very good, these are two reasons why we love it so much. As a mother and diabetic, I am always looking for better ways to feed my family while eating foods I can enjoy and that are good for me.

Another one of the top seven reasons why we love this diet is the flavor you will find in it, because lets face it, everyone loves food that tastes great. Finding food that is both pleasing to the appetite and is good for you is what this diet is all about. The key ingredients to the flavor are not only the delicious spices you find in the Mediterranean region, but also the Olive Oil and Red Wine used in both the cooking and as one of the main dessert drinks.

The biggest reason I could find to explain why the diet seems to have taken off is that even though the people from the Mediterranean area consume vast amounts of fat, they have less cardiovascular disease than other countries, even the U.S., making it another of our top seven reasons why we love it.

Another reason we love it so much, is the variety of green vegetables, and cheeses that provide plenty of nutrients, such as calcium and iron. There are over 40 percent of our daily dietary needs met in only one meal, and the fish intake of the diet causes the Omega-3 in many Mediterranean’s to be higher than ours.

When you think more about the seven reasons why we love the Mediterranean Diet, the food has to be high on the list. I have included some of the foods and have to give the other two of the seven reasons why we love this diet to just the food alone.

Some of these vast amounts of foods are :

• Honey and Olives; 
• Greek Wines;
• Beer, and Spirits - Red, White, Sweet, Rose, Mythos Beer, Brandy, Ouzo and Liqueur also provide plenty of flavors for you palette;
• There is also Xenios foods - Strofilia Tastes, Feta Cheese, Salad Dressings, Anchovies, Cod, Tarama and Sardines, not too mention all of the pastries;
• The pastries are Mini Savoury Pies, and Mini Sweet Pies;
• Marmalade Jam;
• Oregano, Saffron, Halva;
• Dried Nuts and Bouillon;
• Sauces and Soups.

If you are looking for another reason why you should try this diet, the increased amount of grains have many health professionals agreeing that the Mediterranean Diet is healthier than the American and North European.  Basically they have the market, lifestyle, not too mention exquisite foods, to lead and live a healthier life style.

To help better understand this wonderful diet plan, I have included some of the producers, companies and what they supply:

• Trofotechniki S.A. - specialty foods;
• Traditional Tastes Strofilia Inc. - traditional foods;
• Astarti Estate - natural and organic olive oil;
• Kalloni SA - a major fish supplier. 
• With Papageorgiou SA - traditional Sweets, preserves; 
• Botzakis-Creta Oil S.A. - Cretan Oil; 
• Olympia-Xenia A.S.A. - olives and olive oil; Nutria SA, olive oil;
• Agrovim S.A. - more olives and olive oil;
• Olympia-Xenia A.S.A. - olives, olive oil, and capers. 
• Finally Santo Wines - the largest wine producer in Greece,
• Saffron Cooperative of Kozani, Greek Red Saffron;
• and last but not least Oregano Aromatic Plants and Herbs Inc. - natural oregano, herbs, and oregano oil.   

To understand how each of these contributes to the wonderful cuisine I recommend checking them out.