News
| Fresh Fridays is a celebration of Mediterranean eating, with recipes, tips and cooking ideas. Click here if you would like to receive Fresh Fridays bi-weekly. To view our archives, click here. |
Med Diet In The News:
Sunscreen for Dinner?
A recent study published in Nutrition Reviews has shown that a diet rich in antioxidants and omega-3 fatty acids, like the diet eaten in Mediterranean regions where melanoma rates are extremely low, can help protect us from skin cancer. READ MORE
Olive Oil Fights Breast Cancer
Adding as little as 10 teaspoons of olive oil to your daily diet could help protect women against breast cancer, Spanish researchers say. READ MORE
Med Diet Can Fix Bad Genes
A new study suggests that following the heart healthy Mediterranean diet can promote heart function even in men who are genetically predisposed to poor heart health. READ MORE
Kid's Diet Linked to Asthma Risks
Eating a Mediterranean diet -- one high in fruits, fish, and vegetables and low in saturated fat -- is associated with a reduced likelihood of asthma in children, a large observational study reaffirmed. READ MORE
Mediterranean Diet helps Protect Against Aging Brain
Eating a Mediterranean diet may help keep your brain healthy as you age, according to findings from an ongoing study at Rush Unv. Medical Center in Chicago. READ MORE
Mediterranean diet tied to fertility treatment success
Women who closely adhere to a Mediterranean-style diet rich in vegetables, vegetable oils and fish may have a higher likelihood of becoming pregnant after infertility treatment, a new study suggests. READ MORE...
Omega-3 May Reduce Risk of Dental Disease
You are told to brush, floss, and rinse every day, but has your dentist told you to consume more Omega 3 fatty acids lately? He should, according the latest study from Japan comparing levels of omega-3 fatty acids and the prevalence of dental diseases. READ MORE
Med Diet Makes You Smarter
Reading, writing and researching can bulk up your brain, but did you know that your diet could make you smarter? Eating a Mediterranean-style diet -- one rich in olive oil, whole grains, fish and fruit -- may protect aging brains from damage linked to cognitive problems, a new study finds.
READ MORE...
Fish Oil Protects Against Cellular Aging
A diet rich in omega-3 fatty acids helps keep the DNA of heart patients from
unraveling, which may help explain why fish oil is so beneficial after a heart attack, U.S. researchers said Tuesday.
Stomach Cancer and Med Diet
Gastric cancer, the second leading cause of death worldwide has just found an opponent: The Mediterranean Diet. To investigate whether the Mediterranean Diet might be protective against the disease, researchers analyzed data from a study group of 485,044 men and women 35 to 70 years old from 10 European countries.
People with diets that closely adhered to the Mediterranean ideal of being rich in fruit, vegetables, legumes, fish, cereals and olive oil, with a relatively low intake of red meat and dairy products we 33 percent less likely to develop the disease. READ MORE...
Savor Your Food
The Mediterranean lifestyle isn’t just about healthy, aromatic and flavorful foods and ingredients; it’s also about sharing them in the company of others and relaxing over meals. In the Mediterranean region, food isn’t eaten quickly as a side thought while doing something else. Rather, meals are savored and this act alone is revered as a fundamental part of the peoples’ heritage.
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| Unesco World Heritage List? |
For decades, scientists, doctors and nutritionists have listed the Med 
Diet as one of the world’s healthiest diets and have advised consumers to embrace the Mediterranean style of eating. Now, the world is waiting to see if the Med Diet will make one more list…officials at Unesco (United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization) are considering including the Mediterranean diet on their list of "Intangible Heritage".
The Unesco World Heritage status is typically awarded to monuments and natural wonders, however, in recent years there has been a move to recognize “living heritage” such as dying languages, cultural dancing and folk songs. Agriculture Minister Giancarlo Galan hopes the Med Diet will be added to the list, and with the support of Spain, Greece and Morocco, has recently submitted their request to promote and protect traditional cooking methods and ingredients. The committee will examine a total of 58 applications and will come to a conclusion in November.
Fingers crossed!
| Send the Med Diet to School! |
How to pack healthy lunches your kids will actually eat.
It’s all too easy to get locked into the sandwich-chips-apple routine when 
packing lunches for your kids to take to school. While these three items tend to be popular, you can help your kids learn to accept and enjoy a wide range of flavors and textures if you provide them with a broader range of choices, and think about lunch as an important part of their whole daily diet.
Here are some tips to help you pack nutritious lunches:
1. Buy whole grain bread for sandwiches. Create variety by switching now and then to whole grain wraps, pita bread, lavash, tortillas, and mini bagels. Choose sliced chicken, turkey, tuna, cheese, and all natural peanut butter over processed meats such as bologna, which can be high in unhealthy fats.
2. Include fresh vegetables in your child’s lunch as often as possible: 
baby carrots and celery sticks, cucumber slices, and bell pepper strips with a small container of dressing or hummus for dipping.
3. Cut fruit into small pieces, which a child is more likely to eat than something he has to peel. Buy small plastic containers with tight-fitting lids to hold small chunks of melon, fresh pineapple, apples, or berries. And look for small-sized apples, which some major supermarket chains now offer as part of their healthy-child promotions.
4. Stock up on Mediterranean dips such as hummus (which comes in many flavors), tzatziki, and baba ghannouj. Use them in place of mayonnaise as spreads for sandwiches and wraps, or as a dip for sliced chicken or vegetables.
5. Include Greek yogurt in your child’s lunchbox. It has more protein than regular yogurt.
6. Fruit beverages that include the words “ade” “drink” or “cocktail “are usually very high in sugar. Good choices for lunch beverages include water, milk, or fruit tea mixed with a small amount of fruit juice.
7. Make fruit smoothies by combining yogurt, fresh fruit, and honey in a 
food processor or blender. Or make a big batch, freeze in recycled yogurt containers, and pack frozen, with a straw. It will help keep other foods in the lunch box cold, and thaw by lunchtime.
8. Buy a thermos and send your child to school with reheated leftovers: stews, pasta dishes, stir frys, etc. Or, cook some small cheese raviolis in the morning and pack them hot in
a thermos.
9. Get creative with kebabs. Buy thick slices of turkey or chicken at the deli, cut them into cubes, and thread on wooden skewers along with grapes, cubes of cheese, and strawberries. Wrap in aluminum foil and pack along with a small container of dressing or peanut sauce.
10. Help your child make a custom trail mix blend using peanuts, chopped walnuts, raisins, dried cranberries, blueberries, or pineapple, unsweetened coconut chips, and whole grain cereal which contains less than 8 grams of sugar per serving. Spoon about ½ cup into small zip sealing plastic bags and use them to help break the habit of relying on processed, packaged foods currently marketed as “snacks” to round out the lunch box offerings.
| Smart Food for Baby Boomers |
Scientific studies continue to show positive links between eating a Mediterranean-style diet and reduced risk of dementia, including Alzheimer's disease. This is especially significant as Baby Boomers -- a huge portion of the population - are moving into their golden years when cognitive decline is common. Simple strategies can help feed the brain by bringing a Med diet, focused on vegetables, fruits, fish, legumes, whole grains and olive oil, to the table.
"Centuries of anecdotal evidence about the Mediterranean diet's influence on longevity and mental sharpness is backed up by solid scientific research," said Sara Baer-Sinnott, President, Oldways, the internationally respected food and nutrition non-profit. "It is reassuring that eating the Med Way can keep the brain strong -- and it is never too late to start."
Oldways offers 4 simple strategies to help seniors - both kitchen experts and beginner cooks - deliver the benefits of the Med diet:
1. Keep it Simple. Many delicious meals take little or no cooking. Think of tangy greens tossed with bits of rotisserie chicken from the grocery store. Or, juicy, ripe tomatoes straight from the garden or farmer's market tossed with extra virgin olive oil, pasta, basil and a little cheese. Add salmon or walnuts for extra omega-3s.
2. One Day of Cooking/7 Days of Eating. After a trip to the grocery store, select one day to cook...and enjoy the bounty all week long. For instance, on Monday morning, roast a variety of vegetables, which you can toss into pasta or an omelet later in the week. Bake chicken breasts and add one to salad or make a delicious sandwich on crusty whole grain bread.
3. Freeze it. Foods retain their nutrients when frozen so stock up. Keep pre-cooked frozen shrimp in your home freezer for one-pot sautés and pasta dishes. Toss in a few frozen veggies and you have a tasty meal.
4. Stock your pantry. Stock your pantry with versatile Med ingredients so you always have foods like olive oil, canned tomatoes, tuna, rice, pasta, and other whole grains on hand. It's amazing how many easy Mediterranean meals you can make from a well-stocked pantry, when there's no time or energy to shop.