Foods Focus: Breakfast

We already know that vegetables, generous amounts of fruit and a daily consumption of fish is a huge aspect of the Mediterranean Diet. Now let’s focus on some specific foods that are included in the Mediterranean Diet that you eat on a regular basis. This should give you an idea on how these foods could be prepared. Lets start with the most important meal of the day; breakfast!

Breakfast Time: The foods listed below are already typically eaten by most individuals everyday. Remember, this is not really a ‘so called diet’ nor a specific plan of what to eat each day. This is just to give you a general idea of what foods you could decide to eat during your breakfast time.

Sample Meal #1

• Cereal (wholegrain)
• Low Fat Milk
• Banana
• Toast (whole-grain)
• Almonds

Sample Meal #2

• Low Fat Yogurt
• Fruit bowl (strawberries, blueberries, bananas, apples, grapes)

Sample Meal #3

• Oatmeal instead of Cereal
• Orange Juice
• Peanuts. Walnuts, or almonds

Sample Meal #4

• Coffee
• Melon
• Whole Wheat Bread and honey

Sample Meal#5

• Peanut Butter
• Toast (whole-grain)
• Banana
• Melon
• Pecans

Quick Note:

• you can add a table spoon of olive oil into your desired breakfast
• Remember nuts are eaten in small portions

New Year. New You. Welcome to "The Basic Art of the Mediterranean Diet"

Welcome and Happy New Year everyone. Clearly a new year has come and you have now been given a chance to start off fresh. Why not start with a healthier new you? We want to introduce you to the Mediterranean Diet; not your typical so to speak ‘diet.’ Throughout the course of time we will be giving you a preview into the soon to be released book “The Basic Art of Italian Cooking-Healthy & Light” and from this we have produced “The Basic Art of the Mediterranean Diet.” You will be able to view healthy recipes based on this no-diet diet phenomenon, try out recipes for cooking healthier to lighter dishes and acknowledge new ideas on how to stay in great shape. All of this can be maintained through the Mediterranean Diet; join us and you too can join a new lifestyle of staying healthy, getting healthier and being happier.

First things first, you’re probably wondering what this whole craze is about. Be open-minded and don’t view the Mediterranean Diet as a diet per-say; it’s more of a way of life and creating good habits. It is very easy to be discouraged when hearing the word ‘diet.’ One tends to go into negative phase or mode believing that this is just another cool thing to do or latest fad that wears out quick. I have news for you, this is not just a great way to live but there is scientific proof that shows how the Mediterranean Diet has impacted many everyday individuals just like yourself, so don’t give up.

Here are several components in which the Mediterranean Diet includes:

• Consuming a considerable amount of vegetables and fruits regularly
• Focusing on the healthy fats rather than the bad fats (Trans fats and saturated fats)
• Eating as little red meat as possible
• Eating fish on a regular basis
• Drinking Red Wine in moderation
• Eating Small Portions of Nuts

Each component will be further discussed as we progress through the “Basic Art of the Mediterranean Diet”. Look forward to a more direct approach at the health benefits of living the Mediterranean lifestyle and how simply wanting to change will truly be a mind, body and soul experience. These therapeutic effects will be a life-long change for the better. With this I hope that you will become motivated and give this new approach a try because your heart will love you for it. Look forward to hearing more about why the Mediterranean Diet leads to a longer life, how this diet can prevent cancer and heart disease, and much more. Stay Tuned! In the mean time get yourself more familiarized with the Mediterranean diet, specifically its food pyramid by visiting this website: http://oldwayspt.org/med_pyramid.html.