What is the Mediterranean diet?
The traditional Mediterranean diet (i.e. the diet of this region before the 1960’s) is promoted as healthy and protective against disease. The Greek diet is regarded as the prototype Mediterranean diet. Traditionally, due to their dietary and lifestyle practices, the Greeks had very good health and life expectancy – without an expensive health care system. In Greece, the people of the island of Crete have a better health record and perhaps not surprisingly, the highest consumption of olive oil (25 litres per capita) in the world.
The Greek traditional diet is based largely on fresh, unprocessed seasonal plant foods. It is low in saturated fat and high in dietary fibre, starch, antioxidant vitamins (from cereals, fruit and vegetables) and polyphenols (from wine and olive oil).
Mark Dymiotis
Mark is a passionate advocate of the traditional Greek/Mediterranean everyday diet. He has been researching, writing and teaching about this for over 30 years.
Here he shares the knowledge and practices of the elderly Greeks – the quiet but master creators and practitioners of this diet – via tips, recipes and articles.
These dietary practices, which evolved naturally over the centuries, are essential for health, environment, social benefits and low cost.
For his story about the food he grew up with in Cyprus, visit: Food, Memories and Pleasure: Grandmother’s Practices (Publisher’s fee applies)
For his paper on traditional Olive Oil, visit: Debunking Modern Olive Oil Myths (Publisher’s fee applies)