Mediterranean diet: How to stick to healthier eating habits

When it comes to which diet is good for our health, the answer always has to be: Mediterranean cuisine. Experts explain why this is the case, how you can bring the Mediterranean diet into your everyday cooking – and, most imporantly, whether pizza is still okay. Berlin (dpa) – Good food is one thing people often associate with holidaying in Italy or Greece. It not only tastes good – a major understatement, many would say – but is good for you too: The Mediterranean diet is widely recognized as one of the healthiest eating patterns in the world.  Bringing its benefits to your table doesn't mean tucking into gnocchi in cream sauce, pizza or tiramisu though. They're not really part of the diet. Here's what you should know: What does the Mediterranean diet consist of? It basically comprises the foods typically eaten mainly in southern Italy and Greece in the 1950s and -60s. In other words, cuisine characterized by fresh fruit and vegetables, fish, whole-grain products, legumes, nuts and seeds, and olive oil. Meat, bread and sweets play a subordinate role. But there's more to the Mediterranean eating style than what's on your plate. "Nurturing the soul, creating a pleasant atmosphere, and the conviviality of shared meals are also involved and even part of the definition," says nutritional medicine specialist Dr Stephan Bischoff, professor at the University of Hohenheim in Germany. How healthy is the Mediterranean diet?  If you ask Bischoff, who's been doing research on the Mediterranean diet for many years, he sings its praises: "Its effects are so significant that no pill I know of can come even close in terms of preventing health problems," he says. Numerous studies show that a Mediterranean diet can promote health, lengthen life and protect against diseases. A case in point: It can prevent, or reduce the progression of, arteriosclerosis [hardening of the arteries]. The German Nutrition Society (DGE) also gives a positive assessment of the Mediterranean diet. "It's indeed very healthy and can be recommended as standard fare – which we do," says DGE spokeswoman Silke Restemeyer. In fact, traditional Mediterranean cuisine and the DGE's recommendations are nearly a perfect match, focusing on plant-based foods such as vegetables, fruit, legumes and whole-grain products. Animal-source foods are complementary, fish being preferred to meat. What makes the Mediterranean diet so healthy? There isn't a single decisive factor, Bischoff says. "It's probably a combination of various elements." Healthy fats lower cholesterol levels and thereby the risk of cardiovascular diseases. Omega-3 fatty acids from fish, along with antioxidants from fruit and vegetables, support brain health, slow ageing and reduce chronic inflammation associated with cancer, arthritis and heart disease. High-fibre foods such as whole-grain products, legumes and vegetables are another important element. They provide food for beneficial microorganisms in the intestines, which has a positive effect on the immune system and digestion. Can meat be part of a Mediterranean diet? "The eating pattern doesn't really exclude anything," remarks Bischoff. "You can also eat meat – just not every day in large quantities." Some types of meat are quite popular in the Mediterranean basin," he notes, "and there's nothing wrong with a piece of beef or lamb on occasion." It's important – and not just for reasons of animal welfare – that the animals be able to move around and don't put on too much fat, he says. "Meat then can definitely be a component of a healthy diet." You should largely refrain from eating sausage and highly processed foods in general though, "which aren't a part of the Mediterranean diet at all." They often contain a lot of salt and sugar. What if you don't like olive oil? Olive oil is an important element in the Mediterranean diet. If you don't like it, however, the DGE recommends – as a regional alternative – rapeseed oil, "in part because it's rich in heart-healthy, monounsaturated omega-3 fatty acids," says Restemeyer. She recommends using refined olive or rapeseed oil for cooking, frying and baking, and those cold-pressed oils for salads. The latter, Restemeyer says, "is usually considerably more expensive and too good for browning, since it doesn't add flavour." What about pizza and pasta? They're not off limits in the Mediterranean diet either. "But if you constantly choose foods like these, you're not exactly doing your health a favour," says Restemeyer. When you do eat them though, she recommends the wholegrain variety. The reason is that the carbohydrates in white flour products can be rapidly broken down by the body into glucose [sugar], which is absorbed into the bloodstream. But you don't feel full for long and are hungry again. You can avoid this by choosing pasta and pizza bases using wholegrain flour and served with plenty of vegetables. What exactly does a Mediterranean-style meals look like? In a book on the Mediterranean diet that Bischoff co-authored, there's an example of a Med-meal day: amaranth porridge with pears and blueberries for breakfast, zucchini noodles with shrimp and walnut pesto for lunch, and rice salad with smoked mackerel for dinner. You can start by making individual meals Mediterranean-style. For breakfast, Restemeyer suggests plain yogurt with fresh berries, or scrambled eggs with fresh herbs and tomatoes. She advises against croissants. "Although they originally come from France, they're not typical Mediterranean fare since they contain a lot of butter and are very high in calories." Your lunch and dinner selections can depend on your daily routine, Restemeyer says. For example, for lunch you could have lentil soup with garlic, onions, carrots and tomatoes, and for dinner a slice of whole-grain bread along with uncooked vegetarian fare or a small salad. Or, if you ate a Greek salad with tomatoes, olives, cucumbers and feta cheese in the canteen during your lunch break, for dinner you could have a portion of fish with lemon and vegetables. As for between-meal snacks, a handful of nuts are a good choice. Besides healthy fats, they provide plenty of dietary fibre and leave you feeling full for a long time, in contrast to chocolate. How can you permanently adopt a Mediterranean diet? "You should try to do it gradually," says Bischoff. "Take your time, and don't put too much pressure on yourself." A first step could be cutting out sweetened drinks. Once you've managed that, you can take further steps. Several examples: Use olive or rapeseed oil instead of butter, substitute vegetable spread for sliced sausage, grill fish instead of red meat, and season with fresh herbs instead of salt. "Basically, you should increase the proportion of vegetarian foods in your diet and successively reduce the amount of animal-source ones," says Restemeyer. "And try more recipes with vegetables, fruit, fish and whole grains." The following information is not intended for publication dpa/tmn ksp yyzz a3 bzl rid nhr ob

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