Mediterranean Diet

Dan Buettner, writer for National Geographic, and a team studied communities around the world where a higher percentage of people lived to older ages, even into their 100s. In this TED video, Dan describes three communities they found where folks both grow older and grow older better. He refers to the talk as "How to Live Past 100+", but really it's about how to better your chances of a longer, healthier life -- more years and better ones.

At the end, he outlines the nine common elements they distilled from studying the Nuoro Province in Sardinia, Okinawa, and Loma Linda, right down the road here in Southern California.

The big do's:

1. Move Naturally -- physical activity every day, but not in gyms.
2. Right Outlook -- downshifting intensity during the day, sense of purpose.
3. Eat Wisely -- wine, plants (legumes, nuts, leafy greens), some meat, but don't overeat.
4. Connect -- belong in your family, friends, tribe.

Fascinating talk. I was worried it was going to be a bit snake oily, but it wound up being quite interesting.

According to this BBC News story, "Med-style diet 'can battle blues'", a Mediterranean-style diet can help to combat depression.

The Mediterranean diet, already thought to protect against heart disease and cancer, may also help to prevent depression, Spanish researchers say.

They found depression was more than 30% less likely to develop in people who followed a diet high in vegetables, fruit and cereals, and low in red meat.

Of course, I'm guessing living near the Mediterranean Sea can't hurt, either. While it would be a sacrifice, I would be willing to participate in a long-term study to find that out for sure. ;)

On MAKE, "Early olive oil factory":

This reconstruction of the earliest known olive oil factory demonstrates a simple yet ingenious process to extract olive oil from olives using pulleys, levers, and gravity decanting. This was much more effective than using mortar and pestle to make olive oil, typically used for small scale production. Dating back to the 6th century BC, this factory was located in the Ionian city of Clazomenae, on what is now the coast of western Turkey. This photo shows the press used to squeeze the olive oil out from burlap sacks filled with a paste of ground up olives.

I'm guessing part of the key to the Mediterranean Diet is the exercise you get pushing this olive press around. ;)

The Accidental Vegetarian passes along some tricks on "making hummus you want to bathe in," as well as turning what we in the States usually think of as a dip into a meal. Quality ingredients, as always, is the number one priority. Letting it rest, very important. And some good-looking recipes for hummus cousins: ful (Egyptian/Sudanese breakfast made with fava beans) and harissa, a North African hot sauce/paste.

While hummus as a meal might seem alien to those who relegate it to a dip for carrot sticks, it actually makes perfect sense. Think of polenta, risotto, grits or mashed potatoes - all creamy counterpoints or a base for a rich dish or stew. But garbanzo beans also are a great source of dietary fiber, calcium and protein.

Check it out at "Mediterranean meal elevates hummus from dip to dinner"

See also at Wikipedia:

• Hummus
• Ful medames
• Harissa

As usual, 101 Cookbooks comes up with a spiffy recipe to try, "Hummus en Fuego", that turns out very tasty. I used canned garbanzo beans and a larger clove of garlic (skipping the olives and cilantro garnishes). Very tasty, and a great way to get some vegetable matter.

One from last week that looks interesting is "Berry Beer Baked Beans", though I expect I'll try a variation with regular beer.

A recent article in the LA Times -- "Low-fat diet not tops for weight loss, study finds" -- covers a study showing that low-fat diets are the worst for weight-loss, compared to low-carb and a Mediterranean diet.

The average weight loss in all three diet plans was small, and participants regained some of their pounds before the two-year study was over. Atkins dieters lost an average of 12 pounds; those on the Mediterranean regimen -- which included nuts, fish and olive oil -- shed an average of 10 pounds; and people assigned to the low-fat program lost an average of 7.3 pounds.

Whatever the nutritional issues with a low-carb diet (the study was sponsored by the low-carb-pushing Atkins Foundation, so keep that in mind), the real key to all this is a reasonable caloric intake, nutritionally sensible (i.e. not eliminating any of the macronutrients from your diet), accompanied by exercise. You know, the usual. ;)

From Laurel on Health Food comes "14 Foods that Lower Cholesterol".

1. Whole grain and oats
2. Blueberries
3. Pistachios
4. Walnuts
5. Almonds
6. Avocados
7. Olives
8. Olive oil
9. Flaxseed oil
10. 100% cranberry-grape juice
11. Fish and fish oil
12. Black soybeans
13. Pomegranate juice
14. Yogurt with live active cultures (probiotics)

Check out if any of the foods above also made the "Eight foods to eat daily" list.

Compare with the verboten foods of the Paleolithic Diet -- no grains, no beans, no dairy, etc. -- as well as the items all three of these have in common. Somewhere in the middle, the truth lies.