Are you overwhelmed with the constant bombardments we receive as to what we should or should not be eating? Vegan? Paleo? Keto? No fat? High Fat? Low carbs? No Carbs? Eggs or no eggs? The list goes on and on. Every week there are new headlines, along with social media posts and endorsements from bloggers, influencers, and celebrities that conflict with what you thought you learned about the week before. There are so many mixed messages and competing theories on nutrition that you can’t figure out what to eat or who to trust.
To cut through all the internet noise and pseudo-science sponsored by big food corporations, there is a mass of consistent, scientific research that shows the Mediterranean diet and the Blue Zone regions of the world have the healthiest population, with people who live the longest and with fewer chronic diseases.
The Mediterranean diet is not really a specific diet plan per se. It also offers other missing ingredients that are lacking in today’s diet, namely, eating habits that support not only our physical health, but also our mental and social health. It represents a way of living that we have strayed from and lost. Actually, the word diet comes from the Greek word ‘diaita’ which means way of life.
My background and education in the health-food industry have led me to some fundamental principles to simplify all the information overload. Here are some of the basics:
- Eat more natural, whole foods and avoid highly processed foods.
- Eat more vegetables, especially the leafy greens.
- Eat whole fruits; consider them like nature’s treat. “Fruits are God’s candy.”
- Sugar has become the new tobacco. It is highly addictive. Avoid artificial sweeteners and refined sugars. Limit the amount of sugars like honey, maple syrup you add to your foods.
- Complex carbohydrates give you sustained energy and fibre. Avoid refined grains. Choose whole grains and whole grain cereals, bread, and pasta.
- Fats get a bad rap, but your body needs good fats like olive oil, avocados, nuts, and seeds. Avoid saturated and trans fats (hydrogenated oils) and the omega-6 fatty acid oils.
- Legumes or beans like chickpeas, black beans, lentils, which are high in protein and fibre.
- Fish and seafood like salmon, sardines, tuna and trout, preferably wild caught over farmed.
- Use meat sparingly as a celebration, a side dish, or to flavour dishes. Choose grass-fed meats and grain-fed chickens.
- Moderate amounts of cheese, eggs, yogurt, kefir.
- Plenty of fresh herbs as well as dried herbs.
- Wine in moderation with your meal and in good company. “Drink coffee in the morning, tea in the afternoon, wine at 5pm, and water all day long.”
- Stop eating when you are 80% full. It’s better to eat smaller amounts more often.
- Eat mindfully. Sit down and eat your meal consciously, not while you are working or driving.
- Choose a variety of foods and eat according to what’s in season.
- Avoid fake food and products that contain ingredients you can’t pronounce.
- Last, but not least, enjoy your food with good friends and family.
The key is to maintain balance and embrace a common sense approach to eating. It’s a whole way of living as opposed to ‘going on another diet.’ Don’t become rigid in your thoughts, for this creates unnecessary stress and makes for an unpleasant relationship with your food.
The answer to how to eat well is to keep it simple and return to the basics as you harness the power of real foods to promote health and well-being.
Antoinette Giacobbe M.A.
