The well-known Mediterranean Diet is considered by many to be the most successful diet ever developed.
"Best diet" lists are often quick to extol its virtues, and the scientific community is quick to heap praise upon it, consistently crowning it with accolade after accolade:
The ideal diet for maintaining a healthy heart!
It will lower the likelihood of you having a stroke!
Your blood pressure will go down if you adopt a Mediterranean diet.
And all that is required of you is to consume your food as though you were living on the coasts of Greece: fresh fish, an abundance of vegetables, a substantial amount of olive oil, and, of course, quality wine.
Although I am a dietitian who promotes the benefits of all of those things, the Mediterranean Diet has one major flaw that I find problematic, and that is the fact that it is exclusive.
Or at the very least, a singular perspective—one that is mostly concentrated on the countries of Greece, Spain, Italy, and France—is held on the Mediterranean Diet.
However, and this is a significant however, there are also 18 more countries that are located in the Mediterranean. However, their cuisines, flavour profiles, and cultural traditions are almost never incorporated into the cherished "diet" that is frequently referred to as "the best."
Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, and Egypt are just few of the countries that can be found along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea in Northern Africa. The same can be said for Turkey, Israel, Syria, and Lebanon, all of which are located in the Middle East. Although there is considerable overlap in the cuisines of many of these civilizations, the majority of these other countries' flavourings, cooking methods, combinations, and spices are rarely brought up when the Mediterranean Diet is praised for being the best diet.
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The Mediterranean Diet has been given a glamorous reputation, despite the fact that it excludes a lot of people.
Maya Feller, M.S., R.D.N., C.D.N., a registered dietitian and certified diabetes educator from Brooklyn, concurs with me.
According to Feller, "The Mediterranean Diet, which truly encompasses the 22 countries around the Mediterranean Sea, has distinctive flavour profiles, seasonings, and herbs. These are foods that have a lot of spice and heat, but then also mix sweet and spice." "There is not a single 'diet' that embraces the entire Mediterranean region; the food of Morocco, which is heavily seasoned with spices, has little in common with the food of southern Italy, which is flavoured with lemon and capers. Instead, Mediterranean cooking refers to the aspects of these cuisines that are shared, such as a daily emphasis on vegetables and fruits, beans and lentils, nutritious grains, a preference for seafood over meat and poultry, and the use of olive oil, which is beneficial to the cardiovascular system. The remarkable flavours are allowed to shine through thanks to the use of simple preparation procedures and fresh, high-quality ingredients.
This whole thing brought to mind a discussion I once had with coworkers in Turkey, while drinking cup after cup of what is known as Cay, also known as Turkish Tea. According to Merve Doran, the founder of Oleamea Olive Oil, a Turkish company, Turkish Tea is "served from sunrise to sunset, at weddings, funerals, and work meetings." In countries such as Italy and Spain, espresso is the beverage of choice, however in Tunisia, the local beverage of choice is mint tea. Cay is the correct spelling in Turkey. Foods, drinks, and even flavour combinations can vary greatly from one place to the next. And
Sadly, a significant portion of that is lost when the Mediterranean Diet is viewed through the prism of what is acceptable in the United States. And while there is certainly nothing wrong with the normal meals that are typically emphasised - vegetables, seafood, olive oil, and pasta – they are all fantastic. However, taking into consideration that the United States is a melting pot, some of these other flavour combinations and combinations ought to be appreciated, investigated, and savoured as well.
According to Shana Spence, M.S., R.D.N., C.D.N. of The Nutrition Tea, "I think the most important aspect for people to realise is that every culture has dishes, but they are cooked in a different way or might look different." "I think this is the most important aspect for people to realise." "I find that the majority of people have a tendency to think of roasted vegetables, which is fine and delicious, but sauces, salsas, soups, stews, and other dishes are all examples of foods that contain vegetables and also offer nutrients."
Embrace the authentic components of the Mediterranean diet in their fullness. If you have a passion for cooking, you might think about purchasing a cookbook that features traditional dishes from a country in Northern Africa or perhaps one from the Middle East. Perhaps you go out to eat on a regular basis; if this is the case, excellent! Think about trying some new places that include dishes, flavours, and influences that draw from a wide range of cultural traditions.
Experiment with fresh seasonings, flavours, and techniques of preparation to personalise your meals and get the flavour and health advantages of making your own food. And, yes, all of this can be appreciated while sipping a glass of red wine from Italy, eating eggplant charred in the oven from Israel, pita bread and hummus from Syria and finishing it off with olive oil from Turkey.
Junk food blues: Are #depression and #diet related?
— Organic Live Food (@OrganicLiveFood) June 17, 2023
https://t.co/6OOOlhr7pp Eating a #Mediterranean diet may help prevent depression, research suggests pic.twitter.com/U67qDUUGCF
You might also try a dish that was created by Noam Blitzer, who is the chief chef at Red Hog Restaurant & Butcher Shop in Louisville, Kentucky. Blitzer was born in Israel.
According to Chef Blitzer, he and his crew incorporate a lot of these different cultural flavours into the dishes that are included on the revolving menu that they employ every week. When I was six years old, my family relocated from Israel. Israel is a fusion of many different cultural traditions. The various cuisines of the Levantine countries, each with its own distinct regional cuisine, merged with flavours from other parts of the world, including Europe, Africa, Asia, and Latin America. "Flavours I grew up with are often in my dishes, like our 'Burnt Eggplant,' which is one of our more popular dishes on our menu," said the chef. "All of these different cultures came together and recreated local dishes with new flavours and techniques."
Israeli Burnt Eggplant
What You Will Need to Have:
2 eggplants, both of the Italian purple variety,
4 whole cloves of garlic
The juice of two lemons.
2 tsp salt 1 cup tahini paste
1/2 measure of water over ice
1 tsp Urfa chili 1 tsp toaste sesame seeds
1 tsp za'atar
1/4 cup pomegranate seeds
2 tablespoons of virgin extra olive oil
1/4 cup sunflower seeds that have been toasted.
1/4 cup mint leaves
1/4 of a cup of chopped parsley leaves
The Procedure to Follow:
1. Using a fork, pierce the aubergine all over with little holes. Cook the aubergine over high heat or under the grill for approximately 20 minutes on each side, or until it is charred all over and extremely tender. Set aside to cool.
2. Combine the chopped garlic, lemon juice, and salt in a bowl of medium size. Tahini and water should be incorporated into the mixture using a whisk until it is completely smooth.
3. When the aubergine is cold enough to the touch, cut it lengthwise in half through the middle. Utilising the tines of a fork, carefully remove the tender flesh from the aubergine and place it on a serving tray. Salt, tahini sauce, seeds, fresh herbs, and olive oil should be sprinkled on top before serving.