Healthy Heart EatingStudies have shown that the peoples of the Mediterranean, Spanish, Italians and Greeks, have a lower incidence of heart disease. Let’s take a closer look at this diet.
Healthy Heart Eating: Beans and PeasResearch shows that the southern Italian diet is far better for your health than the northern Italian diet. Cultures are different. The northern region of Italy uses more heavy creams, butters, and meats, in their cooking. While the southern region relies more heavily on beans, lentils, pastas, fruits and fish to prepare meals with.In southern Italian cooking, chickpeas are added to soups and stews. Salads are served with red kidney beans and drizzled with olive oil and lemon. Puree of beans is used for flavorings, dips, and spreads. For the most part, the Mediterranean diet is healthy indeed. Lentils are used extensively in Italian cooking, while the Spanish favor the black bean and chickpea. There are dozens of ways to prepare beans, and incorporating them into your diet three or more times a week would be a beneficial choice to your health. Instead of only thinking bean soup, try your hand at adding a few cups at a time to your salads, pastas, and rice dishes. Italy is known for pasta and beans. This dish is delicious and very good for your health, especially when you use whole grain pasta.
Healthy Heart Eating: Fruits and VeggiesThe Spanish, Portuguese and Italian’s eat three times more fresh fruit and vegetables than anywhere else in the world. In the early 1950’s they did a ten-year groundbreaking study of the eating habits of peoples in seven different countries. These countries are Untied States, Finland, Netherlands, Italy, Yugoslavia, Greece, and Japan.The study revealed that men with high cholesterol, high blood pressure and hypertension, came from places where saturated fats from animal sources were eaten. America being one of them. These men also had a greater risk of dying from heart related diseases. Vegetables, pasta, and beans comprise most of the meal in the Mediterranean countries. Studies revealed that those who ate a lot of fruits, vegetables and olive oil were more protected from diseases of the heart. In southern Italy meat comprises about one quarter of the meal, if they even serve meat at a meal.
Healthy Heart Eating: Extra Virgin Olive OilAs we have learned so far, healthy foods like beans, fruits, and vegetables, protect the heart and so does the good fat called olive oil. Olive oil should be cold pressed, which means there is no heating involved in the extraction of the oil from the olives—it’s a raw oil. This is why it’s so good for you.The Mediterranean diet is swimming in cold pressed extra virgin olive oil. It is literally drizzled liberally in soups, on pastas, in sandwiches and breads! The monosaturated fats in cold pressed olive oil actually lower cholesterol that clogs the arteries! So by all means, use more olive oil.
Heart Healthy Diet: Holistic MedicineHolistic medicine means natural medicine. An excellent natural herb medicine used lavishly in the Mediterranean diet is Garlic. Garlic has powerful antioxidant properties that defend the body against sickness and disease.Italian’s use garlic on and in everything! Garlic coupled with roma tomatoes, olive oil, and fresh basil is a tasty and healthful snack to eat anytime. Please pass the garlic! Source: Eating For Good Health – Readers Digest
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