Mediterranean diet -- anyone else?

[Crankin]

After a lot of experimentation with Paleo type eating in the last year, I have concluded that I do best on a Mediterranean type diet, which is what I have been eating, more or less for 10-15 years. I did go on "low carb" diet in 2003 for a couple of months and again in the past year. However, it's just too much meat for me. I like meat, and have no philosophical objections, but the eating felt too heavy. I missed whole grains too much to cut them out entirely. So, my diet generally has been chicken, turkey, fish, a couple of vegetarian meals a week, with some type of beef or pork once, maybe twice a week. I still will be avoiding white flour products, as I don't even like the taste of them anymore. But, I love quinoa, brown rice, and really good freshly baked whole wheat bread.
Last winter, I had been eating Paleo type meals in the 3 months before my physical. My cholesterol went up like crazy, so I went back on the Mediterranean style of eating for 2 months and got retested; it went pretty much back to normal for me.
Perhaps the best part of experimenting with low carb eating is that it forced me to eat more vegetables and learn more creative ways of cooking them. My DH now eats things he wouldn't even look at a few years ago. But, I agree with Pam; I feel like I have been kind of peer pressured from all sides to eat in a way that is not really best for me and probably is a fad.

[Catrin]

For me it is about the results...I was curious about Paleo enough to try it but wouldn't have stuck with it if all of my digestive system issues hadn't disappeared almost immediately (and my energy levels shot up). Obviously, for me, I had a lot of unknown food sensitivities or allergies that was addressed by this. My triglycerides and HDL are the best they have been in my life since making this move - my doctor was very pleased with them. In the end, Paleo/Primal/whatever you call it isn't "low-carb", though many do approach it that way - it is more about the source (veggies and fruits) rather than a specific macro split and we have to fuel our bodies for our activities. As with everything there are those who come up with a single approach & insist that anything else isn't "correct" - people do that.

No one should be pressured into eating in any special way. Each of our bodies are different and will respond to different things - as both Crankin and I have figured out. What matters is what works for us individually.

[Red Rock]

When the evidence came out about the Med "diet", I thought it seemed reasonable at the time. So I stuck with it. I really have not thought a lot about it. I have recently looked into the whole Paleo thing, but I guess I love my bread, rice and pasta to much to give it totally up. I have also looked into going more vegan, but then again, there are things that I could not handle leaving off my plate.

When I was growing up, my mom like Julia Child and did a lot of French type cooking. I think Julia's main thing with food is to just eat the real thing but just in moderation. So I have been doing the moderation thing but also making sure I am eating enough fruits, and veggies as well.

My only other problem has been my wacky thyroid. Until I was on meds, my metabolism shot through the roof. I have lost weight and had to recover from that once I was put back on the right dosage. So my snacks have been nuts, payday bars and snickers bars. A few rice cakes with Nutella, as well as, protein bars for the quick fix when needed. I have never had to balance my weight as much as I have until recently with the whole thyroid thing.

Red Rock

[PamNY]

Follow up on the Med diet story:

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/03/03/he...nted=1&_r=0&hp

[shootingstar]

I never really paid much attention to all the different diets in the past few decades. Instead I just "tested" specific foods which I found that by withdrawing from eating much of them, I felt better: ie. white rice (after a blood sugar lab test scare), heavy pasta, white bread. All of this has been very gradual over time, meaning over a period of the last 5 yrs. I used to eat some meat several times per wk. until I was in my early 30's or so. Then I got lazy and found it was just expensive to have it that often anyway.

I only name my diet a certain % as Asian because it is in cooking techniques, type of cooked veggie combinations (since I can't seem to get excited to prepare a salad often for myself. So I let dearie do it), and rarely have butter in any meals at home. I'm sure a raw food enthusiast would be horrified that I actually rarely make salads for myself at home. Shrug. I just lightly sauté my veggies or blanch them. It is because my partner is around, that's when I get the salads.

My food adjustments also is just me responding to my own (healthy) aging where my metabolism has slowed down naturally in menopause. To me, I feel I've found ways diet wise that help me deal with natural changes in me over the past few decades. However I do wonder if I didn't cycle regularily in the past 2 decades, if my diet or food choices, would be different /I might tend to want to try different diets with prescribed food types.

I never paid attention that I rarely eat potatoes (it's not intuitive for me to have them often. I began life with rice...), etc.

If changing to a different prescribed type of diet helps a person for awhile, great.

[emily_in_nc]

Follow up on the Med diet story:

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/03/03/he...nted=1&_r=0&hp

Thanks Pam.

Appreciate all the discussion. I was beginning to think that I was the only one not eating Paleo around here. Not that there's anything wrong with that; I have no problem not following the crowd when I find a way of eating that makes me feel good, helps me maintain my weight, and that I enjoy. I'm not "on a diet", I just tend to eat closer to a Mediterranean diet than any other, if I had to characterize my way of eating. And I try to be as much of a "locavore" as possible.

[smittykitty]

We've basically been eating a combination of low fat/Mediterranean for the last several years. Lots of fruits and vegs with whole grains. We do eat lots of non-fat Greek yogurt. We could reduce the chicken breasts and up the fish a bit. We are really trying to look at the processed foods lately too. We don't eat much, but I think in the States, we all eat a lot more than we realize. We are not trying to loose weight, but don't want to gain either, important to watch the portion sizes on all those yummy, healthy fats! Thinking of trying almond milk instead of soy too. We try to limit cheese to treats.

Its just such good food too.

Through exercise and diet,I have gotten off the cholesterol meds.

Plus, RED WINE every evening!!! What a deal. (Not sure about my husbands beer habit though)

[emily_in_nc]

We've basically been eating a combination of low fat/Mediterranean for the last several years. Lots of fruits and vegs with whole grains. We do eat lots of non-fat Greek yogurt. We could reduce the chicken breasts and up the fish a bit. We are really trying to look at the processed foods lately too. We don't eat much, but I think in the States, we all eat a lot more than we realize. We are not trying to loose weight, but don't want to gain either, important to watch the portion sizes on all those yummy, healthy fats! Thinking of trying almond milk instead of soy too. We try to limit cheese to treats.
Plus, RED WINE every evening!!! What a deal. (Not sure about my husbands beer habit though)

You sound very similar to us, or at least how we'll be eating once we get back in the US. We are also just trying to maintain our weight as we're both pretty much right where we should be, weight-wise.

We can't get Greek yogurt here, and I miss it madly! And we too need to be eating more fish, less chicken, but it's so expensive here, which is crazy since I live on a tropical island! But unless you're friends with a fisherman, it's all frozen and pricey. Goes bad too quickly in the heat otherwise. In the US I used almond milk exclusively (well, occasionally coconut milk), but here in Belize it's so exorbitantly priced, if you can even find it, that I use regular low-fat dairy milk.

Congrats on getting off cholesterol meds! I have always (since they started testing me) had low cholesterol and a great HDL/LDL ratio, but so does my mom, so I think it's partly just genetic, because she eats totally differently than me (low carb with lots of meat).

Tonight's dinner was a layered dish with whole-wheat couscous, lots of veggies sauteed in EVOO, Paul Newman marinara sauce (over $5 a jar here), and mozzarella cheese; accompanied with a salad with homemade viniagrette, a glass of red wine, and a square of dark chocolate for dessert.