Mediterranean diet -- anyone else?

[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.