Mediterranean Diet Recipes Add Spring Vegetables to Your Mediterranean Diet Article / Updated 02-26-2024 Springtime in the Mediterranean (March through May) brings warm weather and new crops such as brightly colored, pencil-thin asparagus; dark leafy greens; and artichokes. Nothing is quite like seeing these welcoming veggies lined up in the produce aisle or at the farmers' market after a long, cold winter. Here are some simple Mediterranean-inspired veggie dishes to go along perfectly with a spring meal. Roasted Grapes with Walnuts and Feta Preparation Time: 8 minutes Cook Time: 15 minutes Yield: 4 servings 1 pound red grapes, washed, dried and de-stemmed 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 1 tablespoon honey 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar 1/4 cup walnuts 1/4 cup feta Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and spread the grapes out evenly. In a small bowl, whisk the olive oil, honey, and vinegar and drizzle over the grapes to coat. Place the grapes in the oven and drop the heat to 400 degrees. Roast the grapes for 15 minutes. To serve, top the grapes with the walnuts and feta. PER SERVING: Calories 234 (From Fat 119); Fat 14g (Saturated 3g); Cholesterol 8mg; Sodium 91mg; Carbohydrate 28g (Dietary Fiber 2g); Protein 3g. Braised Artichokes Preparation Time: 25 minutes Cook Time: 23 minutes Yield: 6 servings 4 small artichokes 1 lemon 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil 1 leek 4 cloves garlic, sliced 1/4 cup mint or basil, chopped 1-1/2 cups chicken stock 1/2 cup white wine Salt to taste Using a sharp knife, cut off the tip of the artichoke stems and remove the artichokes' tough outer leaves. Cut a 1/2-inch piece off the top of each artichoke and trim any remaining thorns on the tips. Cut the artichokes in half. Place all the halves in a large bowl of water. To prevent browning, slice the lemon in half, squeeze the juice into the water, and place the lemon halves in the water as well. Using a spoon or paring knife, cut out the purple choke (not to be confused with the heart) in the center of the artichoke. Slice each artichoke half into 4 to 6 wedges and return them to the lemon water. In a Dutch oven, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Cut the leek into 1/4-inch slices, separate the rings, and rinse well to remove any sand. Add the leeks and garlic to the heated olive oil and sauté for 6 minutes. Drain the artichokes and pat dry. Add the mint and artichokes to the pan and continue to cook over low heat for 2 to 3 minutes. Pour in the stock. Bring the pot to a boil, reduce the heat to a simmer, and cover for 10 minutes. Stir in the white wine and simmer uncovered for 5 to 10 minutes or until tender. Season with salt and serve. PER SERVING: Calories 152 (From Fat 85); Fat 9g (Saturated 1g); Cholesterol 1mg; Sodium 113mg; Carbohydrate 12g (Dietary Fiber 5g); Protein 4g. You can save time by using frozen artichoke hearts rather than cutting them fresh. Just thaw them out and skip to Step 3. Leeks are grown in sandy soil, so rinsing fresh leeks well and separating the rings to remove all sandy debris is important. Grilled Fennel Preparation Time: 5 minutes Cook Time: 8 minutes Yield: 4 servings 2 fennel bulbs 1 tablespoon plus 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil 1⁄8 teaspoon salt 1⁄8 teaspoon red pepper flakes 1 orange 1/4 cup raw almonds, chopped Heat a grill over medium-high heat. Cut the fennel bulbs in half, drizzle them with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil, and season with the salt and red pepper flakes. Grill the fennel for 4 to 6 minutes on each side. Using a sharp knife, cut the skin away from the orange, removing the white outer portion. Cut the orange in half; break it into segments. Toast the almonds in a skillet over medium heat for 3 to 4 minutes, stirring or tossing constantly to avoid burning. Sprinkle the almonds over the orange slices. Thinly slice the fennel and toss it with the orange slices and almonds. Drizzle with the remaining olive oil and serve. PER SERVING: Calories 169 (From Fat 103); Fat 11g (Saturated 1g); Cholesterol 0mg; Sodium 235mg; Carbohydrate 16g (Dietary Fiber 6g); Protein 4g. You can see how to cut fennel for this recipe here. View Article

Containers Houseplants & Succulents For Dummies Cheat Sheet Cheat Sheet / Updated 02-23-2024 Once you know what makes houseplants happy, growing them is a snap. If you start with one of the 10 easy houseplants I suggest and then follow the guidelines and tips in this Cheat Sheet, you’ll have a green thumb before you know it. You can then join the large and growing clan of dedicated houseplant lovers, and you may even decide to branch out with more difficult plants or crafts, such as creating your own corsage. Good luck and welcome to the club! View Cheat Sheet

Containers Crafting a Corsage from Houseplant Flowers Article / Updated 02-22-2024 A corsage is a wearable flower arrangement. Although some people think corsages are unfashionable (or even corny), I guarantee that if you make one for yourself or your partner for a special occasion, you’ll get loads of compliments. Many houseplants’ flowers and foliage make stunning and long-lasting corsages, and you can create one yourself relatively quickly. Some examples are anthuriums, various ferns, many orchids, and gardenias. Follow these steps: Remove the flower you want to use from its plant, keeping about 3 inches (7.6 cm) of the stem. Wrap the stem with florist’s wire as shown in the first photo. Start at the top and work your way down to the base of the stem. Two or three passes are sufficient. Cut the excess wire with wire cutters or utility scissors. Wrap florist’s tape around the flower stem as shown in the second photo. You can purchase this tape at craft stores, online, or from florists. As with the florist’s wire, start at the top and work your way down to the base of the stem. Cut the excess tape with utility scissors. If you want, you can add a fern frond or some other delicately textured green foliage to the corsage (see the third photo). Hold the frond against the stem and at the back of the flower. Fasten the foliage to the flower stem by wrapping them both with another layer of tape. For a decorative touch, you can add a ribbon, and don’t forget to provide a florist’s pin like the one shown in the fourth photo. Now you’re ready to go to the ball! Place the finished corsage in a sealed rigid plastic container or in a plastic bag and keep it in your refrigerator until it’s ready to be worn. For more houseplant know-how, check out the Houseplants & Succulents For Dummies Cheat Sheet or buy the book. View Article

Basketball What Is the Women's NCAA March Madness Tournament? Article / Updated 02-22-2024 Listen to the article:Download audio March Madness is the nickname for the National Collegiate Athletic Association’s (NCAA) Division I basketball tournament, one of the most exciting championship events in women’s sports. Happening alongside the men’s March Madness, the tournament always begins in mid-March. And like the men’s contest, it involves 68 teams (of the approximately 350 Division I women’s teams). Thirty-two teams are automatically entered into March Madness; the remaining 34 are selected by the Division I Women’s Basketball Committee, which bases its selection on how the teams performed during the regular season. The committee also seeds the teams, meaning they rank the teams and decide where to “plant” them within the tournament bracket. These rankings are announced on Selection Sunday. Four of these 68 teams are eliminated during the opening round of the tournament, called the First Four. The basketball committee then divides the remaining 64 teams into four regions of 16 teams each, and they are ranked 1 through 16. Each team’s rank is referred to as their seed. Where the games are played At the beginning of the tournament, the games are played on campus sites. The 2023 regional rounds — Sweet 16, Elite 8, and Final Four — will be played at two sites: Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle and Bon Secours Wellness Arena in Greenville, South Carolina. The championship game will be at the American Airlines Center in Dallas. Here is the 2024 schedule, for the women’s March Madness: Selection Sunday: March 17 (brackets, seeds, and team selections) First four: March 20-21 First round: March 22-23 Second round: March 24-25 Sweet 16: March 29-30 Elite Eight: March 31-April 1 Final Four: April 5 National Championship: April 7 You can watch games on ESPN and Sling TV. ABC will broadcast the title game. The 2023 top seeds The heavy favorite of the 2023 tournament is the top-ranked University of South Carolina, which beat Stanford for the 2022 title. The other number-one seeds, in order of best season records, are: Indiana University Stanford University University of Utah The number-two seeds are: Louisiana State University University of Maryland University of Connecticut University of Iowa There are many outstanding players in women's college basketball; here's a list of just ten who are considered some of the best today: Aliyah Boston, University of South Carolina Caitlin Clark, University of Iowa Haley Jones, Stanford University Ashley Joens, Iowa State University Elizabeth Kitley, Virginia Tech Cameron Brink, Stanford University Angel Reese, Louisiana State University Olivia Miles, University of Notre Dame Hailey Van Lith, University of Louisville Rori Harmon, University of Texas Origin of the women's NCAA March Madness tournament Although the NCAA Division I basketball tournament has been around since 1939, the women were not included until 1982. Women had a long fight with the NCAA before that, even after Title IX was passed in 1972, to realize this big change. Strangely enough, that first NCAA women’s contest in 1982 coincided with another championship tournament put on by the Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women (AIAW). (Incidentally, Rutgers beat Texas to win the AIAW championship, and Louisiana Tech beat Cheyney State to win the NCAA tournament.) Why were there two tournaments? Because up until the 1981-1982 school year, the NCAA was not interested in women’s sports championships. Those had been under the purview of the women-led AIAW, which had been governing women’s collegiate sports since 1971. Of the many ways it supported women’s sports, the AIAW played a role in the passage of Title IX in 1972, which prohibits sex-based discrimination in education programs or activities that receive federal funding. However, in 1981, when the all-male-led-NCAA added women’s sports to its championship program for the first time, it created an uneven playing field in the battle with the AIAW for the governance of women’s collegiate sports. That fight lasted for about a year, but ultimately, the power and money of the NCAA won out. The AIAW folded in 1982. Inequities within March Madness Unfortunately, the NCAA hasn’t valued women’s sports as much as men’s sports throughout most of its existence. However, that is beginning to change, and one of the most conspicuous examples came with the 2022 NCAA women’s basketball tournament. An outcry on social media during the 2021 March Madness tournament pointed out the stark inequities between the men’s and women’s practice facilities and amenities. This led the NCAA to hire a law firm to conduct a review of gender equity related to the tournaments in general. The resulting report uncovered many examples of inequities related to spending on marketing and promotion, players’ meals and services, event staffing, and more. The report led the NCAA to try to level the field in 2022. It expanded the number of women’s teams from 64 to 68, the same as the men, and used the “March Madness” phrase for the women’s tournament for the first time. The organization also provided the same gifts to the men’s and women’s teams in 2022, staged similar fan events, and paid the game officials the same. However, there still remained a large gap between the NCAA’s spending on promotion, TV coverage, and more. In a March 11, 2022, Washington Post article, Dan Gavitt, the NCAA’s senior vice president of basketball, wouldn’t comment on the gap in spending between the men’s and women’s tournaments. However, he did say, “The work is not done. There is more to do, and we look forward to doing more after this year’s championship.” View Article

Basketball What Is the NCAA's March Madness? Article / Updated 02-22-2024 The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) hosts a basketball tournament every year that begins the week of March 19. The tournament includes 68 men’s teams and 68 women’s teams. (The NCAA expanded the women's field from 64 to 68 in 2022.) The men’s tournament is televised on CBS, TBS, TNT, and TruTV network affiliate stations; the women’s tournament will be available on ESPN, the ESPN app, ABC (for the title game), and Sling TV. The schedule for the 2024 men’s NCAA March Madness tournament is as follows: Selection Sunday: March 17 (brackets, seeds, and team selections) First four: March 19-20 First round: March 21-22 Second round: March 23-24 Sweet 16: March 28-29 Elite Eight: March 30-31 Final Four: April 6 National Championship: April 8 The schedule for the 2024 women’s NCAA March Madness tournament is as follows: Selection Sunday: March 17 (brackets, seeds, and team selections) First four: March 20-21 First round: March 22-23 Second round: March 24-25 Sweet 16: March 29-30 Elite Eight: March 31-April 1 Final Four: April 5 National Championship: April 7 Selection Sunday Each year on Selection Sunday, 32 teams gain automatic entry into the tournament due to winning their conference’s championships. The remaining teams rely on a selection committee to be granted entry into the tournament. This process takes place on the Sunday before the March Madness Tournament begins and, therefore, is appropriately named Selection Sunday. It is also the day when the brackets and seeds are released to the public. Brackets are the format in which the tournament runs. For example, on the day of the First Four games, there will be four brackets and eight teams playing; the four losing teams will then be removed from the tournament and the four winning teams will move to their new brackets and prepare for the next round of games. After the First Four, the regular tournament begins with 64 brackets including the winning teams that played in the First Four. The winner from each bracket will move on to the next set of brackets until eventually all teams have been “weeded” out and only two remain to play for the championship game. Seeds are essentially committee rankings. The teams in each division are ranked in descending order, with the strongest team (or team most likely to win) ranked in the number-one spot and the weakest team in that division is ranked number 16. The brackets are split up accordingly so the tournament's powerhouse teams are evenly distributed within the 64 brackets. The First Four round The First Four refers to the number of matches/brackets played — not number of teams. The First Four includes the eight lowest ranking teams in the men's division that play against each other, and the four losing teams are removed from the tournament. This part of the tournament is also known as “First Four Out” since four of the teams will lose out of the tournament before it even has really begun. The First Four Out was designed to get the 68 men's teams down to 64 so that the number of teams is the same as in the women's divisions. The brackets and dates, therefore, can be the same for both the men and women divisions. This part of the tournament applies only to the men's teams. In the First Round, those 64 teams play against each other to move on to the Second Round. Second round In the Second Round, the remaining 32 teams play in 16 brackets, and the winners of each bracket then move on to the regional semi-finals (Sweet 16 round); the losers again are removed from the tournament. Sweet 16 and Elite Eight rounds The regional semi-finals, also known as the Sweet Sixteen, is where the final sixteen teams are set up in matches against other teams within their regional divisions. The divisions are broken up into geographical areas and listed as follows: East West South Midwest The winners of the regional semi-finals are then moved to the regional finals where only eight teams remain, known as the Elite Eight. These eight teams play head-to-head to determine the winners, and the remaining four teams from all regions are matched up in the national semi-finals. The Final Four After regional finals, the remaining four teams from all regions are eligible to play in the national semi-finals. These remaining four teams are known as “The Final Four,” and this is where many people start watching the tournament. The final four teams then play, and the two winners from the national semi-finals move on to the national finals. Championship game The national finals or championship game is where the final two teams play to determine the winner of the current year's March Madness tournament. The NCAA has changed the format of the game several times in its history, as well as the name. In recent years the name of the tournament has been simply “NCAA Division 1 Tournament,” but the more popular March Madness title will always remain. View Article

Grilling & BBQ Five Rookie Mistakes to Avoid When Barbecuing Article / Updated 02-01-2024 Mistakes are bound to happen as you explore barbecue cooking, but they are a part of the BBQ adventure. Here are five rookie mistakes to avoid: Being in a hurry. If you want fast, cook a grilled cheese. If you want barbecue, chill out. Slow is the essence of barbecue. Cooking at low temperatures for a goodly amount of time is what makes barbecue barbecue and makes the meat melt in your mouth. Before you cook, put some thought into how much time you're going to need, how you want to season or sauce your product, and the sides you want to serve with it. Good planning makes you less likely to get distracted when your meat needs you most. Taking meat from fridge to fire. Putting meat onto the grate right from the refrigerator adds a lot of cold air to your smoker, and that's likely to lead to condensation of creosote from the charcoal. The creosote floats up via the smoke and onto your meat, adding an undesirable flavor and texture. So let your meat sit at room temperature for about an hour before cooking. Most recipes count on your doing so and advise cooking times that are based on the meat starting at about room temperature. Letting meat rest at room temperature for more than an hour is a bad idea. When it gets too warm, it also becomes susceptible to bacteria. Adding sauce too early. Two mainstays of barbecue sauces, sugar and tomatoes, have low heat tolerance and cook faster than meat. Apply these types of sauces too early and you'll end up with a burnt, black, crackling coating before the meat is done. So wait until the meat is almost finished cooking before you add a sweet sauce with tomatoes. A minute or two on each side of the meat over a low to moderate flame is all the time the sauce needs to add taste and texture. Poking holes into the meat. Don't use a fork to move the meat. You want to keep the precious juices inside the meat, so use tongs. Stab it, and you provide a sure route for the juices to ooze out, taking with them any hope you had for great barbecue. Forgetting rest time: Slice into meat before giving it a chance to rest, and you lose almost half the juices. Meat juices go where the heat is lowest, so give them a chance at your cutting board and they run for it. Allow the meat to rest after you take it off the heat: The juices will be reabsorbed by the proteins that set them free in the first place. Cut into a well-rested piece of meat, and you find tender juiciness rather than a puddle around your desiccated pork chop. View Article

Home Ownership & Renting Renting For Dummies Cheat Sheet Cheat Sheet / Updated 01-08-2024 Whether you’re a relocator moving to an apartment in a new city, a recent grad searching for your first rental house, or an experienced renter stepping up your game, you need a few tools to search for a new place to call home confidently. This Cheat Sheet covers a few critical steps for successfully finding a rental quickly. View Cheat Sheet

Fantasy Football How Fantasy Football Playoffs Work Article / Updated 01-03-2024 When you are approaching the end of your fantasy football season, if it has gone well, you may be in contention to make the playoffs. If that's the case, congratulations! Bragging rights are what this game is all about, and you are one step closer to achieving the ultimate prize. If not, don't feel bad. There's always next year, and most leagues include a consolation playoff so you can at least one up a few of your friends or co-workers — even if your season didn't go as planned. No matter how your season ended, you need to know how fantasy football playoffs work, so you can pursue a league championship. Credit: ©iStockphoto.com/zentilia Fantasy football playoff trophies await league winners. Fantasy football playoff rules and structure Generally, the teams with the best records will make the playoffs. In some leagues with divisions, that may not be the case. In leagues without divisions, the teams with the best records will advance to the playoffs. Leagues that include divisions will usually have two or three divisions and operate like the NFL to determine which teams make the playoffs. The team with the best record in the division will advance, even if it doesn't have one of the best overall records league-wide. In leagues with divisions, there will usually be one or two wildcard teams that will earn their positions from win/loss records among the rest of the non-division winners. Division winners always have a higher seed than wild card teams. The team with the best record will be the 1st seed in the playoffs. If your league has divisions, this team would have, coincidentally, won its division as well. Another divisional winner with the next best record will be the 2nd seed, and so on. If your league does not have divisions, the remaining seeds will be determined by overall win/loss records. In the event that two or more teams have identical win/loss records at the end of the fantasy football regular season, a tie-breaking system will determine their position. Most leagues use a standard tie-breaking system, and it goes as follows: Overall points scored Head-to-head record Division record Overall points against Coin flip Fantasy football playoff formats In a standard league, four teams will make the playoffs. In this case, the 1st seed will play the 4th seed, and the 2nd seed will play the 3rd seed. The winners of these two matchups will go on to the next week to play for the league championship; the losers will play for 3rd place. In some deeper leagues with 12 or more teams, 6 teams can make the playoffs, introducing the need for bye weeks. Bye weeks act similar to the NFL playoff bye weeks. The 1st and 2nd seeded teams will not have to play the 1st round; instead they automatically advance to the 2nd round and will play the winners of the 1st round. The consolation playoffs work similar to the regular playoffs in seeding and bracket style. In most leagues, the fantasy playoffs will begin week 13 or 14 of the NFL season. Standard leagues (four team playoffs) will use the following two weeks for the playoffs, and larger leagues with six teams may continue playing all the way through week 17. However, most leagues omit week 17 (and some even week 16) to prevent unfair play from NFL teams resting players for their real playoffs. Nobody wants to have their playoffs ruined by a resting player. For example, if Peyton Manning is on your team and has dominated the entire season, your fantasy football championship can be decided by having to scramble for a backup quarterback (QB) because Manning is resting during week 17. To best prepare for the fantasy football playoffs, be sure to read your league rules to understand how the playoffs are set up. Ask your commissioner if you have any questions such as the number of teams that can qualify, the playoff schedule, rules around wavier picks and trading, and so on. Strategies for winning fantasy football playoffs If you have made the playoffs, you will need to continue to monitor and adjust your lineup carefully if you want to win your league's championship. Weekly matchups, weather, and players on teams actually fighting for real playoff spots (or not) should be considered now more than ever. Late in the season, teams that play in the north will be playing in the cold and perhaps snow so certain positions should be chosen with caution. Games played with precipitation and/or extreme cold favor the running game, whereas games played in good weather or domes generally favor passing and kicking. Some players thrive in bad weather, though, so an in-depth knowledge of your own players will prove to be an advantage either way. You'll also want to familiarize yourself with your league's playoff rules if you haven't already. Many league's final trade deadlines are during this week, and it could be your last chance to really strengthen up your roster for a championship run. You could also try picking up free-agent players you think your opponent may want, to prevent them from filling holes in their lineup that may arise come playoff time. Finally, just continue to do what got yourself in this position. Don't overthink your decisions and just continue with the players that got you here, barring injury or other player circumstance. If you need to make starting roster adjustments, hopefully you have made good moves throughout the season and have viable bench players to replace any player that is inactive or consistently infective. Roster depth cannot be underestimated come playoff time so you should be actively trying to improve your team the entire season. View Article

Mediterranean Diet Recipes Enjoying a Great Steak on the Mediterranean Diet Article / Updated 01-02-2024 No matter what country you live in, nothing tastes as good as a perfectly cooked steak. Eat steak the Mediterranean way: smaller portion sizes and amazing fresh flavors and ingredients. Although the serving may be smaller, the taste quotient is just as high. You can make up for the smaller size by adding an amazing legume or vegetable dish. As you slow down and enjoy your steak, you see how living the Mediterranean lifestyle offers better health and more flavor than you may have experienced with your old recipes. Zesty Mediterranean Flank Steak Preparation time: 30 minutes, plus marinating time Cook Time: 20 minutes Yield: 6 servings Zest and juice of 1 lemon, plus 1 tablespoon juice 1 tablespoon fresh rosemary, minced 4 cloves garlic, minced 1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil 1/4 teaspoon sea salt 2 pounds flank steak, trimmed of excess fat 2 avocados, cubed 2 tomatoes, cubed 1/4 cup parsley, chopped Salt and pepper to taste Whisk together the lemon juice (minus 1 tablespoon) and zest, rosemary, garlic, 1/4 cup of the olive oil, and the sea salt in a small bowl. Pour the mixture over the meat in a glass dish and flip the meat to coat; cover and marinate in the refrigerator for 2 to 12 hours. Heat the grill over medium-high heat. Combine the avocados, tomatoes, parsley, and remaining lemon juice and olive oil. Allow the flavors to blend at room temperature while the meat cooks. Grill the meat for 6 to 8 minutes until it reaches the desired doneness (3 to 4 minutes on one side and 2 minutes on the other). Remove the meat from the heat and cover with foil for at least 5 minutes before slicing. Slice the meat on the bias for serving. Season the tomato and avocado mixture with salt and pepper and divide evenly over each flank steak serving. PER SERVING: Calories 350 (From Fat 192); Fat 21g (Saturated 7g); Cholesterol 92mg; Sodium 191mg; Carbohydrate 8g (Dietary Fiber 4g); Protein 32g. Filet with Gremolata Preparation time: 15 minutes Cook Time: 16 minutes Yield: 4 servings Four 5-ounce filets of steak 1/2 teaspoon sea salt 1/2 teaspoon pepper 1⁄3 cup gremolata Season the meat with the salt and pepper and allow the meat to come to room temperature. Heat the grill over medium heat. Cook the filets for 4 to 6 minutes on each side or until they reach the desired doneness. Remove the meat from the heat and cover with foil for 5 minutes. Spoon the gremolata evenly over the top of each serving and serve. PER SERVING: Calories 361 (From Fat 234); Fat 26g (Saturated 7g); Cholesterol 88mg; Sodium 368mg; Carbohydrate 1g (Dietary Fiber 0g); Protein 29g. You can find gremolatas with a variety of fresh herbs. Thyme, rosemary, oregano, and mint make great additions to this recipe. View Article

Mediterranean Diet Recipes Eating and Living the Mediterranean Way Article / Updated 01-02-2024 The Mediterranean diet includes a specific balance of foods that's high in vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants and contains the perfect balance of fatty acids. Alas, you can't just eat your way to Mediterranean health. Living a healthy lifestyle means you have to look at all aspects of your life. Along with the food plan is a way of life that includes regular physical activity and time for rest, community, and fun; for the folks on the Mediterranean coast, this combination seems to have created that ever-elusive life balance. To tie all the Mediterranean diet and lifestyle concepts together, Oldways Preservation and Exchange Trust came up with the Mediterranean Food Guide Pyramid based on the dietary traditions of Crete, other parts of Greece, and southern Italy around 1960, when chronic diseases such as heart disease and cancer were low. As you can see, the focus is on eating a diet rich in vegetables, fruits, whole grains, legumes, and seafood; eating less meat; and choosing healthy fats such as olive oil. Note also the importance of fun activities, time shared with family and friends, and a passion for life. Focusing on healthy fats Although Mediterranean residents don't consume a lowfat diet, their dietary pattern is considered heart-healthy. How can that be? Not all fats are created equal. People in the Mediterranean consume more of the healthier types of fats (monounsaturated fats and polyunsaturated omega-3 fatty acids) and less of the omega-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids and saturated fats other cultures tend to overload on. Instead of focusing on total fat intake, these folks maintain a healthier ratio of these different groups of fats than you see in the United States; they consume about 35 percent of their total daily calories from fat, but less than 8 percent of their calories come from saturated fats. According to the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, the average intake of saturated fats in the United States is 11 percent of daily calories. To start rebalancing your fat ratio, limit your use of fats such as butter and lard in cooking and use more olive oils or avocadoes for spreads. Don't say "cheese": Using dairy in moderation You may think of the Mediterranean as a cheese-eater's heaven, but the truth is that the Mediterranean areas we focus on don't consume a lot of cheese. Dairy is consumed on a daily basis in the Mediterranean diet, and cheese (along with yogurt) is a common source of calcium; however, moderation is the key (isn't it always?). Incorporate two to three servings of full-fat dairy products daily. One serving may include an eight-ounce glass of milk, eight ounces of yogurt, or an ounce of cheese. Eating primarily plant-based foods One of the most important concepts of the Mediterranean diet pattern is consuming tons of plant foods such as fruits, veggies, legumes, and whole grains. People in the Mediterranean commonly eat five to ten servings of fruits and vegetables each day, which often means having two to three vegetable servings with each meal. Other daily staples include legumes such as beans, lentils, and peas, and whole grains such as bulgur wheat or barley. Foods in these categories are naturally low in calories and high in nutrients, which makes weight- and health-management easy. Begin by finding ways to incorporate more unprocessed plant foods in your diet on a daily basis. Punching up the flavor with fresh herbs and spices Fresh herbs and spices not only add tremendous flavor to food but also have many hidden health benefits. If you already use ample herbs and spices in your own cooking, you're on the right track. Enjoying seafood weekly Seafood is a weekly staple in the Mediterranean diet, and with good reason. Not only is it a local product, but it's also a great source of those coveted omega-3 fatty acids. If you live near a coast, you have a great opportunity to find fresh fish in your local stores and restaurants. If you're landlocked, don't discount lakes and rivers for fresh fish. Don't like fish? You can get omega-3 fatty acids in other ways, such as with fish oil supplements or by eating lots of fresh herbs, walnuts, omega-3 enriched eggs, chia seeds, and flaxseeds. Limiting red meat Red meat used to be a luxury item in rural parts of the Mediterranean, so folks there ate it less frequently. Even though it's now more accessible to the average Joe, the serving limits have stuck over the years. Beef is only served once or twice a month in the Mediterranean rather than several times a week like in many U.S. kitchens. And when it does hit the table, it's usually as a small (two- to three-ounce) side dish rather than an eight-plus-ounce entree. This habit helps ensure a reasonable intake of saturated fats and omega-6 fatty acids. Don't panic at the idea of cutting your meat portion so drastically. You can easily replace some of that meat with lentils or beans to add plant-based protein to your meals, or add more vegetable servings to help fill the plate. Also keep in mind that Mediterranean beef recipes are so full of flavor that a small serving becomes more satisfying. Having a nice glass of vino Wine lovers, rejoice! Drinking a glass of wine with dinner is certainly a common practice in the Mediterranean regions. Red wine has special nutrients that are shown to be heart-healthy; however, moderation is so important. Enjoying some red wine a couple of times a week is certainly a good plan for heart health, although you want to check with your doctor to ensure its okay for you. Getting a good dose of daily activity Historically, the people in the rural Mediterranean got plenty of daily activity through work, getting where they needed to go on foot, and having fun. The most notable difference is folks who lived in these areas participated in low-impact movement, like walking, kneading bread, and gardening, all day long. In today's fast-paced environment, people tend to do one short burst of high-impact activity and then sit the rest of the day, a pattern still associated with a higher risk of heart diseases, diabetes, cancer, and mortality. Both types of activity are important for optimal health. Although you may rely heavily on your car and think this lifestyle isn't realistic for you, you can still find ways to incorporate both aerobic exercise (which gets your heart rate up) and strength-training exercises regularly. Walking encompasses both aerobic and strength training and helps relieve stress. If you live close to markets or restaurants, challenge yourself to walk to them rather than drive, or simply focus on taking a walk each day to unwind. And don't forget fun activities like hiking a trail, riding your bike, or taking a swim. Keep your body moving all day. Taking time for the day's biggest meal Even though the Mediterranean residents of days gone by were hard workers, often doing a significant amount of manual labor, they always made time for their largest meal of the day. Traditionally, this meal was lunch, where people sat down as a family and enjoyed a large meal full of vegetables, legumes, fruits, and seafood or meat. Taking time for meal and family was a priority; you didn't see people eating in five minutes at the countertop. In many cultures, having this large relaxing meal at lunchtime is difficult because of work schedules. However, you can adapt this strategy into your life by focusing on supper. Prioritizing some time to unwind and relax from a busy workday provides other benefits for your family. According to a Columbia University survey, teenagers who eat with their families at least five days a week have better grades in school and are less prone to substance abuse. Although taking time for a large, relaxing meal sounds like one of those optional strategies you can skip, keep in mind that even small lifestyle choices can make a very big impact on overall health. Family dinners can help you clear your head from work and provide enjoyment through good food and conversation. If you're go, go, go all day at work, prioritizing family mealtime can be priceless for your daily stress management. Enjoying time with friends and family Community spirit is a large part of the Mediterranean culture and is something that's disappearing in American culture. Getting together on a regular basis with friends and family is an important priority for providing a sense of strong community and fun. The fun and laughter that come with friendly get-togethers are vital for stress management. Without these little joyful experiences, stress can tip to an unhealthy balance. To put this strategy into practice, invite some of your close family and friends over each week, perhaps for dinner. It can be as casual as you like. The important thing is to add this type of fun and enjoyment to your life more often. Having a strong passion for life The Mediterranean coast is full of sunshine, good food, and beautiful surroundings, so the people who live there naturally tend to have a strong passion for life, family, friends, nature, and food. Choosing to have a strong passion and love of life is associated with more happiness and fulfillment and less stress. What are you passionate about? Perhaps you love the arts, or maybe nature is your thing. Whatever your passions are, make sure to find a way to make them a part of your life. View Article