Mediterranean Lifestyle Part 3

 

Journal Entry 3:

Making the change to the “Mediterranean Healthstyle,” as Dr. Don Colbert M.D. states, requires essential changes to one’s pantry. Before beginning this change of diet, our cabinets were filled with processed foods loaded in hydrogenated fats.

Dr. Colbert suggests these ten tips when making the change to the “Mediterranean Healthstyle.”

1. Eliminate all processed foods from your cupboards and start completely over. Begin to buy only whole-grain food items and fresh fruits and vegetables and stock your shelves with olive oil, nuts, seeds, and whole-grains.

2. Eat more fresh fruits, vegetables, beans, legumes, and nuts.

3. Substitute olive oil for butter, margarine, salad dressings, and other oils.

4. Limit cheese intake to small amounts of parmesan or feta cheese.

5. Eat lowfat, plain yogurt, add fruit and Stevia to sweeten it.

6. Choose fish and poultry over red meat and eat meat sparingly.

7. Cut out sugary sweets.

8. Enjoy a glass (4 oz.) of red wine with lunch or dinner.

9. Exercise regularly.

10.         Make dining an experience that you enjoy with other.

For the past two weeks I have transformed our pantry and I have nothing but good things to report. A typical breakfast for our family usually consists of a bowl of yogurt with whole-grain granola and fruit. I serve this with a glass of pomegranate juice.

Omelets are also a great meal in the mornings because you can add a plethora of vegetables to the free-range eggs. I add mushrooms, bell peppers, parmesan cheese, cilantro, and onions.

  Our lunches have consisted mostly of salads with a delicious balsamic vinaigrette dressing. For the salad greens, I usually choose the mixed variety. The darker the leaf, the more nutritious the green is for you. I add red onion, tomatoes, feta cheese, olives, and cucumbers to the salad greens. I top the salad off with about two tablespoons of balsamic vinaigrette. This recipe is really delicious, and the vinaigrette can be used to marinate chicken and fish.

Balsamic Vinaigrette

6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

4 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

½ teaspoon Salt

1 to 2 cloves of garlic crushed.

Blend all the ingredients and store in the refrigerator.

Dinner is a special time for our family because we are all at home together and we can sit down to discuss the day’s events. This is our biggest meal of the day. We begin dinner with a salad full of dark greens, carrots, tomatoes, and cucumbers. Second course is a cup of lentil soup. I personally do not care for lentil soup, but my husband thinks that it is delicious.

Third course is grilled salmon served with steamed broccoli and brown rice. I also serve Ezekiel bread with olive oil. My children love to dip the bread into the olive oil. It has become a new favorite in our home.