The healthy Mediterranean cuisine

Fruit, vegetables, olive oil: the healthy Mediterranean cuisine

05/26/2013

Lots of vegetables, fresh fish, tasty spices, olive oil and finally fruit: so varied and healthy is the Mediterranean cuisine. The nutrition expert Marianne Rudischer gives interesting tips and explanations.

Eating like on vacation
Soon it will be time again and the holiday season will take thousands of people to the south of Europe. A tasty foretaste of it you can treat yourself to Mediterranean food. This is also good for his health, since the traditional Mediterranean diet consists of starchy and high-fiber foods and these are at the same time rich in vitamins and minerals. In addition, it prevents overweight and promotes digestion. Scientific studies have shown that the Mediterranean cuisine can also help to keep the heart and blood vessels healthy. The nutritional medical consultant of Barmer GEK in Wuppertal, Ms. Marianne Rudischer, and Prof. Dietrich Baumgart, preventive doctors from Dusseldorf provide valuable tips on the Mediterranean diet.

What is traditional mediterranean food?
Rudischer explains: „It consists mainly of plant foods, lots of fresh fruits and vegetables, lots of fish and little meat. Olive oil is used instead of animal fats like butter, cream or lard.“ Fresh herbs such as sage, thyme, rosemary and basil are used for seasoning. „So Mediterranean food does not mean the lasagne from the Italian or the meat plate from the Greek!“

Why is the Mediterranean cuisine so healthy?
The physician Baumgart points to the preventive effect of eating: „A study has just been published that shows that the Mediterranean cuisine with olive oil and nuts protects even better from heart attacks, strokes and cardiovascular diseases than a low-fat diet. In addition to regular exercise and abstinence from smoking, the Mediterranean diet can also do much to prevent diabetes type 2 diabetes.“ And further: „It protects the heart and blood vessels and also has a positive effect on the risk of cancer.“ A few years ago, a research team led by Demosthenes Panagiotakos of Harokopio University in Athens found out in a comprehensive meta-study that Mediterranean diets have beneficial effects on the metabolism and can prevent cardiovascular diseases such as heart attacks.

Vegetables as a main ingredient of the food
Mediterranean meals are often based on fresh vegetables as the main ingredient. Rudischer explains: „It contains many vitamins, secondary plant or vital substances with their health-promoting effects.“ She advises: „Do not boil the vegetables in the water, but steam or steam with a little liquid. Do not just prepare the spaghetti al dente. Even vegetables should be firm!“ If a wok is available, you can prepare vegetables completely fat-free. Basically „Do not overheat vegetables. Then the valuable ingredients are preserved.“ (Sb)

Fruit as a dessert
Fresh fruit is healthy, it contains a lot of vitamins, ballast and minerals. The consumer initiative Berlin advises, „to enrich every meal with fruits or vegetables“. Fruit forms the conclusion of a meal in traditional Mediterranean cuisine, „and not like our Mousse au Chocolat“, so Mrs. Rudischer.

Cold-pressed olive oil not for frying
The risk of stroke is significantly reduced by the regular consumption of olive oil. French researchers at the University of Bordeaux came to this conclusion in a comprehensive study with more than 7,600 participants. Advocate General Dietrich Baumgart from Düsseldorf informs: „Cold-pressed olive oil lowers harmful LDL cholesterol in the blood and prevents the formation of cell-damaging free radicals.“ It also contains a lot of vitamin E and phytochemicals, „which have a positive effect on the whole body“. Another ingredient of the Mediterranean cuisine with a positive health aspect is fish. It does not necessarily have to be Mediterranean fish. Baumgart recommends: „High-fat fish such as salmon, mackerel and herring, because they are rich in omega-3 fatty acids. These lower the blood pressure and protect the walls of the blood vessels.“ Marianne Rudischer admits to eat these fat fish alternately with skinny ones, „such as zander and cod“. She advises: „Prepare fish with a little vegetable oil. Please do not bread or even fry! Fry at moderate, medium temperatures. Then you can get along with little fat. Do not fry cold-pressed oils or heat them up“, because „High temperatures change the taste and destroy important ingredients of the oil.“It is best to use fragrant oil for frying fish or meat. „It does not have to be olive oil. It can also be sunflower oil, corn oil or rapeseed oil. These are also good vitamin E and omega 3 suppliers.“

Restraint with carbohydrates
Even around the Mediterranean, bread is eaten at many meals, but usually without topping, such as with a thick layer of butter in Germany. Noodles, rice, potatoes, millet and bulgur, as well as corn grits in the form of polenta and couscous are also part of the Mediterranean cuisine, „but rather see it as a side dish and use more fresh vegetables“, says Rudischer.

Think global - act local
There are many reasons for using local products when buying food. It is good for the global environment, when goods do not always have to be transported over long distances and usually also receives tastier products. So the nutrition expert advises: „You should pay more attention to regional fruits and vegetables, which was harvested ripe. Because the vitamins and phytochemicals, such as the flavorings, develop only in the ripening process of the fruit or vegetables!“ So the taste comes only with appropriate maturity. „This can be wonderfully tested with tomatoes.“ She also advises buying seasonal fruits and vegetables. „You also get Christmas strawberries from Morocco. Often, however, such fruit is harvested immature so that it survives the long transport route. An example also: stick-hard pears, which have no taste.“ Often you can also find directly at an organic farm near him. „And of course, the conventional working farmer in the vicinity can offer very good products.“ (Sb)

Picture: twinlili