Lifestyle Food & Drink The Greek Diet
The Greek Diet
The Greek diet has always been considered one of the healthiest in the world. Major studies of the traditional Greek diet of the local people of Greece, and in particular the island of Crete signifies reduced rates of dietary related conditions. In addition these regions have some of the greatest life expectancies all over the world.
The centre of the original traditional Greek dietincludes: green leafy vegetables usually gathered from the wild along with dandelions, fennel, mustard, spinach, and cumin; fresh fruits including figs, grapes, melons, oranges, pears and plums; high-fibre whole grains, beans and lentils; carbohydrates: pastas and breads; olive oil; nuts; and such herbs and spices as garlic, oregano, bay leaves, cinnamon and cloves.
The daily traditional Greek diet is high in antioxidants, and contains cancer-fighting substances, omega-3 fatty acids and colon-cleansing fibre, that all help to bring down the probability of diet related illnesses, such as heart condition, weight and diabetic issues.
A large amount of the Greek diet consists of meals including cheese, in particular feta made of goat's or sheep's milk. This sort of cheese tends to be lower in fat and also much easier to digest compared to that from cow's milk. Greeks also like thick, creamy goat-milk yogurt with fruit and honey.
Another secret to a healthy diet in Greece is their famous use of olive oil. Greek olive oil was and still is the main fat ingredient used in all aspects of the traditional Greek diet instead of butter. Years of research worldwide have discovered the secrets behind this miracle oil. With a high content of monounsaturated fats it has numerous health advantages such as lowering cholesterol, lower heart disease, reduces the risk of breast cancer, osteoporosis and rheumatoid arthritis. It is thought that to get these true benefits you do have to change to the complete traditional Greek style of eating!
Greek cuisine is famous for its lamb dishes, but often lamb is usually only eaten on celebrated events. More frequently, Greeks eat dinners in average amounts consisting of fish such as anchovies, cod and tuna. Scientific studies have found the omega-3 fatty acids in oily fish that is a big part of the Greek diet helps to lessen heart attacks and hypertension.
Modern day
For many Greeks who have had to move to bigger towns and cities for work, their diet has changed to that of the western influence with a higher amount of convenience foods causing similar health problems too. The truly healthy Greek people live in areas such as the islands and rural areas where Greek lifestyle is relatively unchanged with little modern influence. There is an abundance of fresh local produce to prepare recipes and provide a healthy Greek diet in much the same way as were years before.