The common woman found in North America developed an intellect to conceive a diet as something she hears family and friends talk about, she reads about in magazines, she listens to in the radio and watches on TV ~and because it was presented as a scientific marvel of the highest order~ she purchases "the diet" in book format. It comes with a poster to pin to the wall so she blindly follows a structure like this...
Monday & Tuesday eat foods 23T and 78-M -- Wednesday & Thursday eat foods 3, 22, and as desired of 99 Type 3XW -- Friday & Saturday fervently socialize everywhere she goes drinking 3 gallons of water each day -- Sunday she will not eat, but she will pee a lot. Should the North American woman miss or break the structured protocol, the price of the book includes a mountain-like feeling of guilt that she must deal with.
In a planet some ten galaxies away...
Recorded since 1300s ~and made official by Catherine de Medici in the 1500s~ the food people on the French Mediterranean Sea have eaten has well-defined health benefits. It has been proven by lengthy and healthy lives those folks lived then and still live today. In recent years, scientific research has validated the sensible and delicious cooking ~wrongly conceived as a Mediterranean Diet~ those people naturally integrate into their lives.
Does this sound like a "Mediterranean Diet" to be purchased in a book format? In France, nobody is "on a diet." I will use my French ancestry ~and the years I lived in France~ to tell you about a French secret. So, bring up the chair, and read on. The remaining of this article has the power to change for the better your health ~and your life~ forever.
* Mediterranean Foods *
* French people eat locally grown and seasonal foods ignoring canned foods.
* French people consume as much fish as they reasonably can, and regularly.
* French people eat poultry and lean meat as opposed to red meat.
* French people integrate legumes and nuts in their meals few times a week.
* French people eat raw nuts few times a week as a snack.
* People on French Mediterranean eat bread with meals. They may spread Extra Virgin Olive Oil on it, and sprinkle on the crunchy bread Herbs de Provence which were dried and mixed together and kept in small cloth sacks.
* People on French Mediterranean use Extra Virgin Olive Oil in salads with cheese, small pasta, onions, spinach, celery, bell peppers, eggplants, artichokes, hard-boiled eggs, garlic, mushrooms, and tomatoes ~including cocktail-size~ just to mention some of the ingredients.
* People on French Mediterranean use regular Olive Oil ~the less costly one~ as cooking oil to treat food that will be immersed in oil.
* People on French Mediterranean eat sauces and other foods ~including their delicious croissants and pastries~ that may be regarded as fattening, but they do so in moderation and savoring their superb combination of taste and flavors.
* People on French Mediterranean drink water ~or moderate amount of red wine such as 6 ounces~ with each meal [except breakfast] as opposed to sodas. An aperitif and Cognac may be before before and after a meal, but they are meant to be taken in moderation.
* Mediterranean Cooking Practices *
* They cook every day, and the meals cooked are eaten immediately after.
* They eat what is as fresh as possible, and has been minimally processed.
* They eat three or four meals a day: breakfast, lunch, dinner, and small meal between lunch and dinner if desired.
* They do not use butter, margarine, or fat for frying any foods.
* Mediterranean Lifestyle & Habits *
* They eat in company of family or others they feel comfortable with, they sit at a table, and they savor their meal enjoying the affection of a candid moment together.
* They do not start eating a meal until the person that cooked it or served it is sitting at the table. It denotes disrespect, and the lack of good manners bring an ugly moment to the table.
* They do not feel guilt when they eat, and they savor each bite of each meal.
* They take good time to eat, and they do not eat in a hurry.
* They walk good distances and have physical activities. No jogging. No gym.
* Mediterraneam Don't Do It *
* Do not eat red meat by itself.
* Do not eat large amounts of red meat regularly.
* Do not eat processed foods, fast food, or any kind of junk food.
* Do not often drink sodas or processed soft drinks, or any at all.
* Do not count calories. It is irrelevant.
As you can see, the Mediterranean Diet does not exist. A healthy French lifstyle does.
