Mediterranean Lifestyle For Dummies

Achieve optimal health and live longer with timeless advice from Mediterranean culture

The Mediterranean lifestyle offers achievable and enjoyable opportunities for a longer, healthier, and happier life. By incorporating simple and fun habits into your daily life, you can enjoy these lasting benefits. In Mediterranean Lifestyle For Dummies, best-selling author, Mediterranean lifestyle ambassador, chef, and culinary expert Amy Riolo walks you through the basic lifestyle practices that have stood the test of time and will transform the way you eat, socialize, and experience life.

You’ll find practical ways to enjoy increased energy, better sleep, an improved attitude, and a revitalized social life. You’ll learn to make a healthy, produce-based diet the centerpiece of a new approach to living that includes engaging with nature, making mealtimes sacred, and laughing at life every day.

More than 30 delicious, simple, and authentic Mediterranean recipes from various countries in the region, this book shows you how to:

• Benefit from ancient wisdom which has enabled people to survive and thrive well into their 90s for millennia
• Adopt a food-friendly approach that makes cooking for yourself, friends, and family an opportunity for fun and memorable experiences
• Organize your pantry and kitchen around Mediterranean principles so making simple, healthy foods becomes second nature
• Make time for yourself, your family, and your friends by reconnecting with the outdoors, siestas, and communal meals

The transformational opportunity found in this lifestyle guide is about more than improving your diet and losing a few pounds. It’s about showing you how to find a happier and healthier you without resorting to fads, tricks, shortcuts, or diets that only last a few days. By revealing the often-overlooked cultural traditions and lifestyle components that have earned the Mediterranean Diet top ranking among the world’s diets, this book will help you to achieve lasting and meaningful results, anytime and anywhere.  Mediterranean Lifestyle For Dummies is for anyone who wants more flavor in their food, more wine in their glass, more friends at their table, and more life in their life.

Amy Riolo is an award-winning and bestselling author, chef, TV personality, and educator. She is one of the world’s foremost authorities on culinary culture and the Mediterranean diet and lifestyle in particular.

Introduction 1

About This Book 2

Foolish Assumptions 4

Icons Used in This Book 4

Beyond the Book 5

Where to Go from Here 5

Part 1: Getting Started with the Mediterranean Lifestyle 7

Chapter 1: Defining the Mediterranean Lifestyle 9

Following a Road Map to a Health-Boosting Way of Life 9

Following the Mediterranean Lifestyle 10

Considering Culture 11

Preparing and Eating Delicious Food 12

Eyeing Authentic Mediterranean Recipes 13

Chapter 2: Living the Mediterranean Approach to Food 15

Understanding the Role That Food Plays in Culture 16

Seeing food as a friend 17

Adopting a pro-food approach 18

Celebrating Food in All Its Forms 20

Food is sacred 20

Food is medicine 23

Food is charity 27

Food is diplomacy 28

Food is philosophy and feeling 32

Chapter 3: Looking Forward to a Long and Healthful Life 35

Seeing the Difference the Mediterranean Lifestyle Makes 35

Improving your health and preventing disease 36

Living longer and better 37

What the Experts Have to Say 38

Historical studies on the Mediterranean lifestyle 39

Modern research 40

Chapter 4: Achieving the Mediterranean Lifestyle Abroad 43

Lifestyle Habits to Enjoy as Often as Possible 44

Practicing gratitude 44

Enjoying meals and physical activity with others 47

Taking life and yourself lightly 48

Small Habits with Big Payoffs 50

Eating as close to home as possible 50

Music and dancing 51

Water, steam, and relaxation 53

Part 2: Making the Mediterranean Lifestyle Work for You 57

Chapter 5: Making Meals a Priority 59

Seeing Mealtimes as Sacred 59

Making Communal Eating a Priority 61

Chapter 6: Laughing at Everyday Life 65

Laughing at Life: Looking at the Research 66

Bringing More Laughter into Your Daily Life 67

Looking for things to laugh at 67

Looking for excuses to feel good 68

Chapter 7: Participating in Pleasurable Activity 71

Doing What You Love 71

The joy of cooking 72

The pleasure principle 73

Hobbies and a sense of purpose 75

Types of Physical Activity in the Mediterranean Lifestyle 77

Staying fit without the gym 78

Adopting a DIY attitude 78

Chapter 8: Engaging with Nature 81

Looking at the Research behind the Importance of Nature 81

Carving Out Time to Spend in Nature 83

Getting Enough Time in the Sun 84

What the research says about sunlight 86

The truth about vitamin D 88

Easy ways to get more of “the sun vitamin” 89

Chapter 9: Setting Aside Time for Siestas 91

An Ancient Ritual with Modern Rewards: The Benefits of Napping 92

Increasing alertness and productivity 92

Increasing libido 93

Balancing hormones 93

Avoiding the afternoon slumps 93

Improving overall sleep time in older adults 94

Reducing the risk of a cardiovascular event 94

Losing weight 95

Incorporating More Naps into Your Life 95

Part 3: Adopting Healthful Cultural Attitudes 99

Chapter 10: Living Mediterranean-Style Daily 101

The ABCs of the Mediterranean Lifestyle 102

Getting a Mediterranean Lifestyle Checklist 103

An Overview of Mediterranean Cultures 108

Albania 108

Algeria 109

Bosnia and Herzegovina 109

Croatia 109

Cyprus 109

Egypt 110

France 110

Greece 110

Israel 111

Italy 111

Lebanon 112

Libya 112

Malta 113

Monaco 113

Montenegro 113

Morocco 113

Slovenia 114

Spain 114

Syria 115

Tunisia 115

Turkey 116

Chapter 11: Seeing Food as a Metaphor for Life 119

Getting to Cook versus Having to Cook 120

Finding inspiration 121

Fitting cooking into your life 122

Feasting versus Fasting in the Mediterranean Region 125

Why feasts matter 126

Fasting: An ancient ritual with modern appeal 127

Ancient Traditions for Modern-Day Results 129

The art of DIY 130

Part 4: Preparing and Eating Food with Pleasure 133

Chapter 12: Ancient Flavor Enhancers and Plant-Based Menus 135

Adding Flavor with Aromatics 135

Why flavor matters 136

How to use aromatics in your dishes 138

Finding Plant-Based Menus 141

Making traditional Mediterranean menus 142

Putting produce front and center 143

Cooking with the Seasons 144

Chapter 13: Planning Meals with the Mediterranean Diet Pyramid 147

Understanding the Mediterranean Diet Pyramid 147

What each tier represents 149

How to use the pyramid 150

Finding Daily Meal Examples from the Mediterranean 154

Reinventing Leftovers 156

Chapter 14: Stocking a Mediterranean-Style Kitchen 159

Filling Your Pantry with the Basics 160

Cereals, pastas, and grains 160

Beans and legumes 162

Extra-virgin olive oil 163

Condiments and flavor enhancers 166

Baking ingredients 167

Canned and jarred goods 169

Filling Your Fridge and Freezer 170

Fresh foods to have on hand 170

The freezer: The modern pantry 170

Pantry Cooking Formulas for Quick Meals 171

Chapter 15: Shopping for Food the Mediterranean Way 173

Bringing the Fun Back to Shopping for Food 173

Letting inspiration be your guide 174

Looking for fun in all the right places 176

Making a List, Checking It Twice 178

Practical tips for meal planning 179

Part 5: Authentic Mediterranean Recipes for All Occasions 181

Chapter 16: What to Serve and When to Serve It 183

Diving into Authentic Mediterranean Meals 183

Exploring Mediterranean Menus 184

Repurposing Leftovers 186

Chapter 17: Breakfast 189

Starting Your Day the Sunny Mediterranean Way 189

What breakfast looks like throughout the Mediterranean 190

What makes a “good” breakfast 193

Grabbing Breakfast on the Go 194

Enjoying a Leisurely Breakfast 194

Chapter 18: Small Plates and Snacks 207

From Tapas to Mezze and Beyond 207

Authentic Mediterranean Menus 210

Snacking in the Mediterranean 228

Chapter 19: Base Recipes and Main Courses 229

Base Recipes for Any Mediterranean Meal 229

Mediterranean Main Courses 238

Chapter 20: Fruit, Cheese, Nuts, and Desserts 251

What Traditional Mediterranean Desserts Really Look Like 252

Everyday versus holidays 253

Cultural attitudes behind desserts 253

Mediterranean Fruit, Nut, Cheese, and Dessert Recipes 254

Part 6: The Part of Tens 263

Chapter 21: Ten Easy Ways to Enjoy the Mediterranean Lifestyle Anywhere 265

Get Outdoors 266

Spend Time with Friends and Family 267

Eat with Friends and Family 268

Seek Out Hydrotherapy 269

Go Green 269

Make Something Meaningful 270

Spend Time Doing What You Love or Nothing at All 271

Embrace Culinary Medicine 272

Eat Plenty of Fresh Fruits and Vegetables 273

Make the Best Out of Any Situation 273

Chapter 22: Ten (or So) Creative Strategies for Communal Eating 275

First, Decide Who to Eat With 276

Review Your Schedule 276

Brainstorm 276

Join a Club 277

Host Theme Parties 278

Be a Lunch Buddy 278

Enjoy Virtual Meals 279

Volunteer 279

Commit to the One-Meal-a-Day Minimum 279

Chapter 23: Ten (or So) Fun Ways to Repurpose Food and Eliminate Waste 281

Make “Tutto Fa Brodo” a Way of Life 282

Make Soups and Stews 282

Use Leftover Food for Sandwiches, Panini, and Shawarma 282

Puree Leftover Vegetables 283

Make Omelets, Frittatas, and Tortillas 283

Toss It into Salads, Bowls, and Wraps 284

Make Your Own Croutons, Crostini, Bruschetta, and Tartines 284

Prepare Croquettes and Savory Cakes 285

Incorporate Leftovers in Pasta and Rice Dishes 285

Appendix A: Metric Conversion Guide 287

Index 291

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