Mediterranean Diet Recipes Reduce Heart Disease

Mediterranean Diet May
Reduce Heart Disease

Mediterranean diet recipes feature fresh vegetables, fish, & olive oil.

A high fat diet is heart healthy ...

That's the conclusion of a ten-year study on heart effects conducted by Australian researchers.

Australian nutritionists discovered that some Mediterranean people who consumed a high fat diet had an unbelievably low rate of death due to heart disease.

Olive oil supplements the natural heart protecting properties in foods and it's this combination that has been shown to reduce the risk of heart disease.

I have researched the benefits of the Mediterranean Diet - you can find details below:

Info on the Mediterranean Diet study
Major findings and recommendations are briefly summarized here.
The links below go directly to sections of my report. The section on meal plan & dietary guidelines is the basis for the recipes on this page.

Lowest rate of Cardiovascular Disease in 7 country study
It's not what you eat, it's how you eat it
Meal Plan and Dietary Guidelines
Mediterranean Diet Cookbooks

Components of the Mediterranean Diet

Lots of breads, pasta, rice, couscous, and potatoes
Lots of fruits, vegetables, and legumes
High consumption of antioxidants
Grilled and steamed fish - twice weekly
Moderate amounts of olive oil
Small occasional portions of lean red meat and pork
Small amount of red wine
Regular physical activity

Foods to avoid

Lard & other animal fats
Butter
Margarine

Mediterranean Diet Recipes

Mediterranean Diet Cookbooks - Review of cookbooks featuring
Mediterranean recipes.

Zucchini and Eggplant Casserole

Serves 4
Ingredients
500 g (1 lb) 500 g (1 lb) 8 Tbsp 1 medium 1 medium bunch 2 cloves 4 medium 2 medium 1 can		zucchini eggplant olive oil onion, thinly sliced parsley garlic potatoes green bell peppers stewed tomatoes salt to taste pepper to taste oregano to taste

Directions Wash the eggplant, remove the stalks and cut crosswise into 5 mm (1/4 inch) slices. Soak the slices in a bowl of cold, salted water for about 20 minutes to remove bitterness. Wash and dry the bell pepper and zucchini and also cut into 5 mm (1/4 inch) slices. Peel and thinly slice the potatoes and onions. Peel and finely chop the garlic. Pre-heat the oven to 180 C (350 F). Drain and dry the eggplant. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over high heat and fry the eggplant until lightly browned on both sides, turning once. Drain fried eggplant on paper towels. Layer the sliced eggplant on the bottom of a deep casserole dish and lightly season with salt and pepper. Place potatoes as the next layer followed by the zucchini, parsley and bell pepper. Lightly season each layer with salt, pepper, & oregano to taste. In a medium saucepan, combine olive oil from the frying pan with onions, garlic and tomatoes. Cook over medium heat until warm. Add 500 ml (16 oz) of water, mix thoroughly, and pour over vegetables in casserole dish. Cover the dish with aluminum foil and bake for 30 minutes. Check every 10 minutes to ensure that there is sufficient water.

Lentil soup

Serves 4

Ingredients

Directions

500 g (1 lb) dried lentils

1 medium onion, finely diced

1 clove garlic, finely diced

2 Tbsp olive oil

200 g (8 oz) tomato sauce

salt and pepper to taste

Place the lentils in a saucepan with 1-1/2 liters (48 oz) water and boil for 30 minutes or until tender.

Finely dice the onion and garlic. Add with tomato sauce and olive oil.

Add salt and pepper to taste. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer for 30 minutes.

Chickpea soup

Serves 4

Instructions:

320 g (12 oz) dried chickpeas

1 small onion

2 Tbsp olive oil

1 lemon, juiced

salt and pepper to taste

Soak the chickpeas overnight in water (approx. 12 hours).

Drain and thoroughly rinse the chickpeas.

Sauté the onion in olive oil until browned.

Combine 1 liter (quart) of water, chickpeas, salt, pepper and lemon juice in a medium saucepan. Bring to boil, reduce heat, and simmer 30 minutes or until chickpeas are tender.

Salads

For the following salads, combine all ingredients and toss lightly.

Tomato salad Serves 2	Cabbage & carrot salad Serves 2
2 whole tomatoes, each cut into 8 wedges 1 Tbsp olive oil 1 Tbsp onion, chopped 1 medium cucumber, sliced Lemon juice to taste	2 cups cabbage, sliced 2 Tbsp carrot, grated Lemon juice to taste 1 Tbsp olive oil

Chicory salad Serves 2	Lettuce & cucumber salad Serves 2
120 g (4 oz) chicory, boiled 1 Tbsp olive oil Lemon juice to taste	3 cups lettuce 1 medium cucumber, diced 1 Tbsp olive oil Lemon juice to taste

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Mediterranean Diet May Reduce Heart Disease

Components of the Mediterranean Diet

Foods to avoid

Mediterranean Diet Recipes

Salads

Mediterranean Diet May
Reduce Heart Disease