What does MediterrAsian
mean?
Quite simply, MediterrAsian means a combination of
traditional Mediterranean and Asian eating and lifestyle
practices. Research has found that the traditional eating
and lifestyle practices of Mediterranean and Asian cultures
actually share many similarities, including a high consumption
of plant foods such as vegetables, fruits, grains, legumes
and nuts; low consumption of red meat and animal fats; alcohol
consumed regularly in moderation; regular moderate physical
activity; strong social bonds, and an optimistic attitude
towards life.
Research
has repeatedly shown that these traditional practices reduce
body weight and protect against chronic illnesses such as
heart disease, cancers of the breast, prostate and colon,
type 2 diabetes, Alzheimer's disease, arthritis and osteoporosis.
For
a detailed discussion on how you can easily adopt a MediterrAsian
way of living check out the MediterrAsian
living section of the site.
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Who are the people behind
MediterrAsian.com?
We're Ric and Trudy, and
we've been running MediterrAsian.com in our spare time since
2004. We're both very passionate about traditional Mediterranean
and Asian eating and lifestyle practices because they've
made such a positive difference to our health and wellbeing.
And at the same time we've been enjoying some of the most
delicious food in the
world!
If
you'd like to know more about us, and what motivated us
to start this site, check out our About
page.
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What makes a MediterrAsian way of living so healthy?
There's not one specific component that makes a MediterrAsian
way of living so healthy, it's actually a combination of
many factors that work hand-in-hand to promote good health.
By
eating lots of plant-based foods such as vegetables, fruits,
grains, legumes and nuts you're providing your body with
a rich supply of vitamins and minerals as well as antioxidants,
phytochemicals and dietary
fiber. These compounds all have health-promoting and
disease-fighting capabilities.
Unsaturated
fats like olive oil and peanut oil improve cholesterol
levels and help lower blood pressure and reduce the risk
of stroke.
Fish
is a great source of high-quality protein (which is used
by your body for growth and repair) and valuable vitamins
and minerals. And oily-fleshed fish (which are a prominent
feature of MediterrAsian eating) contain high amounts of
omega-3 fat which has a myriad of health benefits in its
own right (click here to
learn more).
Regular
moderate physical activity
helps you stay in shape and lowers your risk of stroke,
heart attack, diabetes and osteoporosis.
Drinking
alcohol regularly in moderation
boosts good HDL cholesterol in your blood, thus reducing
the risk of heart disease.
Having
an optimistic attitude towards life and setting aside
time to physically and emotionally relax each day helps
keep stress in check, and that's important because too much
emotional stress can make an impact on your physical health.
And
another reason that following a MediterrAsian way of living
is so healthy is the fact that you're not only eating more
health-giving foods, you're also eating less health-taking
foods such as saturated fat and trans fat.
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Is it difficult to follow
a MediterrAsian way of living?
Quite the opposite. You get to eat lots of delicious
food every day, you don't have to formally exercise
to stay fit, you can enjoy a wine or cold beer with your
meal, and it's recommended that you set aside time each
day to relax and do things you enjoy. Sounds pretty tough
and hard to stick to doesn't it?
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Are Mediterranean and Asian food ingredients difficult to
shop for?
A
few years ago it was a fairly difficult task shopping for
certain Mediterranean and Asian ingredients. It really was
a case of driving all around town visiting different delicatessens,
specialty shops and Asian grocers to find many of the ingredients
needed to cook traditional dishes.
Thankfully,
times have changed! The large amount of publicity generated
about the healthfulness of Mediterranean and Asian food
has meant that most large supermarkets are now well stocked
with virtually all the essentials you'll need under one
roof. And if your supermarket doesn't stock a particular
item, or if you don't live near a large supermarket, you
can always try an Internet ethnic food store who will deliver
to your door.
At
the same time, you'll also find that a wide variety of the
ingredients used in MediterrAsian cooking are already commonly
used in the West (although in vastly different ways to how
they've traditionally been used in Mediterranean and Asian
cuisine). Some examples include pasta, rice, bread, tuna,
shrimp, salmon, chicken, nuts, beans, peas, tomatoes, onions,
carrots, lettuce, broccoli, avocado, cauliflower, cabbage,
cucumber, red and green peppers, grapes, berries, oranges
and lemons.
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An Asian diet is quite low in fat compared to a Mediterranean
diet, how can you say they are similar?
That's
right, Mediterranean cultures do traditionally consume a
higher percentage of their calories from fat compared to
Asian cultures. However, The types of fat consumed throughout
the Mediterranean and Asia are very similar, coming mainly
from plant and fish sources which are very low in saturated
fat. So, although the amount of fat may vary, the traditional
diets of the Mediterranean and Asia are low saturated fat
diets (as well as low trans fat diets). And of course there
are many other similarities between traditional Mediterranean
and Asian diets including high consumption of plant foods
such as vegetables, grains, fruits and legumes; regular
consumption of fish; alcohol consumed regularly in moderation;
and red meat consumed rarely.
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How can a way of eating that includes plenty of pasta, rice,
bread and fatty foods like olive oil, nuts and avocados
possibly be good for my waistline?
Actually
there's a simple reason why a MediterrAsian way of eating
is good for your waistline—and it all comes down to
calories. Let's look at the common foods in traditional
Mediterranean and Asian diets and you'll understand more
clearly.
Vegetables
and fruits, because of their high water content, are
generally very low in calories. For example, two ¼
pound cheeseburgers contain the same amount of calories
as 50 carrots or 70 tomatoes. Vegetables and fruits also
contain dietary fiber, which contributes
virtually no calories to your diet yet helps suppress
your appetite. So, put simply, vegetables and fruits will
fill you up without filling you out.
Grain
foods (such as bread, rice and pasta) and legumes
(beans, peas and lentils) have a lower water content than
vegetables and fruits, so they contain more calories—but
they're still quite low in calories and are a good source
of dietary fiber. And the great thing about grains and
legumes is that they're also bulky, filling and satisfying.
Fish,
which is a staple food in traditional Mediterranean and
Asian diets, is generally much lower in calories than
the red meat that's prominent in a typical Western diet.
An eight-ounce sirloin steak, for example, contains more
than 400 calories. This compares to an eight-ounce tuna
steak which contains only around 240 calories.
But
what about all the calories in the foods such as olive
oil, nuts and avocados that are recommended
as part of a MediterrAsian way of eating? These higher
calorie foods are actually counter-balanced by all the
lower calorie, fiber-rich foods you'll be eating. So,
you'll end up eating lots of delicious and filling food,
but you'll only be consuming a moderate amount of calories.
This is why a MediterrAsian way of eating is ideal for
helping you stay in shape.
Proving
that point is Australian weightlifter Dean Lukin, who
won the gold medal for weightlifting in the super-heavyweight
division at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics. After Dean
retired from competition he weighed over 300 pounds, so
he made the decision to lose weight—not just for
his looks, but also for his health. Dean decided to try
to lose the excess weight by following a way of eating
based on the diet of his healthy, lean ancestors who came
from a seaside village on the Dalmatian coast (part of
the Mediterranean). As part of his new Mediterranean-style
of eating Dean increased his intake of plant foods such
as vegetables, grains, fruits and legumes, cut down his
intake of red meat and made fish his primary source of
protein. In less than a year he had lost over 110 pounds,
or as Dean put it: "When I got to the stage of really
ripping the blubber off, the rate of progress was quite
startling." Because this way of eating is so filling
and satisfying it will probably come as no surprise that
Dean has kept the weight off for over 10 years.
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What makes a MediterrAsian way of living so different from
all the other diets and lifestyle plans out there?
A MediterrAsian way of living isn't based on a new fad or
someone's personal theory of how we should be eating and
living. This way of living hasn't been invented—it
has evolved over many centuries. Indeed, this way of living
has been successfully tried and tested by Mediterranean
and Asian cultures for more than 5000 years.
On
top of that, this way of living is backed-up by more than
half a century of meticulously-conducted scientific research
that proves its effectiveness.
But
probably the biggest difference between a MediterrAsian
way of living and most diets and lifestyle plans is that
this way of living is fun and flexible. In simple
terms this means you'll happily be able to live this way
for the rest of your life.
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What specific health benefits does a MediterrAsian way of
living offer?
Based on the decades of research
conducted into Mediterranean and Asian dietary and lifestyle
practices this way of living has many benefits. Reduced
risk of many chronic illnesses including coronary heart
disease, cancers of the breast, prostate and colon, type
2 diabetes, Alzheimer's disease, osteoporosis,
and rheumatoid arthritis
Other
documented benefits include body fat loss, lowered blood
pressure, improved cholesterol levels and increased energy
levels. And from our own experience we have found that following
a MediterrAsian way of living also leads to a big reduction
in stress levels.
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Is
there any scientific evidence that a MediterrAsian way of
living is good for your health?
There's a wealth of scientific research that shows how health-giving
Mediterranean and Asian dietary and lifestyle practices
can be. To view a selection of this research check out the
Scientific Research
section of the site.
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Could genetics be the reason why Mediterranean and Asian
peoples are so healthy?
Studies have shown time and time again that Mediterranean
and Asian peoples who adopt a Western diet and lifestyle
substantially increase their risk of developing chronic
illnesses such as heart disease and certain cancers. Many
other studies have shown that when Westerners adopt a Mediterranean
or Asian diet and lifestyle their health improves and their
chronic disease risk substantially decreases. This demonstrates
that the good health traditionally enjoyed by Mediterranean
and Asian peoples has very little to do with genetics and
a lot to do with what they eat and how they live.
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I notice that some of your recipes have refined carbohydrates
in them, including white pasta and white rice. Aren't refined
carbs unhealthy?
Refined carbs can be unhealthy when they're eaten
the typical Western way. For example, a cup of cooked pasta
contains under 200 calories. But once you add a meaty or
creamy sauce and top it with lots of cheese—which is
the way most Westerners eat pasta—the pasta dish can
bloat out to 800 or more calories. Then people mistakenly
blame the pasta for making them fat.
But
what about the rapid rise in blood sugar and insulin-spiking
effects of pasta and rice?
Actually,
regular pasta is made from a special type of wheat called
durum wheat that has a dense compact structure and is slowly
converted to blood sugar, so it doesn’t have the insulin-spiking
effect that many people think. White rice, if it’s
eaten by itself, can have an impact on blood sugar and insulin
levels, but in Asian cultures rice is eaten with other foods
which digest slowly such as fish and poultry, fibrous vegetables
and healthy fats such as peanut oil. This means the overall
meal doesn’t cause a spike in insulin levels.
To
learn more check out Refined
& Unrefined Grains.
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Could a MediterrAsian way of living increase my chances
of living longer?
The
weight of scientific evidence certainly points this way.
The Lyon Diet Heart
Study, for example, found that out of two groups of
heart attack survivors who were studied for two years, those
who followed a Mediterranean-style diet had a 70 percent
lower rate of death compared to those who followed a low-fat
diet.
Statistics
also show that people who live in Asia and the Mediterranean
and follow traditional practices are the longest-living
peoples in the world, yet when they adopt modern Western
dietary and lifestyle practices their life expectancy drops
substantially. One study showed that when people from the
Japanese island of Okinawa migrated and adopted a Western
diet and lifestyle, their life expectancy dropped by 17
years.
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