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Now,
imagine if eating and living this way could help you stay
lean and healthy, substantially reduce your risk of contracting
heart disease, diabetes, osteoporosis, many types of cancer
(including breast, prostate and colon cancer), and increase
your chances of living longer.
This
way of living might sound like the impossible dream, but in
reality people from Mediterranean and Asian cultures have
been living like this, and reaping the rewards, for more than
5000 years.
Traditional
dietary and lifestyle practices
There's
actually no such thing as a uniform Mediterranean or Asian
diet and lifestyle. The Mediterranean region, for example,
encompasses such diverse countries as Greece, Italy, Morocco,
Turkey, Spain and Tunisia (See map).
Not only do these countries share different ethnic, cultural
and religious backgrounds, the dishes traditionally eaten
in these countries are equally diverse and use a wide range
of different cooking techniques as well as different herbs,
spices and seasonings.
The
cultural and culinary diversity seen throughout the Mediterranean
is equally apparent in Asia, which includes such countries
as Japan, China, Thailand, India, Vietnam, Indonesia and Korea
(See map).
Yet,
despite the differences, research over the last 50 years has
shown that there are also many distinct similarities between
the traditional dietary and lifestyle practices of Mediterranean
and Asian cultures:
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Their
diets include abundant amounts of plant foods such as
grains, vegetables, fruits, legumes (beans, peas and lentils)
and nuts |
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They
consume only small amounts of red meat |
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They
consume fish regularly |
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Most
of the fat they consume comes from plant and fish oils |
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They
consume alcohol regularly in moderation (usually with
meals) |
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They
are physically active as part of their everyday lives |
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They
tend to have an optimistic view of life, family ties are
strong and special time is usually set aside each day
to relax the body and mind (such as the afternoon siesta
common throughout the Mediterranean region and Tai Chi
and yoga which are commonly practiced throughout Asia) |
According
to a large body of scientific
research it's these similar dietary and lifestyle practices
that help explain why Mediterranean and Asian peoples also
share the same good health, low rates of chronic disease and
long life expectancy.
Incorporating
traditional Mediterranean and Asian dietary and lifestyle
practices into your own life
So,
how can a Westerner living in this fast-paced, high-stress
modern world possibly adopt traditional Mediterranean and
Asian dietary and lifestyle practices? If
that sounds like a difficult proposition, let us assure you,
it's not.
 We
both lead busy Western lives, and we've done it. In fact,
for well over a decade we've been incorporating traditional
Mediterranean and Asian dietary and lifestyle practices into
our lives (read Ric's story here
and Trudy's story here). Over
that time we've not only had lots of fun and discovered a
world of wonderful tastes, we've also experienced a remarkable
improvement in our physical health and emotional wellbeing.
And through this Web site we'd like to show you how to easily
follow a "MediterrAsian" way of living too.
For
a quick overview of each section of MediterrAsian.com
check out the Site Guide.
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