Why we believe a MediterrAsian way of eating is superior to the Mediterranean diet

When it comes to healthy eating, the Mediterranean diet is hard to beat. Not only does it offer numerous health benefits, it’s also an incredibly appetizing way to eat, encompassing such varied and delicious cuisines as Italian, Greek, Spanish, Provençal, Moroccan, Turkish and Lebanese.

Yet despite this fact, Trudy and I couldn’t imagine eating only Mediterranean-style foods for the rest of our lives. Don’t get me wrong, we absolutely love Mediterranean foods like pasta dishes, risotto, paella, pizza, hummus and Greek salad. But we’re just as enchanted with the incredibly varied foods of Asia including sushi, stir fries, curries, fried rice, and noodles dishes.

Thankfully, a large body of research has shown that traditional Asian eating practices are just as healthful as traditional Mediterranean eating practices. And this is no surprise because the nutrient profile of Mediterranean and Asian cuisines are very similar — based around vegetables, fruits, grains, legumes, fish, poultry and healthy oils, and only small amounts of red meat.

So the reason we believe that following a MediterrAsian way of eating is superior to solely following a Mediterranean way of eating is simply because it offers all the same health benefits (and more, according to some research) and vastly more choice.

In fact Trudy and I have been eating a combination of Mediterranean and Asian foods for well over a decade now, and we’ve never got bored with this way of eating…not even close!

We’re also living proof of the healthfulness of a combined Mediterranean and Asian way of eating. We’re both at our ideal weight, and our cholesterol levels and blood pressure are excellent. We also have loads of energy and generally feel great.

And we’re not the only ones benefiting from a MediterrAsian way of eating. We regularly hear from people who have improved their health by adopting MediterrAsian eating practices. In fact, in the last few weeks alone we’ve discovered that a MediterrAsian way of eating has made a significant difference to three people’s lives.

One of those people is Christi, who wrote about her experience on her personal blog. Several months ago Christi began exploring options for becoming healthier, which included researching numerous diets. She eventually felt discouraged because none of the approaches of the popular diets felt quite right for her. She ended up deciding to try the Mediterranean diet because it included many foods she enjoyed.

Christi’s next step was to check out several books about the Mediterranean diet from the library. One of those books happened to be our book, The MediterrAsian Way. The book must have struck a chord with her because she ended up renewing it “over and over” and started following a MediterrAsian way of eating. “It is about lifestyle change, not dieting” she noted in her blog post.

Christi found that a MediterrAsian way of eating was highly enjoyable, offered lots of choice, and was easy to stick to. “I do not feel deprived in the least…I still enjoy what I eat and get lots of flavor.”

Although she didn’t focus on weight loss, just overall balance and health, Christi was surprised when she went for her yearly physical exam and found that she had lost 27 pounds and had substantially lowered her cholesterol. “It truly confirmed I am on the right path” she said.

Another piece of great news we had recently was from Brad, who was one of the winners of our site anniversary book giveaway. When we contacted Brad to tell him he’d won, he told us that he’d already bought a number of copies in the past and had given one to his 60-year-old father who was overweight and had high blood pressure.

With a combination of MediterrAsian eating and a mild exercise program, Brad said that his dad had lost 35 pounds and was off his blood pressure medication. He also told us that his dad’s doctor was so impressed with his results that he went and got a copy as well. (Trudy’s parents are both doctors, so this made her particularly proud.)

Then late last month we learned of another success story when I stumbled across a blog post by Andee, who had adopted a MediterrAsian way of eating because she had high blood cholesterol levels. Within four months she said this way of eating alone had lowered her cholesterol to safe levels.

In our opinion the gift of health is the greatest gift you can give someone, so hearing success stories like these gives us a huge thrill. It also confirms our belief that a MediterrAsian way of eating is one of the healthiest and most enjoyable ways you can possibly eat.