
Quite simply, MediterrAsian means a fusion of traditional
Mediterranean and Asian eating and lifestyle practices. Research
has found that the traditional dietary and lifestyle practices
of Mediterranean and Asian cultures actually share many similarities,
including a high consumption of plant foods such as vegetables,
grains, fruits, legumes and nuts; low consumption of red meat
and animal fats; alcohol consumed regularly in moderation; regular
moderate physical activity and an optimistic attitude towards
life.
Research
has repeatedly shown that these traditional practices protect
Mediterranean and Asian peoples against many illnesses common
throughout Western society such as heart disease (the
number one killer of both men and women in the Western world),
cancers of the breast, prostate and colon, type 2 diabetes, Alzheimer's
disease, arthritis and osteoporosis. The rate of obesity among
Mediterranean and Asian peoples is also typically far lower than
in Western countries such as the United States, Britain, Canada,
Australia and New Zealand.
For
a detailed discussion on how you can easily adopt a MediterrAsian
way of living check out the MediterrAsian
living section of the site.


There's not one specific component that makes a MediterrAsian
way of living so healthy, it's really a combination of many factors
that work hand-in-hand to promote good health.
By
eating lots of plant-based foods such as vegetables, grains, fruits,
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.
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.


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?


Ten
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.


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.


You
don't have to miss out on these foods at all when you follow a
MediterrAsian way of eating. We still enjoy takeout fast food
like this, but we also realize that too much of this sort of food
isn't good for our health or waistlines, so we only eat it occasionally.
However, we've discovered a great way to enjoy these foods on
a more regular basis. Using
the principles of MediterrAsian eating
we have modified many of these typically unhealthy foods and made
them far healthier and lower in calorieswithout sacrificing
the taste. The Recipe Makeovers
section of the site shows you step-by-step how you can do it too
(you can also try out a healthier version of a hot dog by clicking
here).


Actually
there's a simple reason why a MediterrAsian way of eating is good
for your waistlineand it all comes down to calories. Let's
look at the common foods in a MediterrAsian diet 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 caloriesbut 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
weightnot 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.


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 inventedit 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 half a century
of rigorous 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.


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.


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.


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.



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 cheesewhich is the way most Westerners eat
pastathe 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,
pasta is made from a special type of wheat that has a dense compact
structure and is slowly converted to blood sugar, so it doesnt
have the insulin-spiking effect that many people think. Rice,
if its 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
doesnt cause a spike in insulin levels.
To
learn more check out Refined &
Unrefined Grains.


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-lived peoples on
earth, yet when they adopt 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.
There's
also plenty of anecdotal evidence that this way of living can
help you live longer. Professor Ancel Keys is a perfect example.
He was so impressed by what he saw during the Seven
Countries Study that he decided to change his diet and eat
mainly Mediterranean and Asian-style food. In fact, Professor
Keys embraced this way of life so fully that for more than 30
years he divided his time between two homesone in Minnesota
and one in a small southern Italian town 40 miles from Naples.
Ancel Keys died peacefully of old age in November 2004, two months
before his 101st birthday.
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