One of the things Trudy and I love most about following a MediterrAsian way of eating is that we get to eat amazing food that also happens to be amazingly healthy.

We’re reminded of just how healthful traditional Mediterranean and Asian eating practices are on a regular basis — mainly through the many scientific studies that show that these eating patterns are the healthiest on earth.

Adding to this wealth of research are two recently published studies which found that a traditional Mediterranean diet can help significantly reduce the risk of both stomach cancer and heart disease.

The first study was published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition and was based on an analysis of 485,044 European men and women aged from 35 to 70 years old. During nine years of follow-up Spanish researchers from the Catalan Institute for Oncology in Barcelona found that those who most closely followed a Mediterranean pattern of eating (characterized by a high intake of vegetables, fruits, grains, legumes, fish, nuts and olive oil, with a moderate intake of dairy products and low intake of red meat) were 33 percent less likely to develop gastric cancer compared to those whose diet least resembled the Mediterranean ideal.

“The results add to the evidence for the role of the Mediterranean diet in reducing cancer risk and add further support for the need to continue to promote the Mediterranean diet in areas where it is disappearing,” said Dr. Carlos A. Gonzalez of the Catalan Institute for Oncology in Barcelona.

The second study was published in the American Journal of Epidemiology and involved an analysis of over 40,000 Spanish men and women followed for an average of 10 years.

After adjusting for confounding factors, researchers found that those who most closely adhered to a Mediterranean diet had a 40 percent lower risk of developing heart disease compared to those with the lowest adherence.

Now excuse me while I go make myself a nice big bowl of Greek salad.

Cauliflower isn’t exactly the most exciting vegetable in the world. It’s colorless, it doesn’t have much of a smell, and if it’s boiled or steamed it has a very bland flavor. Oh yeah, and it’s appearance resembles a whitewashed human brain.

The only way I ever remember enjoying cauliflower as a kid was when it was served as Cauliflower Cheese. My parents are both English, and this classic English side dish is basically boiled cauliflower smothered in cheese sauce (sort of like a cauliflower version of mac ‘n’ cheese). Not very healthy, and absolutely packed with calories.

But there’s no need to disguise the bland flavor of healthy, low calorie cauliflower with unhealthy, calorie laden sauces. In fact there’s a very simple way to change the flavor, texture and appearance of cauliflower for the better — roast it. When it’s brushed with a little olive oil, the outside browns as it cooks and it develops a wonderful nutty flavor. And it only takes 15 minutes!

Cauliflower cooked this way makes a perfect addition to pasta dishes, risottos and stews, and with little effort you can also turn it into this very flavorsome and warming Mediterranean-style soup.

Here’s the recipe.

I was reading Time magazine online today and saw an article titled Top 10 Notable New Diet Books, which I thought I’d check out. I wanted to see what new diet “breakthroughs” were in store for those looking to get in shape in 2010.

After reading a synopsis of each diet I had an eerie feeling of deja vu. A year ago I wrote a short post for another blog called “Forget Diets, Think Healthy Lifestyle Change” where I looked at the new crop of diet books for 2009.

Reading about these so-called “notable” new diets for 2010 just reinforced how I felt back then — so I thought I’d share the post with you on this blog:

Forget Diets, Think Healthy Lifestyle Change

As usual this time of year, a whole new crop of diet books have appeared on bookstore shelves. I’m seeing lots of newspaper articles and news reports talking about these “new” diets.
Well as far as I’m concerned there’s nothing new about any of these diets. Like all the diets I’ve seen in the past, this new crop is full of restrictions, bland meals, and lots of rules and regulations.

Here’s my prediction. Millions of people will try these diets — many will even lose weight in the short term — but in the long term most of them will get sick and tired of being restricted and go back to their old eating habits.

How can I be so confident of my prediction? Because the same thing has been happening year after year, for decades and decades. In fact, as far back as 1956 McCalls magazine featured an article titled “Why Fad Diets Fail.”

Now, more than 50 years later, there are more diets out there than ever before, and guess what? We’re fatter than ever before. I think this pretty much shows that diets just don’t work in the long term.

So if diets don’t work, what is the answer?

Quite simply, it has to be a permanent healthy lifestyle change instead of a temporary diet. And the only way that most people will ever make a permanent lifestyle change is if it’s enjoyable.

And that’s the main reason Trudy and I have been able to follow a MediterrAsian lifestyle for well over a decade — because it’s so thoroughly enjoyable. The fact it keeps us lean, healthy and full of energy is just a very nice bonus!

Looking for some last minute ideas for New Year nibbles? Why not put an Italian twist into your festivities by serving a platter of crostini or “little toasts.” You can use ciabatta or sourdough bread to make crostini, but we prefer bite-size crostini so usually use a long thin baguette.

Hope you enjoy the different selection of toppings — and all the best for the New Year and the new decade!

Crostini Selection

1 large baguette — cut into half- inch slices. Place on a baking tray and brush on both sides with extra virgin olive oil. Bake at 400F/200C for 6 mins.

Topping 1: Smoked Salmon with Mascarpone Cheese and Baby Spinach
In a small bowl mix 3 tablespoons mascarpone cheese with 1 teaspoon finely diced red onion, 6 finely chopped capers, ¼ teaspoon finely chopped lemon zest, ¼ teaspoon salt and a little freshly ground black pepper. Serve crostini with a dollop of the mascarpone topped with a baby spinach leaf and slice of smoked salmon.

Topping 2: Roasted Red Pepper, Feta and Kalamata Olive
Top crostini with crumbled feta, roasted red pepper strips and a halved kalamata olive. Add freshly cracked black pepper to garnish.

Topping 3: White Bean and Sun-dried Tomato Puree with Marinated Artichoke Hearts
In a food processor combine 1 cup canned cannelini beans, ¼ cup sundried tomatoes, ½ clove garlic, ½ teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, 2 tablespoons each extra virgin olive oil and water and process until smooth (makes about 1 cup). Serve a dollop of the bean puree on the crostini topped with a quartered marinated artichoke heart.

Topping 4: Garlic Chili Shrimp
Saute ½ cup cooked baby shrimp in ½ tablespoon extra virgin olive oil with ½ clove garlic, ¼ teaspoon chili flakes for two minutes. Add 1 teaspoon of finely chopped fresh parsley and 1 teaspoon lemon juice then top crostini with the mixture.

Topping 5: Cherry Tomato, Basil and Parmesan
Place 1 cherry tomato (halved) on each crostini. Top with a fresh basil leaf and shaved Parmesan then drizzle with a little extra virgin olive oil and garnish with sea salt and freshly ground pepper.

We don’t celebrate Thanksgiving here in New Zealand, but considering that well over half of the visitors to our website are from the U.S. we decided to scour our recipe archives for recipes we think would work well as Thanksgiving side dishes.

So, if you’d like to jazz up your Thanksgiving meal with a bit of international flair this year, here are eight delicious and healthful dishes we reckon will perfectly complement roast turkey, or any other kind of protein. In fact these dishes are so tasty and satisfying that you could quite easily skip the turkey altogether and still have a very hearty and satisfying meal!

Champiñones al Ajillo – Spanish Garlic Mushrooms

Moroccan Chickpea & Couscous Salad (serve hot or cold)

Fava Beans with Marinated Artichoke Hearts & Olives

Greek-Style Potato Salad (serve hot or cold)

Warm Bean & Chorizo Salad

Cantonese Rice Salad (serve hot or cold)

Baked Marinated Tofu

Mediterranean Bean Salad (serve hot or cold)

We regularly receive emails from people who want to follow a MediterrAsian way of eating but say they don’t like eating fish. They generally want to know if it’s possible to follow this way of eating without having to eat fish.

Well we know many vegetarians and vegans who follow a MediterrAsian way of eating, so it’s most certainly possible. But if you’re not a vegetarian or vegan I wouldn’t recommend skipping fish — not only is it packed with nutrients and low in calories (learn more about the benefits of fish here), it can also taste magnificent if it’s prepared the right way.

That’s why we recommend to those who say they don’t like fish to try it prepared in traditional Mediterranean and Asian ways and see if it changes their mind. We typically suggest they try some of the fish dishes on this site including Ginger-Steamed Fish with Stir-Fried Vegetables, Thai Fish Curry, Spanish Tuna & Vegetable Stew, Sun-dried Tomato & Walnut Pesto Pasta with Salmon & Asparagus, and Vietnamese Baked Fish. Very rarely does anyone come back and say they still don’t like fish!

So if you think you’re not a fan of fish why not give some of the fish dishes on this site a try and then see how you feel. To get you started, here’s a super tasty fish dish that I’m sure would convert even the most ardent fish hater.

These Japanese-style fish cakes have quite a “meaty” texture and a delicate flavor. The dipping sauce adds a delightful salty savoriness as well as a little kick from the wasabi (Japanese horseradish). They make a wonderful appetizer, and if you serve them with our Japanese noodle salad (minus the smoked salmon) they make a complete and balanced meal in their own right.

Click here for the recipe.

Chronic depression runs in my family — and it’s taken a terrible toll. Not only did my grandmother take her own life, so did her son, my dad. So I know how utterly devastating depression can be.

Thankfully, depression hasn’t affected me much in my own life. I say not much because certain monumental events, including my dad’s death and losing my health after my motorcycle accident were very depressing indeed. But these were natural depressive phases that I’m sure anyone would go through in similar circumstances. In general, however, I’m a very upbeat kind of guy and I certainly couldn’t be described as depressive. I’m sure I’m just naturally lucky in the gene department, but perhaps what I eat could have an influence as well.

That’s why I took particular interest in a study reported in the October issue of the Archives of General Psychiatry which showed a strong link between the Mediterranean diet and a lowered risk of depression.

The Spanish study involved more than 10,000 healthy adults whose eating habits were tracked between 1999 and 2005. All were free of depression at the start of the study. After an average follow-up of 4.4 years it was found that those who most closely followed a Mediterranean diet (characterized by a low intake of red meat, moderate intake of alcohol and dairy products, and high intake of vegetables, fruits, grains, beans, nuts, olive oil and fish) had a far lower rate of depression compared to those who least followed these eating characteristics. “We are speaking of a relative reduction in risk of 42 percent to 51 percent,” said study co-author Dr. Miguel A. Martinez-Gonzalez, chair of preventive medicine at the University of Navarra. “This is a strong association.”

Dr. Martinez-Gonzalez thinks there may be several reasons why a Mediterranean diet could protect against depression. For example, he says it improves the function of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), a molecule that is responsible for the growth and function of nerve cells. Also, olive oil improves the binding of serotonin to its receptors “and serotonin is a key neurotransmitter in depression,” he said. “In fact, Prozac acts by increasing the availability of serotonin in the brain.”

In addition, fish is regularly consumed as part of the Mediterranean diet, and the omega-3 fatty acids in fish help improve the function of the central nervous system. “All these mechanisms may lead to an improved brain function and a greater resilience to better face the frustrations of every day, to control stress, and so on,” he said.

However Dr. Martinez-Gonzalez is quick to point out that a Mediterranean diet shouldn’t be used to treat depression if you already have it. “The Mediterranean diet might be ideal for the prevention of depression, but not for its treatment,” he said. “For those patients who already have depression, the best thing they can do is to seek the proper medical treatment by a psychiatrist.”

Cashews regularly make an appearance at our house, whether we scatter them into Chinese or Southeast Asian stir-fries and noodle dishes, or add them to Indian curries, or simply snack on them plain. But one thing we’ve never done with cashews is use them in a Mediterranean dish. Almonds, walnuts, pine nuts and pistachios have always been our nuts of choice for Mediterranean recipes.

So we decided to do a little experimenting over the weekend and use cashews in a Mediterranean dish. One of our favorites is hummus, which is a simple puree of chickpeas, tahini (sesame seed paste), garlic and lemon juice which is traditionally used as a dip and spread throughout Greece and the Middle East. We thought that instead of using tahini we’d use cashews, which have a rich nutty flavor of their own. And to ramp up the flavor and texture even further we decided to throw some roasted red pepper into the mix.

We’ve had our fair share of kitchen disasters when we’ve tried experimenting like this before, so we were a bit apprehensive before we turned on the food processor. But once all the ingredients had churned together and formed a paste, we were more than pleased with the result. The rusty red puree had a marvelous rich and creamy texture and the cashews had a less pronounced flavor than tahini, which worked really well with the slightly smoky roast peppers.

You can enjoy this hummus as a dip or spread, and we’ve also found that it’s even more versatile than regular hummus. Because it’s got a pesto-like quality, it can easily be tossed with pasta, which is what we did the other night. We simply cooked up some pasta and added broccoli florets and fresh shrimp to the boiling pasta water (chicken or scallops would have worked well too), then tossed it with the roasted red pepper and cashew hummus and a little bit of reserved cooking water. It made a delightfully creamy yet creamless pasta dish, which we’ll definitely be having again. We also found that if this hummus is diluted with a little red wine vinegar (about a tablespoon per cup of hummus) it makes a very creamy and flavorsome salad dressing too.

Here’s the recipe.

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 but vastly more choice.

Indeed, 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, Enigmatic Exaltations.

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. To read all of Christi’s inspiring story click here.

Another piece of great news we had recently was from Brad, who was one of the winners of our 5th 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 learnt of another success story when I stumbled across a blog post by Andee, who had adopted a MediterrAsian way of eating after discovering our website. Within four months she said this way of eating alone had lowered her cholesterol to safer levels. You can read more about her experience here.

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.

The Mediterranean diet has been getting lots of media attention over the last few days since a study was published in the Journal of the American Medical Association that found that out of 1,880 elderly people who were studied for over five years, those who closely adhered to a Mediterranean diet had a 40 percent lower risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease compared to those who didn’t follow a Mediterranean diet.

Several other studies over the last few years have also shown that a Mediterranean diet can reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s disease and improve cognitive function, so the Mediterranean bean salad I’m going to present to you today — which uses a wide range of classic Mediterranean ingredients — could quite easily be described as “brain food.”

However this salad is equally as good for your heart. That’s because beans are an excellent source of soluble fiber, which helps reduce levels of “bad” LDL cholesterol, and in turn lowers the risk of heart disease. Soluble fiber also slows down digestion and helps regulate blood sugars, so it helps you stay fuller for longer too.

But to be honest I don’t love this salad because of its health benefits — although that’s a very nice bonus. I love this salad because it tastes absolutely scrumptious! And have you ever seen a more colorful salad? The vivid green of the fava beans and the vibrant red of the peppers and purple of the onions contrast so well with the dark kalamata olives and neutral hues of the cannellini beans and chickpeas.

You can serve this salad at room temperature, and it tastes equally as good warmed up and served with a little crumbled feta and some crusty bread.

Here’s the recipe.