Mediterraean diet - a different approach to eating

In the last few months I have been reading plenty of articles on the virtues and benefits of the Mediterranean diet, it is being suggested as a solution and alternative to our poor diet and the many health problems it creates. Health problems that are also crushing the NHS.

Regardless of the publication and political inclination, nearly every newspaper or magazine had at least one article on the Mediterranean diet, highlighting how relevant the topic is today.
However, I ‘ve yet to come across an article written by someone that has actually experienced it for more than a week or so – the length of a holiday in any of the Mediterranean countries.

Yet, each journalist seems to believe they've discovered the holy grail, associating the Mediterranean diet to a secret ingredient, whether an unheard type of bean or wholemeal pasta, or eating one thing more than another.

Being Italian, and having pasta in my DNA, I can assure that Italians do not eat, unless prescribed by their doctor and even then, they will think twice, wholemeal pasta. The only common element of all these articles - and it is indeed correct - is the use of extra virgin olive oil. Whether in Spain, Greece, Italy or south of France, extra virgin olive oil is a staple in the Mediterranean diet and used everywhere for everything, whether cooking or frying, sometime even as a medicine. Other than for the extra virgin olive oil, none of the articles I read succeeded in capturing the essence of the Mediterranean diet.

I was born in Italy and grew up breathing the mediterranean diet, so I thought it was time for someone like me to clarify a few points. First of all, Italians and Mediterranean eat everything, from cheeses to desserts, no food is off the menu. The Mediterranean diet isn’t one or more secret ingredients or a book of recipes or cooking tricks, the Mediterranean diet is a philosophy based on a few very simple principles: Eat in season and cook, yes cook; Move a lot; Don’t overcomplicate, simplicity is king. The first and third principle are strictly interrelated.

Unless of a different approach to eating and food – one that prioritise quality over price – we will never be able to follow the Mediterranean diet. In the long run, good quality food is more economical than cheap food, not just for the NHS. Just think how much cheap balsamic or olive oil you need to add to your salad to get any flavour.

Let’s start with the first principle: eat in season and start cooking. By eating in season not only we get the variety of nutrients our bodies need, but also ensures that the food is full of flavour. When the food is full of flavour, we don’t need much more – just ask any chef - and start cooking, too many assume that to cook something tasty and healthy it takes hours, but that's far from the truth.

The second principle is about movement. When I was growing up there were no mobile phones, yes there were computers, but all us kids wanted to do was to go outside and play, don’t matter the weather, and we would have at least 4 meals per day, including the “merenda”, a big panino at 4pm before heading out to play, after having done all school’s homework and there were no children or teenagers overweight or obese. We were always running somewhere. My grandma used to say that we needed plenty of food to grow up healthy and strong. The same applied for adults. Every household would have a least 2 meals, lunch and dinner, late in the evening, but adults would go for a walk and burn the calories. Again, obesity or overweight were not words we were familiar with.

Last but not least, simplicity. Apart from Sundays where my mother - and every other woman or man - could spend hours in the kitchen preparing something special, a lasagna or a homemade pasta with a rich Bolognese sauce, the rest of the week, the meals were simple, not in their flavours but in their preparation. Ask any chef and would tell you that when you have good quality ingredients you don’t need a lot to prepare a delicious meal.

These are what I believe to be the secrets of the Mediterranean diet. There is one more ingredient that was holding it all together: the family. The eating together, the “you don’t watch tv whilst eating”, or “you are not allowed to leave the table until everyone has finished” or “there is only one meal, if you don’t like, your mother is not going to make something else”. In today’s world it may sound a bit dictatorial, but it kept children and adults fit and healthy. The Mediterranean diet, without the family, would have been much harder to follow.

This is the mediterranean diet, it is not about a secret ingredient or a few special recipes, is about giving the food the importance it deserves, appreciating the quality of what we eat rather than its cost. It is about understanding that we are what we eat and if we eat rubbish, not only we feel rubbish but will eventually, down the line, in a few years, be paying a toll.

If we truly want to reap the benefits of the Mediterranean diet, using extra virgin olive oil is a great start, but on its own, it won’t make much difference. We need to rethink the whole approach to food and eating. Only then we will live longer, healthier, and happier lives even if we can only the see the Mediterranean from a map.