The 7 main principles of the Mediterranean diet

Cinzia Cuneo 23 giugno, 2014 cancro, salute, salute del cuore, alimentazione mediterranea, cucine del mondo

Over the last fifty years or so, there has been growing scientific data on the health benefits of the Mediterranean diet to prevent heart attacks, strokes as well as diabetes, cancer, Alzheimer-type dementia and even depression.

Here are the 7 main features of this diet, which is usually represented graphically by a pyramid:

1. The most commonly, but not exclusively, eaten foods are of plant origin, especially cereals, vegetables, legumes and fruits.
2. Animal products are consumed in moderation (principle of frugality).
3. The foods consumed are very diverse (principle of diversity) and locally grown (principle of local procurement).
4. Products are consumed based on the seasonal cycle (principle of seasonality).
5. Consumption of sugary products is limited and reserved for special holidays (principle of frugality).
6. Olive oil is consumed in the usual fashion as a dressing and in cooking.
7. To enhance the taste of food, use herbs and spices, as well as onion and garlic instead of salt.

Source: “Mediterranean Food Pyramid”, America’s Test Kitchen, ©

All SOSCuisine meal plans are based on the Mediterranean diet, and so they respect these principles. I invite you to try them out because, not only are they a real health-asset, they are also easy to prepare and super delicious :).

Autori

Cinzia Cuneo

Italiana di nascita e canadese d'adozione, Cinzia ha deciso di coniugare le sue competenze professionali e la sua passione per la buona tavola sviluppando un servizio per aiutare i numerosi «aventi bisogno» a riprendere il controllo della loro alimentazione. Così è nata SOSCuisine. Ingegnere di formazione al Politecnico di Torino, Cinzia ha conseguito un Master's Degree in scienze applicate all'École Polytechnique de Montréal.