Entries Tagged 'Italian Cuisine' ↓

Thanks to Flixflickr

While fad diets and cosmetic surgery continue to offer patchwork (and often dangerous) solutions to the growing problem of the overweight and obese Western population many are finding that an adherence to the traditional and historic Mediterranean diet presents one of the most simple, effective alternatives and solutions.

To examine the typical Mediterranean diet it is important to trace back those civilizations and societies that played a role in contributing to its make-up and by doing this we can best look at the most prevalent foods in the ancient Roman, Greek, Egyptian and Arab cultures and time.
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Nutrition and agro-food technologies experts denounce a reduction by more than 50% of the nutritional properties of foods so called “friends of health” caused by:

• Loss of seasonality
• Pollution
• Agricultural policies of some countries

Have been accused especially fruit and vegetables and other “ingredients” of the Mediterranean diet. They are no longer those of the past.

The reasons?

• The procedures for the production and storage of products that come from all parts of the world
• The demand for products beyond their natural season
• Pollution

So at equal calories intake, foods have far fewer vitamins, salts and fibers.

“Surely products have something better than what happened just 20 years ago but them have lost more than 50% in terms of nutritional principles” , confirms Dr. Andrea Strata, professor of clinical nutrition at the University of Parma, Italy.

Today, the industrial social model requires a variation of food proportions.

Here 5 simple rules to review and update the Mediterranean diet to adapt it to new needs and modern lifestyles:

• The first rule: regular intake of carbohydrates on the basis of your actual physical activity and lifestyle.
• The second rule: increase consumption of fruit and vegetables
• The third rule: help your body through the integration of nutrients. Especially at certain times of the year, in winter take vitamins, as well as minerals during the hottest periods.
• The fourth rule: choose, as far as possible, food where the use of pesticides has been minimal.
• The fifth rule: be informed on the meal and food ingredients and preparation.

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Thanks to Cranrob

Last day I was reading some articles on Sicilian red oranges and I’ve found a very useful article about the effects of sugars consumption and the risk of coronary heart diseases.

The study was conduced by Dr. Linus Pauling, a famous Nobel prize winner, that says:

The coronary disease, including angina pectoris seem to be typical of modern times. Their increasing impact goes hand in hand with the increased consumption of sugar. It’s not correlated with the consumption of animal fats (saturated fat) or fat in general.

From Wikipedia: “It is common to equate severity of angina with risk of fatal cardiac events.”

The citation continues with the explanation of the sugar (Sucrose) metabolism:

The sucrose metabolism in first place produces equal amounts of glucose and fructose.

Glucose enters directly into metabolic processes that provide energy to cells of the body.

The metabolism of fructose proceeds in part to a different direction as a precursor of cholesterol that we synthesize in the liver.

From a study of Dr. Milton Winitz

The ingestion of sucrose leads to an increase in the concentration of cholesterol in the blood.

The Dr. Pauling solution is the Vitamin C

He was very interested in the possible role of vitamin C in preventing atherosclerosis and published three case reports on the use of lysine and vitamin C to relieve angina pectoris.

You can find more of his works in the Linus Pauling Institute and read:

“Higher Plasma Vitamin C Concentration Predicts Lower Risk of Stroke”

In Summary:

1) Avoid foods high in Sucrose:

• Biscuits
• Cookies
• Cakes
• Pies
• Candy canes
• Ice cream
• Sorbets
• Sucrose-containing drinks

2) Choose fructose or corn syrup to sweet foods or drinks

3) Increase the consumption of foods high in Vitamin C

• Broccoli
• Tomato
• Red peppers
• Potatoes
• Oranges and Lemons
• Melons
• Spinachs
• Cauliflower
• Grapefruit
• Raspberry
• Strawberry
• Carrot
• Peach
• Apple

Read More:

You can read the book of Dr. Pauling: “How to Live Longer And Feel Better“

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Here a single idea to choose a snack that mix all the Mediterranean in a cracker…

It’s a product of the Barilla Group that I buy in Italy.

Ingredients:

• Wheat flour
• Tomato (20%)
• Not hydrogenated vegetable fats
• Extra virgin olive oil (2,8%)
• Salt
• Cheese grain (Parmesan) (1,65%)
• Barley flour
• Oregano (0,5%)
• Natural yeast
• Eggs

Nutrition information for 1 serving (1 ounce)

• 135 Kcal
• Protein 2.8
• Carbohydrates 21.2
• Fat 4.3

I’ve tried to search how to find them in the U.S. but nothing.

So if you want to cook them at home here how to prepare a cracker.

Preparation:

1. Put all ingredients in a blender until fine crumbs.
2. Transfer to a small bowl.
3. Add cheese to blender until smooth.
4. Return flour mixture and process until ball forms.
5. Roll out dough thinly.
6. Prick dough all over with a fork.
7. Cut crosswise into equal strips.
8. Bake at 325 for 20 minutes.

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Pizza or Pasta?

Last day during my daily news hunting, I’ve found this article about the real healthy effects of the menu of 2 of the best Italian restaurants in America: Romano’s Macaroni Grill and the Olive Garden

A report from the Center for Science in the Public Interest suggests that maybe eating Italian is not so healthy.

They say that recipes like Spaghetti, Lasagna, meatballs, etc…are high in calories and full of saturated fat.

Generally most people believe the Mediterranean diet is eating like the countries of the Mediterranean cuisine. But it’s not so.

There are thousand of recipes, those healthy, those tasty and those fatty. It’s normal!

The Mediterranean diet is based on:

• Tomatoes
• Olive Oil
• Wine
• Pasta
• Etc..

But It doesn’t mean that all recipes that contains these foods are healthy.

I think that it’s a responsibility of the e restaurants to inform the consumer about the calories and provide a food chart in their menu.

The risk is that the consumer could believe all Italian recipes are healthy.

I’d like also to clarify some things:

• I’m Italian and I think that these restaurants haven’t nothing of Italian. They are managed as business…and everybody of us know that Money=Unhealthy.
• A typical Italian restaurant should be family managed and of little dimensions. I had a look on the websites of these chains and I saw also “Franchising”….what?!
• How can they “sell” the Italian cuisine? Who guarantee you that the ower is another Italian?
• Another thing to consider is that today the Italian cuisine in America is an evolution of the tradition. So most foods don’t come from Italy and recipes have been modified.

Try to cook the Pasta with the Italian water instead of the American one and feel the difference!

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This week I’ve found some interesting articles about children, cholesterol and how the Mediterranean diet helps live longer.

How the Mediterranean diet avoid the risk of obesity

During my weekly research, I’ve found a great interview in an Italian news-magazine about healthy foods for children on a diet and how to educate them to avoid obesity. The people interviewed is a famous Italian dietist that gives useful tips and advices. The interview is in Italian, so I’ve tried to used the online translator.

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