Suzy Eats

The Mediterranean Diet is more than just food. It also includes exercise and socializing 🙂 Suzy Eats has listed many tips below to help you live the Mediterranean Way.  

1.       Remember the KEY Foods: Some of the key Mediterranean foods are Salmon, Tomatoes, Pomegranate, Spinach, Almonds, Walnuts, Wine, Grapes, Apples, Olive oil, etc….Try and remember some of these key foods and integrate them into your daily routine.

One tip is to set aside a specific day and key food, such as “Salmon Sundays”. Salmon is rich in Omega-3 fatty acids which have been clinically proven to lower cholesterol, specifically triglycerides. Triglycerides are often elevated in diabetics and in people with “large” bellies. Remember “KEY food day” will help ensure that you will eat your salmon, lower your cholesterol and shrink your waistline.

2.       Don’t Forget Exercise: The Mediterranean Diet also includes EXERCISE. Visiting relatives in Jerusalem and Italy, I was able to see first-hand how exercise is incorporated into the Mediterranean lifestyle. For example, my grandparents walked at least 1 mile around their town after dinner each night. If you already workout, that is great. Keep up the good work!!

But, for those of you who do not….start small. Walking is a simple way to begin and can be incorporated into a busy life in various ways.  A good time to start is the next time you go grocery shopping or to the mall. Purposely park FAR away (in the last spot of the parking lot) and walk into the store. Those extra steps definitely go a long way and are a quick way to live Mediterranean.

3.       Socialize:  Mingling with family and friends is a large focus of the overall Mediterranean lifestyle. My extended family would congregate on an almost nightly basis. It would be great if you could socialize on a daily basis, but with the busy, fast-paced lives that many of us live, it may be very difficult.

Therefore, try and set up specific “play-dates” or “dates” with friends and family. Another suggestion is to host a pot-luck dinner with your close family or friends once per week and rotate the location OR stay late after a religious program and mingle. Are you a parent? Get involved in your child’s school or hang out with the other “parents” when your children are socializing.  Socializing has been proven to lower blood pressure and decrease depressive feelings.

Try and incorporate the Mediterranean Way into your life by utilizing some of these simple tips. Which tip do you think is going to be the easiest for you?? Do you have any other tips?