I just returned from  a journey we take once a year to  my native country Greece.  It is truly a lovely land of my ancestors, and guess what?  Mediterranean people still eat Mediterranean diet.  And of course, the  epidemic of strokes, heart troubles and diabetes.,we now have here in  our own country does not exists there.

 

Unfortunately, many of them there, just like us here, are now themselves overweight.  It is a worldwide phenomenon.  As I have mentioned before in previous articles, we humans were made to gobble up food when we find it, and as at present, we do find it  in front of us, plentiful, inviting, tasty and fatty;  we just eat it and eat it!  Further, we often use eating for contort when we feel bored, rejected, or lonely. That is why we all have to be choosy and develop good eating habits and life habits to protect ourselves from the unnecessary troubles which are the result of being slack and unmindful of our body and habits. 

 

 I have noticed while  was there, that  the Mediterranean people eat very slowly, sitting down, usually with friends or family members and they have always lots of boiled greens and salads as a part of their meals, like, pig -weeds, yes, “pig weeds”! otherwise known as  “Amaranthus palmeri.” We too have them in America.and I eat them myself  Once these plants are boiled, and added olive oil and plenty of lemon,  are wonderful and do not need to be boiled twice like pokeweed salad does.  They are called Vlita there and they are almost always part of the meal.  The people there  also eat a lot of sliced tomatoes and onions with feta cheese on top and plenty of olive oil, and they eat often fish and chicken, cooked okra or cooked eggplants.  Myself I too eat like that.  They all are rich in antioxidants.  Antioxidants are life-saving  substances  which protect our organs especially our heart and our brain from some nasty products of our body  the results of our metabolism.  These products are called free radicals and they are truly nasty. They  attach themselves to our organs and literally burn them slowly but surely unless there are available antioxidants to neutralize them and that’s where the salads, fruits, boiled greens, and green tea, fish oil, vitamin C and D come in.  They all have  plenty of antioxidants in addition the vegetables and fruits have fiber and minerals .

 

Let’s review once more what eating habits are needed to protect our lives from stroke, high blood pressure and diabetes. and addition can make our lives  more comfortable and pleasant. 

 

Granted, established habits are hard to change, so If a person makes a “quick attempt,” to change his diet and try to loose weight – the attempt will  usually fail even if there is an initial success.   We may lose 5-10 pounds,  only to gain 15 pounds a few weeks later.  If anything has to be done, it should be done gradually – in steps, in order to establish new habits.

 

Follow these very simple rules:

1. Eat very slowly – double the time of your eating.

2. Never eat standing up. 

3. Eat only what you put in front of you.

4. Do not drastically change the amount of food. but add greens, greens, greens boiled or fresh AND fruits!

5. Try always after meals to take a walk each time and every time. 

Follow these simple rule without any other attempt for at least 4-5 weeks.by then you will come automatically and easier. 

 

Cooking okra the Mediterranean way:  In a circular motion cut with a sharp knife only the stems of 2 lbs of medium size okra.  Brown two sliced medium sized onions with generous amount of olive oil.  Add the okra  together with plenty amount of sliced ripe tomatoes. Add 3-4 sliced pieces of garlic. Add pepper, parsley, and simmer them till tender.  It is an agreeable alternative to our southern fried cut up okra .