Reader\'s Digest India - 09.2019

By Ishi Khosla

T

he term ‘Mediterranean diet’,

which implies that all Mediter-

ranean people have the same

diet, is a misnomer. Mediterranean

cuisine includes Italian, French,

Spanish and Greek food. However,

what they have in common is that

they are all based on plenty of fruits,

vegetables, nuts, olive oil, fish, dairy

and wine. These cuisines are good

sources of fibre and antioxidants, and

are relatively low in carbohydrates—

around 40–45 per cent—compared to

Indian and American diets that include

around 60–70 per cent carbs. in

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In general, this cuisine focuses on

a quality of fat—omega-3 fats from

fatty fish and walnuts are anti-inflam-

matory and heart friendly. But does it

work for Indians? You may not need to

blindly switch to olive oil because tra-

ditional Indian diets also contain heart-

healthy fats—mustard and sesame oil

for instance. For maximum benefits,

use cold-pressed organic oils instead

of refined ones, which have little

benefit, and avoid eating foods contain-

ing hydrogenated fat or reused oil that

many commercially-prepared products

have. What we should also be doing is

Reader’s Digest

FOOD

What makes the Mediterranean

diet heart-healthy?

46 september 2019

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