Mediterranean diet

December 5, 2013
The 6 Healthiest Staple Foods in Greek Cuisine
Greece is thought to be a birthplace for the culinary arts. Their cuisine is known for encompassing rich flavors and researchers have found the Greek diet to be extremely healthful. Here are a few of the Greek diet staples:

Olives and Olive oil

Greek olives are well known for their size and flavor. The most well known is the kalamata olive used for oil and also for appetizers, stews, salads and sauces. Olive oil is used generously for cooking and salad dressings and also as a dip for crusty breads.

Health Benefits: Olives contain healthy monounsaturated fatty acids that have been found to reduce the risk of coronary disease and increase HDL (good) cholesterol.

Olives and olive oil are rich in antioxidants, polyphenols, flavonoids and vitamin E. This combination has been found to help fight colon cancer and heart disease, as well as reduce inflammation.

Eggplants

Many of Greece's most famous dishes -- like moussaka and melitzana salata, an eggplant dip -- contain eggplant, which is known for its slightly bitter flavor and spongy texture.

Health Benefits: Eggplants are a good source of antioxidants and is known to have anti-cancer properties. One of the nutrients is nasunin, found in the eggplant's skin. Nasunin is an antioxidant that protects against free radical damage and protects the fats in brain cell membranes. In addition, they're a good source of dietary fiber, potassium, manganese, copper and vitamin B1.

Grape leaves

Stuffed grape leaves, or dolmathes, is one of the most popular dishes of Greek cuisine. The dish is common among many Middle Easter and Mediterrenean countries and vary slightly with the proportion of ingredients used for the stuffing. It is commonly stuffed with rice, onions and sometimes ground beef.

You can find grape leaves canned or bottled, but fresh leaves can also be used after they're steamed or blanched.

Health Benefits: Aside from being incredibly low in calories (five leaves have only about 14 calories), grape leaves are packed with nutrients including vitamins C, E, A, K and B6, niacin, iron, fiber, riboflavin, folate, calcium, magnesium, copper and manganese. If you use the bottled variety, give them a rinse before you use them. This will remove some of the excess sodium in the brine.

At Yan International, we offer a variety of Greek & other specialty Mediterrenean products, including greek olives, olive oil, and stuffed grape leaves.

October 27, 2013
Medieterrenean diet research
the Mediterranean diet has become a poster child for healthy eating, garnering praise from nutrition experts and home gourmets alike.

A study conducted by researchers from the Harvard School of Public Health and the University of Athens Medical School in Greece, which looked at more than 23,000 Greek men and women, found that certain foods in the Mediterrenean diet, more than others, may offer the bulk of the nutritional benefits of the regimen. The research indicates that the dominant components of the Mediterranean diet score as a predictor of lower mortality are moderate consumption of [alcohol], low consumption of meat and meat products, and high consumption of vegetables,fruits and nuts, olive oil, and legumes."

To supplement your menus with Medietterean foods, including nut varieties, greek olives, olive oil, mediterrenean cheeses, contact Yan International.

Access the full artcile at http://eatingwelllivinglonger.wordpress.com/2010/10/22/take-it-or-leave-it-the-truth-about-8-mediterranean-diet-staples/

September 30, 2013
Resources

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/mediterranean-diet/CL00011/NSECTIONGROUP=2

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mediterranean_diet

http://www.oldwayspt.org/mediterraneandiet

September 30, 2013
Mediterranean diet
The Mediterranean diet traditionally includes fruits, vegetables, pasta and rice. For example, residents of Greece eat very little red meat and average nine servings a day of antioxidant-rich fruits and vegetables. The Mediterranean diet has been associated with a lower level of oxidized low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol — the "bad" cholesterol that's more likely to build up deposits in your arteries.

Nuts are another part of a healthy Mediterranean diet. Nuts are high in fat (approximately 80 percent of their calories come from fat), but most of the fat is not saturated. Because nuts are high in calories, they should not be eaten in large amounts — generally no more than a handful a day. For the best nutrition, avoid candied or honey-roasted and heavily salted nuts.

Grains in the Mediterranean region are typically whole grain and usually contain very few unhealthy trans fats, and bread is an important part of the diet there. However, throughout the Mediterranean region, bread is eaten plain or dipped in olive oil — not eaten with butter or margarines, which contain saturated or trans fats