By: Jean Johnson for Reflux1In a recent article posted on Reflux1.com we drew connections between gastroesophageal reflux (GERD) and Mediterranean diets. Study results we cited included findings that revealed that although almost half the American population (42 percent) had heartburn at least once in a six-month period, only a mere 9 percent of the Italian population suffered from the problem.
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Interested in testing some Mediterranean cuisine in your kitchen? Use these cookbooks to get started :
Mollie Katzen’s “Moosewood Cookbook” is a classic that first came out in 1977 and has since been updated and revised in 1994 and 2000.
Sally Schneider’s “A New Way to Cook” is a sure guide and her Italian connection is revealed in the frontispiece where she dedicates the book to “Sofia, Luca, and Augusto, the children in my life.”
Not to be outdone by any means is Lynne Rossetto Kasper’s “The Italian Country Table: Home Cooking from Italy’s Farmhouse Kitchens” (1992). Kasper also hosts the Splendid Table, a program dedicated to eating well on National Public Radio stations across the nation. From her Web site at splendidtablenpr.org she also offers a free weekly newsletter with dinner tips in the tradition of her culture. |
As the twentieth century has given way to the twenty-first, Mediterranean cuisine has gained recognition as the one of the healthiest in the world. Now those in the know regularly smash fresh garlic cloves with the broad side of a French butcher knife, slip the ivory nuggets from their translucent papery cases, scatter a little kosher salt on the block and go to mincing. “Even my mother, who championed things like garlic powder and parmesan cheese from a green can when I was growing up, says my garlic bread’s the best because I use the real thing,” said Susan MacDonald of Reno, Nevada. “She even loves all the great deli olives on the market and always did enjoy asparagus and a nice Caesar salad. But that’s about where we part company.
“Mom’s still pretty much stuck in the meat, potatoes, and gravy world. She does eat fruit but like much of her generation she seems to have to have everything peeled if not stewed down in heavy syrup,” MacDonald continued. She adds that when her mother does go for the veggies, “She loads them up with butter. And her breakfasts – they are these heavy affairs of eggs, bacon, and toast from white bread. Even though now that she has reflux she has to take it a little easier.”
Mediterranean cuisine relies on more than fresh garlic as MacDonald implied. The mainstay of this culture’s food is a wide variety of plant-based fruits and vegetables, breads and whole grains, and nuts, olives, beans and potatoes. Also the emphasis is on minimal processing and eating locally and in season as much as possible.
Olive oil is the principal fat, a superior oil that is a good source of antioxidants as well as monounsaturated fat that can lower total cholesterol. Cheese and yogurt are eaten in moderate amounts, and consumption of fish, poultry, eggs and red meat is low. Finally fresh fruit is the preferred dessert with sugary, high-fat confections reserved for special occasions. Added to this exemplary mix is moderate consumption of wine – one to two glasses a day for men and one for women – as well as an active lifestyle.
Mediterranean cuisine has been in the news for well over a decade with food issues think tank groups like Oldways, a nonprofit founded in 1990, touting its benefits. According to Cooking Light, the largest circulation food magazine in the United States, Oldways is a “much-acclaimed organization [that] has profoundly changed how Americans think about healthy food and the practical wisdom of tradition."
Oldways (www.oldwayspt.org) does not focus exclusively on Mediterranean cuisine, but it does list it first among first healthy eating patterns that the organization has identified as wise and beneficial. As the Oldways Web site states: “With its scientific partners, Oldways consolidated these healthy patterns into four pyramid-shaped eating guides – Mediterranean, Asian, Latin American, and Vegetarian. Over 500 scientists contributed to the development and updating of these pyramids, now recognized as representing the gold standard of current nutrition science.”
That Oldways has met with considerable success in spreading the gospel was attested to by James Mellgren, writing for The Gourmet Retailer in 1996: "Only if you had lived in a closet for the last several years could you be unaware of the celebration of Mediterranean cuisine as a healthful, satisfying diet. Much of this awareness must be credited to Oldways."
We’re sure Mellgren will forgive those of us that have somehow missed the cutting edge he assumes to have been so prominent and pervasive. What’s important is that we’re coming along at last. Moving into the realm of medicine and science where we realize that what we eat has a powerful influence over our health, and moreover discovering that eating well is truly more enjoyable.
“I agree,” said Susan MacDonald, “but for people like my mother who really are not interested, it’s a bit too late. I think she could help her reflux if she was willing to experiment some, but mostly she’s not. So what I do is focus on my children and their kids. Try to show them how delicious and easy Mediterranean cooking is once you get into the groove. They mostly are sold and I expect them to be reflux free when they are old. The only thing I’m still working on is white bread. America hasn’t really made this transition yet, so it’s hard.”
