Mediterranean Diet Cookbook For Dummies

by Meri Raffetto

Benefit from the Mediterranean diet

For decades, doctors and nutritional experts have observed—and confirmed—that people in Mediterranean countries have much lower occurrences in vascular disease, obesity, cancer, and diabetes than their counterparts in northern European countries and the United States. Now, Mediterranean Diet Cookbook For Dummies shows you how to cook meals inspired by the cuisines of Italy, Greece, Spain, and southern France so you too can live a healthier life free of excess weight and disease.

The Mediterranean diet—ranked #2 in Best Diets overall, it is high in vegetables, fruits, olive oil, and whole grains, and moderate in protein and animal fats—has proven to be beneficial in reducing the risk for diabetes, heart disease, and stroke. Now, a new study shows it may also be good for the brain. The Mediterranean diet isn't just a fad or a quick fix—it's a healthy lifestyle choice that's here to stay!

Create more than 150 tasty recipes Get expert tips on meal planning and exercise regimes Prevent and fight diseases by eating delicious food Find delicious alternatives to unhealthy ingredients

Whether you're just discovering the Mediterranean diet or are looking for some new recipes to add to your repertoire, this updated, hands-on guide offering the latest research has everything you need to start living a healthier life.

Genres: Cookbooks, Nonfiction, Health, Cooking, Culinary, Reference, Food

621 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 29, 2011

About the author

Meri Raffetto, RD, is a registered dietitian and recognized professional in nutrition and wellness.

Credit: Dummies

Reviews

[Lee Anne · Rating 5 out of 5]

My husband's doctor recommended the Mediteranean diet for him after by-pass surgery, so I bought several cookbooks to learn how to cook this way. This is a great book for someone who knows nothing about this diet. It explains the diet, gives you a sample menu, and has some great recipes.

[Nathan Lively · Rating 4 out of 5]

I follow Wendy Jo Peterson on Twitter (@FuelinRoadie) because she is the the only nutritionist I’ve come across who works specifically with musicians and live event crew. As part of my series on food and drink at work, I decided to review her book, Mediterranean Diet Cookbook For Dummies. The few things I know about cooking I picked up from friends and family, and this is the first cookbook that I’ve owned and used. It’s easy to read; each recipe is simple and straightforward, requiring only a few steps. Let’s jump right into some of Wendy’s best meals to take to work:


Best Recipes To Take To Work

Frittata

I love meals that last for days, and this is definitely one of them. If you’ve never made one, they are super simple. Basically, you just sauteé whatever veggies you like and throw a bunch of eggs on top. I like to make a big one for the week and heat up a slice in the morning. You may or may not enjoy this cold, so it’s best to make it when you have a microwave at work.

The first recipe I made from the cookbook was the Goat Cheese Fritatta, which was great, but I had to double the salt, pepper, and garlic to suit my tastebuds. This makes me think that the seasonings in these Mediterranean recipes might be toned down to please bland American palates.

Salad

Salads are great to take to work, but they wilt and taste like crap when they are hot, so if you are going to be outside take an ice pack with you. In the last post I mentioned Wendy’s salad in a jar, which is a great way to prepare salads ahead of time and keep them fresh. Don’t forget to include nuts and beans for added protein. And fruit salads! There is a recipe for Pomegranate Salad in the book that looks great.

If you want to turn your salad into a more substantial meal, add salmon or tuna (or tofu for vegetarians). If you want to please your stomach with more carbs, add pasta.
sound-design-live-mediterranean-diet-cookbook-dummies-polenta

Couscous and Polenta

Couscous and polenta keep well in the fridge for days. I included a great couscous recipe in my last post, Eat Healthy On Tour. Polenta will congeal when not kept warm, so you can just cut off a slice and pop it in the toaster. Peterson includes a recipe for Polenta with Prosciutto and Parmesan, but I like to use mushrooms and onion instead of prosciutto.
Beans

The cookbook includes several recipes with beans that would both taste good cold and be fine to carry around, including Black Beans with Tomatoes and Feta. The secret ingredient for most of these recipes is feta cheese. Yum.

Wendy suggests eating protein-rich food together with a bit of fat to slow digestion at meals. As you can see, all of the above recipes can be modified to have more or less protein and fat. The other recipe from this cookbook that I tried out myself was Grilled Scallops. Scallops are great! They are a little expensive and might be hard to find fresh in your town, but they are super easy to prepare on a grill or in a pan and make for a very impressive meal.

The Mediterranean Lifestyle

Research has shown that people who live in these areas have less heart disease and better longevity.

This book is more than a cookbook; it also includes a nice survey on the Mediterranean lifestyle and its health benefits. This is important because heart disease is the number one cause of death in the US. There is a great story in Malcolm Gladwell’s book Outliers about Roseto, a US town that in the 1950s was heavily populated by Italian immigrants and had an incredibly low rate of heart disease compared with the rest of the country. After researchers exhausted all other hypotheses about diet, exercise, and location, they discovered that it was the community itself that made people more healthy. You can read the entire story here. Along with nutrition, Peterson’s cookbook covers some of these intangible qualities of work-life balance in her attempt to describe the Mediterranean lifestyle.
Quote

Mediterranean diet is a way of life – one where you eat lots of fresh food and slow down.-Wendy Jo Peterson

I experienced a version of Mediterranean diet while I lived in Portugal 2003-2008. While Wendy recommends eating seafood and drinking wine a couple of times a week, I’m thinking, people in Lisbon do this for every lunch and dinner! Woohoo! That’s because you can eat a complete fish lunch for the same price as buying the fish yourself. And you can get a bottle of great local wine for $4. Portugal doesn’t have a siesta after lunch like Spain, but you usually get an hour off for lunch and having alcohol with your meal isn’t taboo. (Speaking of taboo, did you know that Portugal decriminalized all drugs ten years ago? Apparently they’ve reduced national drug addiction by half. Read about it here.)

Mediterranean Diet Cookbook also has good information on incorporating more plant-based foods into your diet. This is important to me because I eat mostly vegetarian, but also because I recently watched the documentary Knives Over Forks. If you haven’t seen it, it basically blames meat and dairy for cancer. Polarizing much?
Conclusion

When I started reading this book, I thought: “I’m going to find some fast easy recipes for busy sound engineers.” In the end I found a lot more value in the recommendations for relaxation and stress reduction. There is much more to the Mediterranean lifestyle than just olives and wine. It’s gathering for food with our friends, family, and community that really reenforces our human connections and emotional balance.

Do you have a Mediterranean style life-hack?

For more about how to recover from a long work day, the best snacks for instant energy, and nutrient-rich meals for the road, listen to my entire interview with Wendy Jo Peterson.
www.sounddesignlive.com/food-drink-at...

[Cheri Bernard · Rating 4 out of 5]

Best cookbook and maybe only I have read cover to cover. Basic and more elaborate recipes with fun articles sprinkled throughout to explain more about certain foods or the Mediterranean lifestyle. Bottom line: The main food principles of a traditional Mediterranean diet include:
*Eating five to nine servings of fruits and vegetables each day
*Enjoying fish or seafood several times a week
*Eating smaller portion sizes of beef, poultry, and grains
*Consuming less beef (eating it a couple of times per month rather than a couple of times per week)
*Incorporating beans and lentils with weekly meals
*Using healthy fats such as olive oil in place of butter and lard
*Enjoying nuts with meals and snacks
The other big mindset is about slowing down your stress and stepping up your activity…walking, dancing, cooking, socializing, enjoying life!

[Amanda Osborne · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a very basic, break it down Barney-style book about the diet. I appreciated that it was laid out in a simple, straight forward manner and the Dummies style of non-fiction books already lends itself to lists, do's and dont's and helpful hints. Very good introduction to the Mediterrranean Diet.

[Ann Mulholland · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm trying to eat better, was just looking for some recipes but found a lot of good information on health and nutrition as well. Glad I picked this up

[Marie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Easy to follow source for anyone who wants to know more about the Mediterranean diet. It provides tips and some recipes.

[Tarja · Rating 4 out of 5]

informative

[Tracy Wilson · Rating 3 out of 5]

good info

[Bev Lee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Got this gem from our library. I loved it so much that I ordered a copy of my own. Wonderful recipes and guidance.

[Matt Speer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some interesting information about some of the eating ideas of the supposedly most healthy people around…

[Sarah Dunmire · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don’t think I’ve read books in the “for dummies” series, but this was quite good. Helpful explanations, humor, and good-sounding recipes!

[Michelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Solid info with a lot of recipes and tips on how to cook them.

[Aprilleigh · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was mostly impressed with this book. It includes about 180 recipes and a half dozen chapters on the diet itself, including what it is, why it’s beneficial, some sample meal plans to get you started, and advice on stocking your pantry and cooking. There’s some very good information in here that I don’t remember seeing in other Mediterranean diet cookbooks.

My one complaint is the under emphasis of appropriate portions in the section on red meats. One small, easily missed paragraph in an awkward location tells you 2-3 oz. is an appropriate portion, but most of the recipes result in portions twice that size. One of the recipes that seems to result in an appropriate serving of red meat is loaded with butter from the Béchamel sauce. Pay better attention to this detail than the author did, and this is a very useable book to get you started.

[Susan Marrier · Rating 4 out of 5]

This seems like an excellent introduction to eating (and living) the Mediterranean way. It was a bit intimidating at first, but the authors take you by the hand with humour and patience, and with suggested "baby steps" to get started. Living with a meat-and-potatoes guy makes it difficult, but I am greatly encouraged to follow this way of eating and living as much as possible. My only complaint with the book is that the index could be more comprehensive.

[Elizabeth Johnson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very well-balanced overview of the Mediterranean lifestyle. Great introduction, and includes some good recipes. Highly recommended as a jumping-off point for learning about the benefits and how-tos of a Mediterranean diet.

[Trina · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good basic info. Lots of recipes for every meal, snacks and desserts!

[Paula · Rating 5 out of 5]

My husband loves eating this way!

[Barbara James · Rating 2 out of 5]

nonfiction

[Jeannette · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some of the recipes are for 24 people. Most are for 6-8 servings. Not very helpful for a single person. Even trying to "cut" the recipe doesn't work that well.

[Shiloh Mccollum · Rating 2 out of 5]

Good for explaining the diet. I was looking for recipes so I felt disappointed.

[Keri Peloso · Rating 3 out of 5]

nothing you can’t get on the internet

No real “wow” recipes just basic which is fine but could just Google the same with less pages. Nothing really I took away from it.