These Mediterranean Diet Cookbooks Make It So Easy to Eat Healthy
These Mediterranean Diet Cookbooks Make It So Easy to Eat Healthy
The Mediterranean diet, which is all about the traditional eating habits of folks living in countries surrounding the Mediterranean Sea, is nothing new. Even with buzzier diets coming onto the scene, it's still deemed one of the best eating plans out there, year after year. If you're curious about how you can model your lifestyle after some of the longest-living people in the world, a Mediterranean diet cookbook is a one-stop-shop for recipe ideas and tips to get started.
ICYMI, the main focus of the Mediterranean diet is to fill your plate at every meal with good-for-you fresh foods including beans, fish, legumes, nuts, poultry, seeds, vegetables, and whole grains while ditching unhealthy options like products with added sugar, processed meats, and refined grains. Other staples it emphasizes include healthy fats, such as extra-virgin olive oil and walnuts, says New York City-based nutritionist Samantha Cassetty, RD.
Even though you're encouraged not to indulge in too much meat, dairy, and pasta, nothing is off limits. The Mediterranean diet is “about enjoying the whole experience of eating," Cassetty explains. "Food isn’t forbidden or feared; it’s appreciated. This critical factor is missing on many other eating plans.”
To top it all off, this diet offers some major health perks. “I use it quite often with my older patients since it can help lower the risk of cognitive decline and depression, common in the elderly. Besides, this diet may also help reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease,” says Eva De Angelis, RD.
Ready to dive into Mediterranean cooking and eating but are not quite sure where to start? Check out these Mediterranean diet cookbooks—nutritionists say they are the best of the bunch atm.
Meet the experts: Samantha Cassetty, RD, is a contributor to the New York Times bestseller 7 Years Younger and the follow-up 7 Years Younger: The Anti-Aging Breakthrough Diet. Alissa Rumsey, RD, is a nutritionist and certified intuitive eating counselor. Laura Iu, RD, is a nutritionist in New York City.
The Mediterranean diet is crowned one of the healthiest eating plans every year. Get started with these nutritionist-recommended Mediterranean diet cookbooks.
