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Cultural Variations - Mediterranean American Diet
These
are just some examples of the kinds of foods that may be found in
an Mediterranean diet. If you eat mainly from the USDA food pyramid,
you may not have tried some of them. One of the keys to successful
weight loss is keeping boredom out of your diet. Make something
new tonight using ingredients from below that you haven't tried
before.
| Fats
and Oils |
Eat
sparingly - butter, olive oil, sesame oil, nut and vegetable oils |
| Sweets |
Eat
sparingly - honey, sugar, candy, cake, pastries, and cookies. |
| Milk,
Yogurt, Cheese |
Choose
nonfat or lowfat milk (cow, goat), yogurt, and cheese (goat's, sheep's,
and cow's) |
| Meat,
Poultry, Fish, Eggs, Dry Beans, Nuts, and Seeds |
Choose
lower fat servings of: beef, lamb, pork, rabbit, chicken, duck, pigeon,
turkey, fish, shellfish, and eggs. Eat a variety of beans and peas (black,
navy, red, and fava beans, chick-peas, and lentils). Eat nuts (almonds,
cashews, hazelnuts, peanuts, pistachios, walnuts) and seeds (pumpkin,
sunflower, sesame) in moderation because of their high fat content. |
| Fruit |
All
fruit - including: apples, apricots, avocado, currants, dates, figs, grapes,
melons, oranges, peaches, pears, plums, pomegranates, raisins, and tangerines.
Eat olives and avocados in moderation. Both are high in fat. |
| Vegetables |
All
vegetables - including: artichokes, asparagus, beets, broccoli, cabbage,
corn, cauliflower, carrots, cucumbers, eggplant, grape leaves, greens,
peppers, leeks, mushrooms, onions, pimentos, potatoes, spinach, tomatoes,
and turnips. Eat olives in moderation. |
Grains
- Bread, Cereal,
Rice, and Pasta |
All
whole grains (wheat, barley, corn, millet, etc.), breads, pita bread,
polenta, farina, oatmeal, pasta, rice, bulgur, and couscous. |
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