Tips on Cooking Healthy Meals for Your Patrons with the Mediterranean Diet Pyramid

The benefits of cooking and eating the Mediterranean way have been scientifically documented: a diet that emphasizes seasonal vegetables and fruits, seafood, grains and olive oil...

The benefits of cooking and eating the Mediterranean way have been scientifically documented: a diet that emphasizes seasonal vegetables and fruits, seafood, grains and olive oil promotes longevity and may even prevent some chronic diseases. A College of Cardiology study revealed in March that the Mediterranean diet of fresh, simple food promotes cardiovascular health and prolongs the lives of post-heart-attack patients.

To encourage this healthy eating style, a Mediterranean Diet Pyramid was created by Oldways, a culinary think tank located in Cambridge, Mass., in coordination with the Harvard School of Public Health and the World Health Organization. It’s a graphically simple way to describe the rewards of eating and cooking the Mediterranean way.

Sabrina Sexton, instructor at the Institute of Culinary Education in New York City, shares pointers on stocking and using ingredients that conform to the Mediterranean pyramid:

• Use olive oil as the primary fat. A higher-quality extra virgin oil should be chosen for dipping, drizzling and marinating than for sautéing or poaching.
• Meat is more of a condiment than the main event. Stretch small amounts of red meat with using more vegetables, nuts and grains like rice.
• Stock an assortment of olives. One variety won’t work for everything, as each adds a different impact. Some types to source: Kalamata, conservolia, tsakistes (cracked green olives), wrinkly oil-cured and under-ripe green olives.
• Make liberal use of fresh herbs and dried seasonings. The pantry should include saffron, cumin, coriander, fennel seed, oregano and turmeric; the walk-in stocked with fresh mint, basil, marjoram, rosemary, cilantro and lavender.
• Open fire cooking is a typical (and lean) way to add flavor. Spit roasting and skewering and grilling are quintessentially Mediterranean.

Excerpt from Restaurant Business Magazine’s May 2007 article, “To Your Health.” Reprinted with permission of Ideal Media, LLC.