This Thanksgiving comes with a Garden Gift : GLAD to Introduce Mediterranean diet-AN Alternative to SAD or ( Standard American Diet)!!!!

Research has shown that the traditional Mediterranean diet reduces the risk of heart disease. In fact, an analysis of more than 1.5 million healthy adults demonstrated that following a Mediterranean diet was associated with a reduced risk of death from heart disease and cancer, as well as a reduced incidence of Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s diseases.

The Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommends the Mediterranean diet as an eating plan that can help promote health and prevent disease.

1)Benefits of the Mediterranean diet

Research has shown that the traditional Mediterranean diet reduces the risk of heart disease. In fact, an analysis of more than 1.5 million healthy adults demonstrated that following a Mediterranean diet was associated with a reduced risk of death from heart disease and cancer, as well as a reduced incidence of Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s diseases.

The Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommends the Mediterranean diet as an eating plan that can help promote health and prevent disease. And the Mediterranean diet is one your whole family can follow for good health.

2)The Mediterranean diet Pyramid : It emphasizes the following proportion bulk of using MORE  of the bottom UP  base and LESS  of the cone up  top as follows :

1. a) Think Ecology: Medi Diet is an EARTH FRIENDLY DIET. It protects  the environment and saves on the wallet .It has been TIME TESTED by mostly the  Greek for a MILLENIUM and going   , without side effects and with less of the SOUVLAKI.Shall we say BOTTOMS UP! As the Greeks  say : Yasso.Yasso !
2. b) EAT MORE of Fresh Home/Locally Grown Fruits and Veggies(Please: Don’t ask me where to find them in S.Florida..The home grown , eat your own , leave mine alone!! Give Thanks to the GREEK HIPPOCRETES .The Father of Medicine.

c)  THINK  ANALOGY  : Save on the the Turkey VS  Indulge on Veggie !Make your choice : Turk-ey  or Greek-ey??As U pick more from the Medi Diet pyramid’s, the  bottom LINE matters!.. Indulge on Olives, Olive oil, fruits and veggies, grains, seeds,legumes. OOOPS! Don’t forget the spicy SMELLY GARLIC. Italians and Greeks, please take note .Pardon the Turk-ey. Pardon the smelly for a day! Josh:Pardon me! Gardeners and farmers: Use garlic water  spray to shoo the pests away ..It is best pest prevent / deterrent( Only , if you could stand the garlic smell
d)THINK VEGGIE: Vegeterians and Vegans this is your opportunity to feast on veggies!Time to celebrate the Medi Diet. Time to give THANKS to our Vegan and Vegeterian “kind of” founding FATHER : Hippocretes the GREEK  Father of Medicine .He gathered and prescribed  herbs , spices, fresh vegetable and fruits from the Greek -Inner  Lands and Islands -Gardens .He prescribed them as medicine..He coined this historic prescription 200 years BC: “Let your Food be your Medicine and your Medicine be your Food”. Until our present day, we still witness living food gardens grown amidst the Greek homes , like the ones I once visited at the Greek.
e)Say THANK YOU: Start a productive Garden.It is time to say THANK you MOTHER EARTH for giving us SOIL to GROW our Own Food.Remember the United Nations 2015 is the YEAR OF SOIL DECLARATION.FOOD that we may use as our Medicine.It is time to GROW our Own FOOD, NOT Lawn .It is time to consult with farmer TONE! stop eating MAN-U-FRRACTURED FOOD of  manmade additives, GEO engineered seeds , and now Genetically  Engineered Salmon, plus  what have you of chemical pesticides and fertilizers ,introduced to make money and save  product shelf life ,but shorten human life.
Harvest from backyard garden to table, fresh fruits and vegetables .Go Medi Diet.Go Greek!Replacing butter with healthy fats, such as olive oil

• Using herbs and spices instead of salt to flavor foods
• Limiting red meat to no more than a few times a month
• Eating fish and poultry at least twice a week
• Drinking red wine in moderation (optional)

IN A NUT SHELL:Focus on fruits, vegetables, nuts and grains

The Mediterranean diet traditionally includes fruits, vegetables and grains. For example, residents of Greece average six or more servings a day of antioxidant-rich fruits and vegetables.

Grains in the Mediterranean region are typically whole grain and usually contain very few unhealthy trans fats, and bread is an important part of the diet. However, throughout the Mediterranean region, bread is eaten plain or dipped in olive oil — not eaten with butter or margarine, which contains saturated or trans fats.

Nuts are another part of a healthy Mediterranean diet. Nuts are high in fat, but most of the fat is healthy. Because nuts are high in calories, they should not be eaten in large amounts — generally no more than a handful a day. For the best nutrition, avoid candied or honey-roasted and heavily salted nuts.

Bon Appetite and have a HEALTHY HAPPY THANKSGIVING.YASSO.YA KHARA!GO MEDI.Grow Veggie!