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In this second part we continue with the discussion of the healthy proteins of the second group and give some guidelines about how often to eat them. We do not try to count every ounce or gram of the food pyramid, because it's counterproductive and a sure way to get tired of it very quickly. Likewise, trying to establish exact amounts equally valid for everybody is not very useful, because everyone has different needs depending on her/his daily activities and her/his physiological characteristics. If you need it, you'll find the first part of the the food pyramid here.
2. Eat often groupIn the second group we have proteins like fish, poultry, eggs, yogurt and white cheese, and vegetable proteins such as nuts and beans. Every meal should include some proteins of this group. Fish and seafood The high consumption of fish rich in fatty acids is one of the things that made the natural Mediterranean diet food pyramid intriguing for the first non-Mediterranean researchers. And there's certainly no shortage of delicious seafood recipes in the Mediterranean-bathed countries.
Eating fish four or five times a week is very in tune with the traditional Mediterranean diet style. Moreover, fish is light to digest, which makes it suitable for dinner. A Barcelona nutritionist I know even recommends fish once every single day. So if you like fish, go ahead. Chicken and poultry Chicken and other poultry are lean meat and Mediterranean eat them a few times a week. Beans and legumes Legumes like chickpeas, fava beans and lentils are healthy vegetable proteins that have been the staple food of most Mediterranean peoples for centuries. The popular falafel and hummus are the most obvious examples. Even if you don't eat them every day like Egyptians or Lebanese, try to include some beans in your meals a few times a week. In my mother's time, on Thursdays there were always chickpeas for lunch, so maybe that's an idea for you, if you don't know where to start. Yogurt Regarding yogurt there's much more to it than eating a few spoons plain for breakfast. Incidentally, the Eastern Mediterranean cuisines consume yogurt in very interesting ways.
Yogurt is better eaten for breakfast and lunch, not for dinner. And remember not to consume too much plain yogurt at a time, it can be surprisingly difficult to digest for some, especially cow's yogurt. So again: often but in small amounts. White cheese White cheese is lighter to digest than cured cheese, which you'll find further up in the Mediterranean diet food pyramid. White and fresh cheese can be made from cow's, sheep or goat's milk. It can be served for breakfast, in salads, as a quick snack on bread, for dinner, you name it.
Making your own fresh cheese at home set with a little lemon juice is very easy, and I encourage you to do as some of us do. Eggs Eggs have a strong presence in the traditional Mediterranean diet: boiled, fried, raw, and above all as an omelet. They are used in sauces and are indispensable in confectionery and dessert recipes. Some modern nutrition experts recommend a maximum of two eggs a week, others one every other day. They fear that too many eggs increase the bad cholesterol. What I can tell you is that the traditional Mediterranean world where I grew up did something very different: We ate an egg almost every day. People that naturally followed this Mediterranean diet food pyramid were healthy. So probably one thing made up for another. We should never forget that variety is a fundamental pillar of the Mediterranean diet both from the gastronomical and health point of view.
Nuts Nuts like almonds, pine nuts, hazelnuts and walnuts are frequently used in Mediterranean diet recipes. It is fine to eat a few raw and untoasted nuts like almonds or walnuts every day, but not handfuls of them at once, because they can be hard to digest. Nuts are healthy, and if you follow the Mediterranean diet food pyramid you'll use lots of them in your everday cooking.
I think we are covered. Anyway, here's a tip if you love raw almonds. Soak 7 almonds in water overnight, in the morning peel them and eat them at the beginning of your breakfast. In this way, they are very easy to digest. I learned it from Indian Ayurveda, they say they'll help you to live a very long life! Honey Honey is a natural sweetener that unfortunately too many people use too little, even in the Mediterranean.
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