Think of Greece: a beautiful country with sparkling waters, breathtaking villages among the cliffs, and a health and happy population.
Think of Greece today: with the help of an article in the New York Times, we now can visualize the same problems plaguing the younger populations that have been well-publicized in the United States for years. In fact, one father discussing his daughter’s weight problem scoffed about it: “We’re trying to keep her off sugar now. If we continue like this, we’re going to become like Americans, and no one wants that.” You better believe it!
The fact of the matter is that, although Americans have become the poster child for obesity (literally), obesity has become an international phenomenon. The World Health Organization performed a number of studies showing the rise in overweight and obese children in Scandinavian countries recently. Although the adult population’s weight has also risen, their taste buds still prefer the traditional Mediterranean diet over the lifestyle of convenient food that kids prefer, which may be their saving grace.
The Mediterranean diet, first seriously studied in the 1990s, had scientists amazed because of the lengthy lifespan and low rates of serious disease (despite increases in unhealthy habits of smoking and drinking).
What is the magical diet that is so special and is dying off in cultures both in Greece and worldwide? It consisted of a diet low in saturated fats and high in nutrients such as flavonoids; it was based on daily consumption of vegetables, fruits, unrefined grains, and olive oil for cooking and for flavoring. Compare this to your daily diet – you may notice a few things missing! Fish, nuts, poultry, eggs, cheese and sweets were a weekly rather than daily supplement. Additionally, red meat, refined sugar or flour, butters, and other oils and fats were only consumed rarely.
Many of us with diabetes create our own diets, a combination of the necessities of our lifestyle and somewhat of a semblance of compliance with doctor (and CDE and nutritionist)’s order. But here’s something to chew on – would incorporating the Mediterranean diet be such a hardship? It’s a return to more natural and less processed food, but it could be the key to more easily managing daily blood sugars and in the long term, as proven by the Greeks of the past, lessen the risk for serious complications and other conditions. Food for thought…
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