Mediterranean Diet for Heart Patients #56

We all know tomatoes are a fruit not a vegetable.   Okay, now we have that basic piece of knowledge out of the way, how many know that tomatoes are one of the healthiest foods you can eat?  That it is even healthier when it is cooked, or processed such as ketchup.  Do you eat tomatoes?  I have eaten tomatoes even when I was eating unhealthy.  I have always eaten and enjoyed tomatoes.   What makes them so healthy?  Well they contain all 4 cartenoids.  They are very high in lycopene which is a powerful antioxidant.  Tomatoes are a terrific cancer fighter and contain 3 major antioxidants.  Eating tomatoes with healthy fats such as olive oil or avocados and your body's absorption rate of the phytochemicals found in tomatoes increases dramatically.  I eat tomatoes in all salads, as a snack sliced with ground pepper, or just plain on bread as a sandwich.  Bread, tomato,with mustard.  I eat so many tomatoes and strawberries that I am sure I  must have some resistance to cancer. 

Here are some of the most heart healthy foods. Salmon, oatmeal, kidney beans, almonds, walnuts, red wine, tuna, tofu, soy milk, blueberries, carrots.  Spinach, broccoli, sweet potatoes, red bell peppers, oranges, and tea.  I proudly can say that I now eat most of these foods.  How about you?   I wrote earlier about the soy milk which I really liked.  I even tried it cold poured over crushed ice which gave me a little bit of the taste of having a vanilla milkshake.

I would like to begin to eat and follow the basic Mediterranean diet, or at least parts of it.  What is the Mediterranean diet?  For more than 50 years it has been cited by many medical sources as being beneficial in health effects that reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease.  It is low in saturated fats and high in monounsaturated fat, and dietary fiber.  The basic foods in the diet are consuming high amounts of legumes (peas, beans, lentils), unrefined cereals, high consumption of fruits, vegetables, and high amounts of olive oil.  Moderate consumption of cheese, yogurt, fish, and wine. Low consumption of meat.   What I read indicates their meat consumption is mostly lamb and some pork.  Not much poultry or beef.  Now for clarification, most of you know the Mediterranean diet is not one based on a fad diet derived from a best selling diet book.  It is the healthy eating and lifestyle habits of a large population of people living in the Mediterranean Sea area.  I,  like most of you, need to know more, but my belief is fish, salads, and vegetables prepared in olive oil and eating fruits represent the foundation of the diet that I could make work for me.  Wine as a beverage I am sure is optional, and is healthy in low to moderate amounts.   Their are some of us, I won't mention the 2 names, but unofficially practice medicine and pharmacy,  who might opt out of the diet, but embrace the wine for the health benefits........

If anyone out there knows more, or is practicing this diet as it relates to our heart health I would like to hear from you.

More heart healthy foods next time.