A Healthy Diet

Photo by shelley-pauls

As spring fades into summer, our schedules and activities change as well. We are outdoors more, we travel more, we spend more time with sports and socializing. Spending less time at home usually means spending less time preparing healthy meals. Yet summer is the perfect time to focus on a healthy diet, because of the variety of fresh fruits and vegetables that are now available.

So what IS a healthy diet? After researching the issue, Michael Pollan summarized the basics on which most experts agree: “Eat food, not too much, mostly plants.” “Eat food” means that we should eat mostly unprocessed foods which our ancestors would have recognized thousands of years ago.

The Mediterranean Diet is one example which meets all of Michael Pollan’s healthy diet criteria. The Cretans, the original population which was studied for the Mediterranean Diet, ate whole grains, very little sugar, lots of fruits and vegetables, and replaced most saturated fats with olive oil. Their main sources of protein were beans, legumes, and nuts, rather than animal protein, and they ate smaller, more frequent meals, rather than the three large meals per day that are typical in the United States.

The Cretans ate locally grown produce that was in season as well. Fruits and vegetables that have been harvested when ripe have much more flavor and nutrition. Just as the earth has its natural rhythms, so do our bodies. We perform best when we eat in harmony with the seasons.

This is the season when fresh produce is plentiful, so challenge yourself! How many servings of produce can you consume per day, and how many different kinds and colors of fruits and vegetables can you include in your diet? If you need inspiration, go to a farmer’s market and see all the gorgeous varieties of fruits and vegetables that are available. You might also enjoy the cookbook titled Cooking Up Good Vibrations, created by the Jwalan Muktika School and Miriam Katz to support us in eating seasonally with gluten-free, dairy-free dishes. It can be purchased from the school. Try some delicious recipes, and have fun!

Kathleen Crow

Librarian for the JMSI and Belk Libraries