The Mediterranean diet is high in fruits, vegetables, bread, potatoes, beans, nuts, seeds, olive oil and wine. While the American Heart Association (AHA) stops short of advising people to follow a Mediterranean diet until further health studies are completed, it says Mediterranean-style diets are often close to their dietary recommendations. One study published in the AHA’s Circulation journal (2001;103:1823-1825) found people following the Mediterranean-style diet had a 50 to 70 percent lower risk of recurrent heart disease.
In an effort to make the Mediterranean diet available to a wider range of people, Richard Saitta, M.D., and his daughter, Melissa, created Mediterranean Meals, which offers healthy frozen foods based on the Mediterranean diet. “The lifestyle we have today where you commute to work and work all day causes you go to supermarket and buy what is convenient,” he said. “Usually this means processed food. People realize they don’t feel good physically or mentally because of what they put in the food they eat. They see processed foods are full of additives and preservatives, and they know it’s not good for their health, so they are more inclined to go toward natural and unprocessed food.”
Mediterranean Meals uses a combination of foods to promote health. For instance Dr. Saitta said red wine and olive oil produce nitric oxide (NO), a chemical that prevents plaque formation in arteries and veins; and cooking tomatoes with olive oil enhances the body’s ability to absorb lycopene, a carotenoid from the tomatoes. The meals are also heavy in omega-3s, garlic, whole grains, beans and vegetables.