1. Healthy Cooking Series Mediterranean Cuisine

2. Created for those who want their food choices to better align with their wellness goals

3. Mediterranean Cuisine Today’s agenda: Eat! Learn about the health benefits of what you are eating Find out the history of the food Take away a comparison to similar grocery options

4. Mediterranean Cuisine

5. Common traits: 9 daily servings of fruits and vegetables Meat consumed rarely Seafood and fish consumed weekly Whole grains Unsaturated fats (olive, sesame) Alcohol in moderation Exercise daily Relaxed meals

6. Mediterranean Cuisine Today’s Menu: Tzatziki Dip with Whole Wheat Pita Chips Chickpea & Rice Stew Sesame-Almond Cookies

7. Mediterranean Cuisine Tzatziki A combination of yogurt and cucumber Can be a dip, soup or salad Related to Indian raita & Turkish cacik Common from the Mediterranean through the Middle East all the way to India

8. Mediterranean Cuisine Cucumbers – part of the squash family (curcurbitaceae) High in vitamin C, caffeic acid, fiber, silica, potassium & magnesium Contain the phytochemical caffeic acid A strong antioxidant that shows anti- inflammatory effects and may protect cells from UV damage Studies suggest: Help maintain healthy blood pressure Good source of antioxidants

9. Mediterranean Cuisine Yogurt High in probiotics, B6, B12, riboflavin, calcium and protein Studies suggest: Consuming 100g (~1/4 cup) of yogurt containing 1,000,000 live cultures twice weekly will help you maintain a healthy gut and boost your immune system

10. Mediterranean Cuisine Tzatziki Dip Time Savers: Greek yogurt Pre-minced garlic Healthy Substitutions: Low-fat yogurt Whole wheat pita Our recipe brings the fat down to 1g per serving as compared to Trader Joe’s dip which has 13g per serving

11. Mediterranean Cuisine Chickpea & Rice Stew – an adaptation of a North African stew From Morocco to Syria there are versions Can be vegetarian / vegan Others include lamb, beef or goat Our recipe is completely vegetarian/vegan

12. Mediterranean Cuisine Chickpeas – aka Garbanzo Beans Legumes that originated between Turkey & India around 8700BC Exist in wild and domesticated forms Domesticated contain 2X the tryptophan Economical and easy to find at store Dried or canned

13. Mediterranean Cuisine Chickpeas – 2 cups provide 100% DV for fiber 70% fiber is insoluble – colon scrubber 30% fiber is soluble – lowers cholesterol and tryglyceride levels Fat that is present is polyunsaturated alpha-linolenic acid (ALA) an essential omega-3 fatty acid

14. Mediterranean Cuisine Brown Rice Rice that still has its bran, germ, and aleurone layers present These layers contain the vitamins, minerals, essential fats and other nutrients High in the minerals manganese and selenium

15. Mediterranean Cuisine Sweet potatoes High in beta carotene – a precursor to vitamin A High fiber content helps to lower insulin resistance

16. Mediterranean Cuisine Chickpea & Rice Stew Time Savers: Canned chickpeas Low sodium vegetable stock Healthy Substitutions: Brown rice Sweet potatoes Our recipe as compared to Stouffer’s Beef Stew has 80 more calories but brings fat down to 5g from 14g per serving and fiber up from 2g to 11g

17. Mediterranean Cuisine Sesame-Almond Cookies Meringue based (egg white) Gluten free High protein

18. Mediterranean Cuisine Almonds Contain healthy fats and protein High in vitamin E, calcium, magnesium, potassium, niacin, riboflavin, and fiber Studies show: Help reduce the risk of heart disease Reduce cholesterol levels

19. Mediterranean Cuisine Sesame Seeds High in manganese, copper and zinc Contain the phytochemicals Sesamin Sesamolin Phytosterols

20. Mediterranean Cuisine Sesame-Almond Cookies Compared to Frieda’s Almond Cookies Calories 100 vs 170 Fat 6g vs 10g Sat fat 1g vs 3g Higher sugar 10g vs 6g

21. Mediterranean Cuisine Summary The entire meal was 662 calories per serving vs Grocery store comparables of 728 Fiber content increased from 2.5g (10% DV) to 15g (60% DV) Fat reduced from 36g (55% DV) to 12g (18% DV) Sodium reduced from 2376mg (99% DV) to 798 (32% DV)

22. Mediterranean Cuisine “Vegetarian: A person who eats only side dishes”. - Gerald Lieberman