The Greek Diet

These past few weeks have been a whirlwind with work and school. Midterms are around the corner so I apologize for the sporadic posts. Next week is my Spring Break (wow, didn’t think I would say that in a million years but I still have to work. Meh!) and I promise Gym Rat will be updated more frequently!

We know by now that in order to perform your best in the gym and if you play a sport whether professionally or for fun, a good diet is crucial. This brings us to my topic about the Greek diet. In my previous post titled, Good Friends, Good Wine & Good Times, I mentioned that the Greeks are known to score the highest in overall heart health. The Greek diet mainly consists of fish, whole grains, fruits, nuts and leafy greens. It also consists of legumes (beans, peas and lentils) that are high in fiber and combat heart disease. The diet also derives up to 40% of total daily calories from olive oil and other healthy fats.

For the most part, I’ve been eating many foods of what the Greek Diet consists of: fish, whole grains, fruits, nuts and leafy greens. As far as leafy greens, the darker the better. I usually buy fresh spinach and broccoli from my local grocery store or order straight from Fresh Direct. I don’t usually buy the frozen kind, however, it’s OK to because they take less preparation and don’t spoil. I’m also a huge fan of extra-virgin olive oil. I would really like to create a meal of vegetables sauteed with olive oil and whole-grain pasta. I’ll post about this pasta dinner choice in the future! Also, please remember to click on the links of foods so you can see the nutritional value of each.

Foods to eat sparingly in the Greek diet are starchy carbs like white bread and rice, sweets, full-fat dairy products and red meat. I also try to avoid bottled juice because they tend to have way too much sugar. Instead, freshly squeezed juice would be a healthier option.

After researching and writing about the Greek diet, I definitely want to go to the Greece one day and try out the local foods! Have you ever been to Greece? Please share!