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Oldways Offers New Ways to Think About Holiday Feasting

By Huget

Tuesday, December 23, 2008; Page HE03, Washington Post

Imagine a holiday feast rich in taste, texture, scent and color. A meal

designed to be eaten slowly and deliberately, leaving plenty of time between

forkfuls for talking with friends and family -- and for savoring sips of

good red wine.

Then imagine that the assortment of food before you draws on an ancient

tradition, a way of life and of eating that has now been credited with

promoting cardiovascular health, warding off diabetes and dementia,

fostering healthful weight maintenance and boosting brain power.

Too good to be true? Read on.

We've been hearing about the Mediterranean diet since just after World War

II when nutrition researchers noticed that people living on Crete seemed

exceptionally healthy and long-lived. Those benefits appeared to derive at

least in part from the way people ate in that region. The whole grains,

olive oil, nuts, fruits and vegetables, fish, cheese and wine on which they

dined every day seemed to do their bodies good.

More than half a century later, we're still discovering ways in which this

simple approach to eating, so foreign to many Americans, can help us stay

healthy. Just last week, research was published in the Journal of the

American Medical Association showing that following a Mediterranean diet

(though it was not labeled as such in the study) allowed Type 2 diabetics to

better control their blood sugar than did a high-cereal-fiber diet.

I've been flirting with the notion of going Mediterranean for some time now.

But I hadn't found quite the right source of simple and appealing recipes

and menus to smooth my transition from my fairly healthful but solidly

American way of eating to this sunnier style.

Apparently I'm not alone.

Then, this fall, I was introduced to Oldways, a Massachusetts-based " food

think tank " that has been promoting the Mediterranean diet for 15 years.

Oldways is funded by trade associations, individuals, foreign government

agencies, and private and public businesses. Some sponsors, such as the

Pacific States Marine Fisheries Association and Whole Foods Market, seem to

be natural allies in the Oldways campaign; others, such as Frito-Lay and

Coca-Cola, are more surprising partners.

In September, Oldways held a symposium at which experts discussed the diet

with an eye toward making it more accessible to Americans. The event

provided occasion for the unveiling of a Mediterranean diet food pyramid,

patterned after the USDA Food Guide Pyramid.

At the base of the new pyramid: suggestions to " be physically active " and to

" enjoy meals with others. " The bulk of the structure is devoted to

plant-based foods, from grains (mostly whole grains), beans and nuts to

legumes, seeds, herbs and spices, with the instruction to " base every meal

on these foods. " Other recommendations: Eat fish at least twice a week (a

guideline espoused recently by the Food and Drug Administration in its

controversial statement that fish's health benefits outweigh any risk posed

by mercury contamination). Consume poultry, eggs, cheese and yogurt in small

portions, and meats and sweets " sparingly. " Wine is recommended in

moderation (grape juice is a good substitute for non-drinkers). Water is to

be drunk regularly, in place of less-healthful beverages such as sodas.

I asked the folks at Oldways to plan a Mediterranean-diet-style holiday

feast to share with Eat, Drink and Be Healthy readers. They supplied us with

recipes from their new book, " The Oldways Table " (Ten Speed Press) and have

posted a meal plan on their Web site.

When Oldways co-founder K. Dun Gifford walked me through the menu, I

expected to hear the same kind of jargon that always gets kicked around when

we're talking about healthful eating these days.

But aside from mentioning the omega-3 fatty acids that fish can deliver, the

conversation was all about food -- not calories, fiber or vitamins. I found

that very refreshing. As Gifford says, " We don't eat nutrients -- we eat

food. "

The Oldways approach also makes small concessions to the American palate to

make as unfamiliar foods more appealing: for example, the addition of soy

sauce -- certainly not central to the Mediterranean cuisine -- to a salmon

recipe.

I can't wait to try this meal: From the pre-dinner nibbles (including spiced

pecans, an olive tapenade and good crumbly cheese) to the warm gingerbread

with vanilla gelato at the end, this food is meant to be enjoyed at leisure.

And when you've finished eating, you're not likely to have the kind of

regrets so many of us feel after stuffing ourselves on, well, stuffing and

all the other high-fat, high-calorie foods we're accustomed to eating during

the holidays. As Gifford says, your guests won't even notice that there are

no rolls and butter on the table.

For recipes and more information about the Mediterranean diet, visit Oldways

at http://www.oldwayspt.org or the Mediterranean Foods Alliance at

http://www.mediterraneanmark.org. .com.