Mediterranean cuisine encompasses food from the cultures adjacent to the Mediterranean Sea. Including, but not limited to, influences from regions in countries such as Egypt, France, Greece, Israel, Italy, Morocco, Spain, and Turkey. Key ingredients of Mediterranean cuisine include these vegetarian-friendly ingredients: olive oil, fresh fruits, fresh vegetables, protein-rich legumes, whole grains, and moderate amounts of red wine. The flavors are rich, and the health benefits for people choosing a Mediterranean diet—one of the world’s healthiest—are hard to ignore. They are less likely to develop high blood pressure, high cholesterol, or become obese. These eight vegetarian staples of Mediterranean cooking are heart healthy and will make you happy inside and out!
To be Italian is to appreciate dark leafy vegetables, especially this earthily bitter brassica that pairs beautifully with bold ingredients. Like other cabbage family members it’s a nutrition superstar, providing plenty of vitamin C, potassium, calcium and fiber as well as carotenoids and cancer-fighting indoles and isothiocyanates.
Eaten daily, combined with grains and starches, beans provide high-quality protein along with folate, calcium, iron, and zinc. They also offer benefits like healthy, filling doses of fiber (both soluble and insoluble), phytates and phytosterols; studies suggest beans may help manage diabetes, prevent colon cancer, and reduce heart disease risk.
Traditionally unrefined grains (pasta, bread, barley, couscous) are the base of most Moroccan diets. Leaving the grains whole lowers their glycemic index, so they are digested more slowly and produce gentler rises in glucose and insulin than refined versions; they also retain all their fiber, magnesium, vitamin E and other antioxidant phytochemicals. Diets rich in whole grains may protect against heart disease, diabetes, and other chronic diseases.
Beloved for its toothsome texture and neutral flavor that takes up sauces beautifully, eggplant gives meaty satisfaction to a cuisine in which meat traditionally makes rare appearances. While not a nutritional powerhouse, eggplant contains some fiber and potassium; chlorogenic acid, a compound concentrated in eggplant skin, may have antiviral and cancer-fighting properties.
Nut trees are almost as common as olive trees in Italy. Nuts are savored as snacks, ground into sauces, and sprinkled on salads. They’re loaded with heart-friendly monounsaturated fat; they’re also rich sources of protein, fiber, vitamin E, folate, calcium, and magnesium. Nut protein is also high in arginine, an amino acid that helps maintain healthy blood vessels.
Prized since antiquity (original Olympic winners were awarded jugs of it), olive oil is imperative in Mediterranean cookery, especially when it comes to preparing vegetables. Rich in monounsaturated fat and (in extra-virgin types) antioxidant polyphenols; many believe its wide use throughout the Mediterranean explains much of that region’s low heart disease rates.
Fresh, roasted, or dried and ground into complex sauces and pastes, peppers add color to Mediterranean dishes. And good nutrition: all types are rich in vitamins A and C, fiber, folate, beta carotene, and vitamin K. Red peppers also deliver lycopene, as well as lutein and zeaxanthin—protective against macular degeneration.
It’s hard to believe these now-ubiquitous orbs weren’t native to the Mediterranean region (grazie, Columbus); they’re staples in every cook’s larder, fresh, canned, and in paste form. Tomatoes are packed with vitamin C and lycopene, a heart-protective antioxidant that may also help prevent some cancers (particularly prostate). Plus they’re versatile enough to enjoy every day.
Quick Vegetarian Mediterranean Recipes from Eating Well
Egyptian Edamame Stew
Grilled Pizza with Pesto, Tomatoes, and Feta
Mediterranean Portobello Burger
Orecchiette with Broccoli Rabe and Chickpeas
Vegetarian Recipes of the Mediterranean Diet from Eating Well
Eggplant Pomodoro Pasta
Grilled Eggplant Parmesan Sandwich
Toasted Pita and Bean Salad
Zucchini, Fennel, and White Bean Pasta
Source: Excerpted from “Staples of the Mediterranean Diet: 9 foods you should be eating from the Mediterranean Diet” from Eating Well. View the full article on EatingWell.com.