This quote from a story on Time.com called The Science of Appetite says it all: “Somewhere in your brain, there’s a cupcake circuit. How it works is not entirely clear, and you couldn’t see it even if you knew where to look. But it’s there all the same—and it’s a powerful thing. You didn’t pop out of the womb prewired for cupcakes, but long ago, early in your babyhood, you got your first taste of one, and instantly a series of sensory, metabolic and neurochemical fireworks went off.”

What Factors Feed Into What We Eat?

Many factors that feed into what we eat. Sometimes just the very sight, smell, and/or thought of something delicious trip some of your internal food bells and might make you want to eat even when you’re not hungry.

Come on, ‘fess up, how many times have you walked down the street – or have been in the mall – or have been sitting in a restaurant stuffed to the gills – and then you see or smell something that you didn’t know you wanted 30 seconds before? All of a sudden you absolutely crave whatever tickled your nose, eyes, and taste buds and 30 seconds after that you’re chowing down.  You’re putting food into your mouth even though you’re not hungry and didn’t even want what you find yourself eating before you saw it and/or smelled it!

Why we do this is really complicated – and if science had all of the answers weight management wouldn’t be such a topic of conversation.

How to Put On The Brakes

There is something you can try to help you put on the eating brakes – especially with holiday eating. Give yourself a mini-pause and ask yourself:

• Do I really want to eat that?

• Do I really, really want it or do I want it because it looks good, smells good, and means Christmas (or Halloween, or Thanksgiving, or Hanukkah, or Valentine’s Day or whatever memory it provokes?

• Is it worth the calories?

• Do I need all of it (or any of it) to be happy or satisfied?

• How will I feel after I eat it – both physically and emotionally?

• What is more important to me:  the food, how I feel while I’m eating it, how I feel after I eat it, and/or what the scale might say to me tomorrow morning?

Find more tips, strategies, and solutions in my new book, The Sensible Holiday Eating Guide: How To Enjoy Your Favorite Foods Without Gaining Weight available on Amazon for your Kindle or Kindle Reader.

The post Do You Really Want To Eat That – Or Is Something Else Making You Do It? appeared first on Eat Out Eat Well.

Is it almost a foregone conclusion that you’ll stuff yourself to the gills when you go home to your parents’ house for holidays or other events?  Is it almost impossible for you to navigate your office without stopping at the snack room and the receptionist’s desk to sample the never-ending array of holiday specialties or someone’s birthday cake?  What about the routine lunch for a not-so-good friend that makes you go home and eat a pint of ice cream?

Know Your Triggers

Most of us can name situations that make us want to eat.  Sometimes it takes  dedicated thought to precisely identify what it is that starts the cascade of events that leads to not just wanting to eat, but the feeling that you absolutely must have a particular food — sometimes in large quantities.  Keeping a food journal where you record not only what you ate but the environment and what was going on while you were eating can help you identify the causative factors.

Sometimes those triggers are big red flags – for instance you know that having a piece of pecan pie — or any other sweet food for dessert at lunch will trigger nibbling on candy at the office the rest of the afternoon. But do you eat it anyway?

Or, do you intentionally go to store A instead of store B for a cup of coffee because you know store A always has lots of free samples of freshly baked cake and cookies?  Do you know that if cookies are in the cupboard and ice cream is in the freezer that you will sooner, rather than later, eat it?

Which Foods And Environments Are Your Red Flags?

Be honest 
with yourself and admit that certain foods and environments are red flags for you.   I know that I can’t have cookies in my house and I also know that I tend to overeat at family events.

There’s no reason to psychoanalyze why certain foods or situations act as your triggers.  Just know which particular things serve as your red flags — your triggers — and have strategies in place to deal with them.

The post What Are Your Eating Triggers? appeared first on Eat Out Eat Well.

What Do You Want the Result To Be?

There’s no one-size-fits-all answer since we all have our own needs and preferences. You may swoon over ten- layer chocolate cake while I can ignore it but can never pass up cheese fondue.

Part of the answer lies in figuring out what you really want the end result to be.   Then you can create your own individualized plan  — your own foodMAP — that you can use as a template for what to do when you find yourself in the land of food temptation.

Visualize

Visualizing a situation that you might find yourself in and then rehearsing your actions in your mind ahead of time will help you successfully navigate a whole host of food landmines and eating challenges. That’s a technique coaches use to prepare their athletes. They’re taught to anticipate what might happen and to practice how to respond to a situation. Sports performance improves with visualization exercises—so can eating behavior.

To do this effectively you have to be clear on what you want the end result to be. Is it to enjoy every kind of food available but in limited quantities – or is it to skip dessert but have a full range of tastes of all of the hors d’oeuvres?  Visualize what the environment will be like, where you’re going to be, and with whom. Think about what food is going to be available, how it will be served, how hungry you’re likely to be, what your usual eating pattern is like—and what you would like it to be.

Will your host insist you try her special dessert and refuse to take no for an answer? Will you be eating in a restaurant known for its homemade breads or phenomenal wine list? Are your dining companions picky eaters, foodies, or fast food junkies?  Will your host be really annoyed if you don’t finish every course at the special sit-down dinner?

Proactive Not Reactive

Be proactive.  Figure out your plan in advance — earlier in the day or the night before. Visualize the situation and if there’s temptation or anxiety, close your eyes and picture it. Imagine what people will say and how you will respond in a way that will make you proud of yourself without giving in to external pressures and food pushers.

Armed with your rehearsed plan, go out, use it, and stick to it as best you can. You assume control, not the circumstances and not the food.  You are firmly in charge of what happens and what food and how much of it will go into your mouth.

The post Take A Cue From Athletes: Rehearse Your Party Eating Behavior appeared first on Eat Out Eat Well.

You bet there is. Dietary fiber, sometimes called roughage or bulk, comes from comes from plants — whole grains, fruit, and vegetables — but not from dairy, meat, or fish.  It isn’t digested so it doesn’t add calories and it passes through your stomach and intestines and out of your body.

What’s So Great About Fiber?

Fiber:

• keeps you regular
• lowers your risk of colon and rectal cancer
• lowers blood cholesterol
• helps control blood sugar levels
• keeps you feeling fuller longer.

Two Types of Fiber

The two types of dietary fiber are insoluble, which tends to be in the peels and husks of plant foods; and soluble, which is in the fleshy interior.

Insoluble fiber, or cellulose, acts like an intestinal broom, increases stool bulk, and encourages movement through your GI tract. Good sources are whole grains, bran, seeds, nuts, zucchini, celery, broccoli, cabbage, onions, tomatoes, carrots, cucumbers, green beans, dark leafy vegetables, fruit, and root vegetable skins.

Soluble fiber, or pectin, dissolves in water and forms a gel – which helps slow down your digestion, delays the emptying of your stomach, makes you feel full, helps stabilize your blood sugar, and interferes with the absorption of dietary cholesterol. Good sources are oats, oat bran, peas, lentils, beans, apples, pears, strawberries, blueberries, citrus fruit, carrots, celery, and cucumbers.

How Much Fiber Should You Eat?

The amount you need is tied to the number of calories you eat and Americans get, on average, only about half of what they should. For healthy adults the USDA recommends 14 grams of fiber for every 1,000 calories and the National Cancer Institute; the National Heart, Lung, Blood Institute; and the American Heart Association all recommend 20-30 grams of (mostly soluble) fiber a day.

To get both types of fiber focus on eating a healthy diet rich in fruit, vegetables, whole grains, legumes, nuts, and seeds. The increased amount of fiber in your diet might cause intestinal gas, but your body will adapt.  Be sure to drink plenty of water.

Tips For Getting Fiber Into Your Diet

• Spread your fiber rich foods throughout the day
• Have fiber rich cereal with fruit for breakfast
• Replace refined white bread, pasta, and rice with whole grains
• Eat a lot of vegetables and unpeeled whole fruit
• Have nuts, raw vegetables, fruit, or popcorn for snacks instead of chips or candy
• Add legumes, lentils, beans, seeds, fresh or frozen vegetables, and nuts to your soups, salads, stews, and sauces
• Add crushed bran cereal or unprocessed bran to baked goods
• Enjoy foods like these (grams of fiber in parentheses):

• Cooked split peas, 1 cup (16.3)
• Cooked lentils, 1 cup (15.6)
• Cooked black beans, 1 cup (15.0)
• Canned vegetarian baked beans, 1 cup (10.4)
• Cooked artichoke, 1 medium (10.3)
• Cooked peas, 1 cup (8.8)
• Rasberries, 1 cup (8.0)
• Whole wheat spaghetti, 1 cup (6.2)
• Cooked pearl barley, 1 cup (6.0)

The post Five Reasons It’s Important To Have Fiber In Your Diet appeared first on Eat Out Eat Well.

I’ve been watching members of my own family – who cover almost a century in age range – happily eat their fruit and vegetables.  Over the past few days I’ve watched a 16 month old gobble up his banana and eat half an avocado giving greater preference to them rather than to his French toast or chicken and pasta.  A three year old went for the blueberries and strawberries decorating her “happy face pancakes” before touching anything else and loves to put blackberries on the tips of her fingers and eat them one by one.

At the other end of the age spectrum, my 95 year old Aunt and 92 year old Mother, raised on a farm, rely on their fruit and vegetables as the mainstays of their diets. My Aunt wanted me to take a banana home to the 16 month old and my Mom routinely brings fruit when she visits her sister.

No one is vegetarian – everyone just naturally prefers a plant-based diet. They do couple their fruit and veggies with meat, fish, dairy, grains, and a whole lot of nuts — and they do have occasional desserts.  What they eat is a Mediterranean style diet – but they wouldn’t describe it as such. It’s just what goes on the table and what they eat and enjoy.  For my Mom and her sister, two out of 13 children, that’s a lot of fruit and veggie nutrients over close to a century’s worth of time.

Why Eating Fruit And Veggies Is A Good Idea

• They may reduce the risk of cancer and other chronic diseases; help control blood pressure and prevent heart disease and stroke; help to avoid diverticulitis; and guard against two common causes of vision loss, cataracts and macular degeneration.

• They have a mellowing effect on blood sugar levels that can help keep your appetite in check.

• They provide essential vitamins and minerals, fiber, and other substances that are important for good health.

• Most of them are filling and are naturally low in fat and calories.

• They taste good and look great on your plate.

How Much Produce Should You Eat?

Not counting potatoes—which should be considered more of a starch than a vegetable—the average American eats just three servings of fruit and vegetables a day. Dietary guidelines call for 5 to 13 servings of fruit and vegetables a day (2½ to 6½ cups), depending on your caloric intake. A person who needs 2,000 calories a day would need 9 servings, or 4½ cups a day (remember, potatoes don’t count). Aim for a variety of types and colors to give your body the mix of nutrients it needs. The more colorful, the greater the rainbow, the better the nutrition for your body.

Love The Rainbow

Red fruit and vegetables get their color from the pigments lycopene and anthocyanin. Lycopene, found in produce like tomatoes, watermelon, and pink grapefruit, may help reduce the risk of certain cancers, especially prostate cancer.

Anthocyanins, found in strawberries, raspberries, red grapes, and other fruits and vegetables, are powerful antioxidants that protect cells from damage and help with heart health.

Orange and yellow fruit and vegetables get their color from natural plant pigments called carotenoids. Beta-carotene, found in sweet potatoes, pumpkins and carrots, is converted to vitamin A which helps maintain healthy eyes and mucous membranes. Carotenoid-rich foods can also help reduce the risk of heart disease and cancer and can improve immune system function.

Chlorophyll, a natural plant pigment, gives green fruit and vegetables their color. Some greens — like spinach, dark leafy greens, green peppers, peas, cucumbers, and celery — contain lutein which works with zeaxanthin– found in corn, red peppers, oranges, grapes and egg yolks — to help keep your eyes healthy and reduce the risk of cataracts and age-related macular degeneration.

Indoles in broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, and other cruciferous veggies help protect against some types of cancer. Leafy greens, spinach, and broccoli are great sources of folate, a B vitamin that helps reduce risk of birth defects.

Blue and purple fruit and vegetables get their color from natural plant pigments called anthocyanins, like those found in  blueberries and grapes.  They are powerful antioxidants that protect cells from damage and may help reduce risk of cancer, stroke, and heart disease. Blueberry consumption has also been linked with improved memory function and healthy aging.

White fruit and vegetables, colored by pigments called anthoxanthins, contain allicin — which might help lower cholesterol and blood pressure and possibly help reduce the risk of stomach cancer and heart disease.

A Cup Is A Cup Except . . .

A cup is a household measuring cup for most fresh or cooked vegetables and fruits. Two exceptions to that rule: for lettuce and other raw leafy greens, you need to eat 2 cups to get the equivalent of 1 cup of vegetables and for dried fruit, you only need to eat ½ cup to get the equivalent of 1 cup of fruit.

The post Were You Told To Eat Your Fruit And Veggies? appeared first on Eat Out Eat Well.

Menus, both restaurant and take-out, are filled with descriptive and sometimes mouth-watering words.  They’re meant to:

• entice you to order certain items by making them sound scrumptious, or to
• make you think that a food, sauce, or dressing is lower in calories or an awesome health food.
  

Maybe Yes, Maybe No Adjectives

This is a list of words frequently used on menus to describe foods that can be considered “yellow light foods.” They are the foods you  should cautiously choose because they may or may not be healthy choices.

• Amandine/Almondine
• Baked
• Basted
• Light/Lite
• Marinated
• Panini
• Reduced
• Sauteed
• Stewed
• Stir-Fry
• Vegetarian
• Vinaigrette

 Why They’re Yellow Light Foods:

Amandine/Almondine:  Means food that is garnished with almonds. The caution: the ingredients (often green beans, fish, asparagus, potatoes) are usually cooked with butter and seasonings and sprinkled with whole or flaked toasted almonds. The butter makes them taste good and allows the nuts to stick to the main ingredient — but both add significant calories.

Baked:  Food that is cooked by using dry heat.  The caution light applies to the main ingredients. What is being baked – is it baked fish or a baked cookie?

Basted: Means that either the juices of the cooking meat, melted fat, or other liquids such as marinades – are poured over meat during the cooking process to keep it moist.  The caution is in determining what the basting liquid is:  fat or the juice of the meat?

Light or lite:  If 50% or more of the calories in a food come  from fat, the fat must be reduced by at least 50% per serving to be called light. If less than 50% of the calories come from fat, the fat must be reduced by at least 50% or the calories reduced by at least 1/3 per serving for the food to be called light. The caution:  food manufacturers determine these percentages through laboratory analysis – but how does your local diner determine what is “light or lite” even if there is a “light or lite” claim on their menu?

Marinated:  Means to soak or steep meat, fowl, fish, or vegetables in a liquid mixture — which is usually vinegar or wine and oil combined with various spices and herbs.  The caution:  how much oil or even sweetener is in the marinade that has permeated the meat, fowl, fish, or vegetables?

Panini:  A pressed and toasted sandwich.  The caution:  What are the sandwich ingredients — for instance are they heavy on vegetables or on salami — and how much oil is used on the grill? If the sandwich comes out nice and crunchy and crispy you can bet it was pressed on a grill loaded with grease.

Reduced:  To be called reduced in calories, a food must contain at least 25% fewer calories per serving than the reference food (the version of the food that is not lower in calories).  For meals and main dishes there must be at least 25% fewer calories per 100 grams of food.  The caution:  the “reference food” (the regular, not low in calories version) may be a very high calorie food to begin with – meaning that 25% less of very high calories is still a lot calories.  And who’s measuring in the kitchen of your local restaurant? Don’t be duped.

Sauteed:  Means food that is fried quickly in a little oil.  The caution is the same as with stir-fry (see below); the amount of oil and the temperature of the oil.

Stewed:  To cook by slowly boiling or simmering.  The caution:  what is the stewing liquid — is it tomato based or is there a lot of fat?

Stir-Fry:  Means to cook small pieces of vegetables, grains, or meat by quickly frying and stirring them in a small amount of oil over high heat (frequently in a wok).  The caution is the amount and temperature of the oil.  Oil at a lower temperature will lead to a longer cooking time and the ingredients absorbing more oil.

Vegetarian:  Refers to a dish made without meat, fish, or fowl.  The caution is that many vegetarian dishes are prepared with a lot of breading, cheese, and fat.

Vinaigrette: A common salad dressing made with olive or other oils and combined with vinegar and/or lemon juice (plus seasonings and herbs).  The caution is in the proportion of oil to the acidic vinegar or lemon juice.  Sometimes it might be as great as 4:1 oil to acid and sometimes it might be 1:1, or half oil and half acid.  A fifty-fifty mix will be lower in calories than a mix that is 75% oil.

Do you have any “yellow-light foods” to add to this list?

For more menu key words and menu hacks be sure to sign up for my newsletter, “Eat Out, Eat Well.”  Just enter your email address in the box on this page — and don’t forget to confirm when you’re prompted by email.

The post Key Words For “Maybe Yes, Maybe No” Menu Choices appeared first on Eat Out Eat Well.

How great is it that something as nutritious and calorie friendly as watermelon is such a treat?  Juicy watermelon has certainly finished off lots of camp meals and family picnics and dare I mention the college special: watermelon infused with vodka?  And, how pretty are those intricate carved watermelon baskets filled with watermelon, cantaloupe, and honeydew balls?  Very labor intensive.  My mother was good at that.

I just came back from a trip to Greece where just about every lunch and dinner ended with a beautiful platter of red, ripe watermelon.  Totally satisfying, thirst quenching, and an important component of the Mediterranean diet.

A Melon With History

The first recorded watermelon harvest was in Egypt, nearly 5,000 years ago. Now you can find more than 1,200 varieties grown in 96 countries.  Watermelon — 92% water and 6% sugar — is a cousin of cucumbers, pumpkins, and squash and is the most consumed melon in the US, followed by cantaloupe and honeydew.

Some Watermelon Trivia

• Watermelon, with its water content, is a volume food. It fills you up and quenches your thirst and is great for weight control.

• One wedge (about 1/16 of a melon, 286 g) has 86 calories, no fat, 22g carbs, 1g fiber, and 2g protein.

• 10 watermelon balls (122g) have 37 calories, 0 fat, 9g carbs, 0g fiber, and 1g protein

• 1 cup of diced watermelon (152g) has 46 calories, 0g fat, 11g carbs, 1g fiber, and 1g protein

• Two cups of red flesh watermelon chunks supplies 25% of daily vitamin A, 30% of daily vitamin C, B6 (6%) of B6; 8% potassium, 4% phosphorus, 8% magnesium, beta carotene, and lycopene.

• Watermelon’s inner rind is edible and has a bunch of hidden nutrients.  The outer rind, also edible, is sometimes used as a stir-fried or stewed vegetable or as a pickled condiment.

• Look for a watermelon that’s firm, symmetrical, and bruise, cut, or dent free. It should be heavy for its size and its underside should have a creamy yellow spot from where it sat on the ground while it ripened in the sun.

• Whole melons will keep for 7 to 10 days at room temperature but lose flavor and texture if they’re stored too long. They’ll keep for three to four days in the fridge after they’re cut.

Unusual Watermelon Salads

I recently had a salad made with arugula, yellow watermelon chunks, grilled red watermelon slices, pistachios, grated ricotta salata, and balsamic dressing.  It was awesome.

Here’s another salad I frequently make.  I’m not too precise with my measurements and it still tastes fantastic:

Mediterranean Watermelon Salad (adapted from watermelon.org)

Ingredients:

• 6 cups torn mixed salad greens

• 3 cups cubed seeded watermelon

• 1/2 cup sliced red onion

• 1/3 cup crumbled feta cheese

• 1/2 cup watermelon vinaigrette

• Freshly ground black pepper

• Mint sprigs

Watermelon Vinaigrette:

• 2 tablespoons honey

• 1/4 cup pureed watermelon (puree chunks in a food processor)

• 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar

• 1/4 teaspoon pepper

• 1 teaspoon olive oil

Directions:

Make the vinaigrette by whisking  all of the ingredients together. Store it in the refrigerator and shake well before using. Makes about 1/2 cup.

In a large bowl, mix all of the salad ingredients except the vinaigrette, pepper, and mint. Just before serving, toss the salad mixture with the vinaigrette. Garnish with pepper and mint sprigs.

Makes 6 servings. About 75 calories per serving.

The post How Juicy, Delicious Watermelon Can Help You Lose Weight appeared first on Eat Out Eat Well.

Eat Like A Greek . . .

or like others who live in Mediterranean countries. I was born and raised in New York City and grew up eating a Mediterranean-type diet at home. My father is Greek and I went to Greek day school so this type of eating pattern was what I knew. It was our way of life — not a studied, intentional choice. We ate lots of olive oil, fish, vegetables, and cheese — the mainstay was feta in brine from the barrel in the Greek grocer’s across the street from the Greek church. Olives came that way too, straight from the barrel, straight from Greece. And, we spent a lot of time eating with family – and friends of the family.

But, living in NYC and hanging out with my neighborhood friends, that healthy diet became infused with “staples” of the standard American diet. That infusion came in the form of food like bagels, butter for the bagels, burgers, English muffins, the occasional coca cola, egg creams, cheese Danish, movie theater candy, and Velveeta (for grilled cheese made with soft white bread). In NYC there was always the attraction of pizza (sold by the slice) and Good Humor trucks for that after dinner summer treat.  All in all, not too bad — in large part because, at that time, there wasn’t a fast food shop on every corner and eating between meals wasn’t a common (or acceptable) practice.

I just returned from a family trip to Greece and after eating food straight from the farm and fished from the sea, I’m convinced (and this is backed up by many research studies) that the diet I grew up on – the Mediterranean diet — is an extremely healthy dietary pattern and a very healthy way of life.

The Mediterranean Diet Is A Way Of Life

Dietary data from the Mediterranean region show that people who follow a Mediterranean dietary pattern have the lowest recorded rates of chronic diseases and the highest adult life expectancy. The health benefits are backed up by more than 50 years of epidemiological and experimental research.

The Mediterranean dietary pattern is not the type of restrictive program that we usually think of when we think “diet.” It’s a way of life – even the Greek word for diet, diaita, means way of life.

Traditional Mediterranean meals, the kind eaten for thousands of years by people who live in the countries bordering the Mediterranean Sea, are filled with fruit, vegetables, beans and legumes; bread, pasta, rice, semolina and other grains; nuts and seeds; copious amounts of extra virgin olive oil; lesser amounts of fish, poultry, eggs, and even smaller amounts of lean red meat; cheese and yogurt; and moderate amounts of wine, usually red.

The “Mediterranean diet” (very similar to the Dash diet for high blood pressure) doesn’t have a strict list of allowed/not allowed foods.  It’s a dietary pattern of lots of plant foods; small amounts of fish, dairy, and animal protein;  and very few saturated fats. Physical activity is a given as is leisurely dining with friends and family in pleasant surroundings with everyone taking pleasure in their meals. Even with plenty of healthy fats and some alcohol, weight problems are not common.

Why Is The Mediterranean Lifestyle A Good Choice?

The Mediterranean lifestyle – including foods, activities, meals with friends and family, and wine in moderation with meals — has been studied and called one of the healthiest in the world. It is also a dietary pattern filled with delicious and flavor-filled food and meals. The health benefits are not from diet alone but from the whole package.

According to the Mayo Clinic, a recent analysis of more than 1.5 million healthy adults showed that people who follow a Mediterranean diet have a reduced risk of overall and cardiovascular mortality, a reduced incidence of cancer and cancer mortality, and a reduced incidence of Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s diseases.

Studies published in the medical journal BMJ and The New England Journal of Medicine showed that healthy people who follow a Mediterranean diet had a lower risk of developing type 2 diabetes and that a restricted calorie Mediterranean diet can be more effective for weight loss than a low fat diet.

An analysis of 50 studies linked the Mediterranean diet to lower odds of getting metabolic syndrome, a group of factors (high blood pressure, high blood sugar, unhealthy cholesterol levels, and abdominal fat) that increases the risk of heart disease, diabetes, and stroke.

All of the fruit, vegetables, whole grains, nuts, beans, seeds, fish, olive oil, and some alcohol in the Mediterranean eating pattern provide an astounding number of micronutrients, antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals which, in combination with the Mediterranean lifestyle, produce health benefits that can’t be obtained from supplements.

Keys To The Mediterranean Way Of Eating and Living

Fruits, vegetables, nuts and grains: 
The majority of food is from plant sources: fruit, vegetables, potatoes, breads and grains, rice, pasta, beans, nuts, and seeds. Greeks eat little red meat but average nine servings a day of fruit and vegetables – which may explain why the Mediterranean diet is associated with lower levels of LDL (“bad”) cholesterol. The majority of food should be a variety of minimally processed, locally grown (if possible), seasonal fruit and veggies (7 to 10 servings a day). Focus on whole-grain bread and cereal, rice, and pasta. Bread is important but is eaten plain or dipped in olive oil. The majority of grains are whole grains like wheat, oats, rice, rye, barley, and corn, best eaten in whole, minimally-processed forms.

Nuts:
 Nuts are part of a Mediterranean lifestyle. They are high in fat — around 80% of their calories come from fat — but most of it isn’t saturated. Because nuts are high in calories, try not to eat more than a handful a day.