Introduction 1 About This Book 2 Foolish Assumptions 4 Icons Used in This Book 4 Beyond the Book 5 Where to Go from Here 5 Part 1: Getting Started with the Mediterranean Lifestyle 7 Chapter 1: Defining the Mediterranean Lifestyle 9 Following a Road Map to a Health-Boosting Way of Life 9 Following the Mediterranean Lifestyle 10 Considering Culture 11 Preparing and Eating Delicious Food 12 Eyeing Authentic Mediterranean Recipes 13 Chapter 2: Living the Mediterranean Approach to Food 15 Understanding the Role That Food Plays in Culture 16 Seeing food as a friend 17 Adopting a pro-food approach 18 Celebrating Food in All Its Forms 20 Food is sacred 20 Food is medicine 23 Food is charity 27 Food is diplomacy 28 Food is philosophy and feeling 32 Chapter 3: Looking Forward to a Long and Healthful Life 35 Seeing the Difference the Mediterranean Lifestyle Makes 35 Improving your health and preventing disease 36 Living longer and better 37 What the Experts Have to Say 38 Historical studies on the Mediterranean lifestyle 39 Modern research 40 Chapter 4: Achieving the Mediterranean Lifestyle Abroad 43 Lifestyle Habits to Enjoy as Often as Possible 44 Practicing gratitude 44 Enjoying meals and physical activity with others 47 Taking life and yourself lightly 48 Small Habits with Big Payoffs 50 Eating as close to home as possible 50 Music and dancing 51 Water, steam, and relaxation 53 Part 2: Making the Mediterranean Lifestyle Work for You 57 Chapter 5: Making Meals a Priority 59 Seeing Mealtimes as Sacred 59 Making Communal Eating a Priority 61 Chapter 6: Laughing at Everyday Life 65 Laughing at Life: Looking at the Research 66 Bringing More Laughter into Your Daily Life 67 Looking for things to laugh at 67 Looking for excuses to feel good 68 Chapter 7: Participating in Pleasurable Activity 71 Doing What You Love 71 The joy of cooking 72 The pleasure principle 73 Hobbies and a sense of purpose 75 Types of Physical Activity in the Mediterranean Lifestyle 77 Staying fit without the gym 78 Adopting a DIY attitude 78 Chapter 8: Engaging with Nature 81 Looking at the Research behind the Importance of Nature 81 Carving Out Time to Spend in Nature 83 Getting Enough Time in the Sun 84 What the research says about sunlight 86 The truth about vitamin D 88 Easy ways to get more of "the sun vitamin" 89 Chapter 9: Setting Aside Time for Siestas 91 An Ancient Ritual with Modern Rewards: The Benefits of Napping 92 Increasing alertness and productivity 92 Increasing libido 93 Balancing hormones 93 Avoiding the afternoon slumps 93 Improving overall sleep time in older adults 94 Reducing the risk of a cardiovascular event 94 Losing weight 95 Incorporating More Naps into Your Life 95 Part 3: Adopting Healthful Cultural Attitudes 99 Chapter 10: Living Mediterranean-Style Daily 101 The ABCs of the Mediterranean Lifestyle 102 Getting a Mediterranean Lifestyle Checklist 103 An Overview of Mediterranean Cultures 108 Albania 108 Algeria 109 Bosnia and Herzegovina 109 Croatia 109 Cyprus 109 Egypt 110 France 110 Greece 110 Israel 111 Italy 111 Lebanon 112 Libya 112 Malta 113 Monaco 113 Montenegro 113 Morocco 113 Slovenia 114 Spain 114 Syria 115 Tunisia 115 Turkey 116 Chapter 11: Seeing Food as a Metaphor for Life 119 Getting to Cook versus Having to Cook 120 Finding inspiration 121 Fitting cooking into your life 122 Feasting versus Fasting in the Mediterranean Region 125 Why feasts matter 126 Fasting: An ancient ritual with modern appeal 127 Ancient Traditions for Modern-Day Results 129 The art of DIY 130 Part 4: Preparing and Eating Food with Pleasure 133 Chapter 12: Ancient Flavor Enhancers and Plant-Based Menus 135 Adding Flavor with Aromatics 135 Why flavor matters 136 How to use aromatics in your dishes 138 Finding Plant-Based Menus 141 Making traditional Mediterranean menus 142 Putting produce front and center 143 Cooking with the Seasons 144 Chapter 13: Planning Meals with the Mediterranean Diet Pyramid 147 Understanding the Mediterranean Diet Pyramid 147 What each tier represents 149 How to use the pyramid 150 Finding Daily Meal Examples from the Mediterranean 154 Reinventing Leftovers 156 Chapter 14: Stocking a Mediterranean-Style Kitchen 159 Filling Your Pantry with the Basics 160 Cereals, pastas, and grains 160 Beans and legumes 162 Extra-virgin olive oil 163 Condiments and flavor enhancers 166 Baking ingredients 167 Canned and jarred goods 169 Filling Your Fridge and Freezer 170 Fresh foods to have on hand 170 The freezer: The modern pantry 170 Pantry Cooking Formulas for Quick Meals 171 Chapter 15: Shopping for Food the Mediterranean Way 173 Bringing the Fun Back to Shopping for Food 173 Letting inspiration be your guide 174 Looking for fun in all the right places 176 Making a List, Checking It Twice 178 Practical tips for meal planning 179 Part 5: Authentic Mediterranean Recipes for All Occasions 181 Chapter 16: What to Serve and When to Serve It 183 Diving into Authentic Mediterranean Meals 183 Exploring Mediterranean Menus 184 Repurposing Leftovers 186 Chapter 17: Breakfast 189 Starting Your Day the Sunny Mediterranean Way 189 What breakfast looks like throughout the Mediterranean 190 What makes a "good" breakfast 193 Grabbing Breakfast on the Go 194 Enjoying a Leisurely Breakfast 194 Chapter 18: Small Plates and Snacks 207 From Tapas to Mezze and Beyond 207 Authentic Mediterranean Menus 210 Snacking in the Mediterranean 228 Chapter 19: Base Recipes and Main Courses 229 Base Recipes for Any Mediterranean Meal 229 Mediterranean Main Courses 238 Chapter 20: Fruit, Cheese, Nuts, and Desserts 251 What Traditional Mediterranean Desserts Really Look Like 252 Everyday versus holidays 253 Cultural attitudes behind desserts 253 Mediterranean Fruit, Nut, Cheese, and Dessert Recipes 254 Part 6: The Part of Tens 263 Chapter 21: Ten Easy Ways to Enjoy the Mediterranean Lifestyle Anywhere 265 Get Outdoors 266 Spend Time with Friends and Family 267 Eat with Friends and Family 268 Seek Out Hydrotherapy 269 Go Green 269 Make Something Meaningful 270 Spend Time Doing What You Love or Nothing at All 271 Embrace Culinary Medicine 272 Eat Plenty of Fresh Fruits and Vegetables 273 Make the Best Out of Any Situation 273 Chapter 22: Ten (or So) Creative Strategies for Communal Eating 275 First, Decide Who to Eat With 276 Review Your Schedule 276 Brainstorm 276 Join a Club 277 Host Theme Parties 278 Be a Lunch Buddy 278 Enjoy Virtual Meals 279 Volunteer 279 Commit to the One-Meal-a-Day Minimum 279 Chapter 23: Ten (or So) Fun Ways to Repurpose Food and Eliminate Waste 281 Make "Tutto Fa Brodo" a Way of Life 282 Make Soups and Stews 282 Use Leftover Food for Sandwiches, Panini, and Shawarma 282 Puree Leftover Vegetables 283 Make Omelets, Frittatas, and Tortillas 283 Toss It into Salads, Bowls, and Wraps 284 Make Your Own Croutons, Crostini, Bruschetta, and Tartines 284 Prepare Croquettes and Savory Cakes 285 Incorporate Leftovers in Pasta and Rice Dishes 285 Appendix A: Metric Conversion Guide 287 Index 291.