The Four main Ingredients of Health

They do consume a lot of fat. It may be cows’ dairy in Gascony, but the cows are outdoors eating grass as nature intended; in the hills along the coastline of Spain, France and Italy it is much more likely to be from goats, with the occasional flock of sheep – think Roquefort. But the overwhelming source of fat is from olives (extra virgin olive oil), and nuts like walnuts and almonds, or seeds like sunflower. And all the latest research is showing it is the balance that matters - Little inflammatory glucose, and good fat overwhelming the less good variety.

Next, there’s an indefinable ingredient. They enjoy their food. In the West, too often that is said about someone who is blatantly overweight. Not so in France, Italy or Spain. In France, I have seen grown men have a hissy fit because the lentils weren’t from Le Puy, the cheese wasn’t runny, or the vinaigrette didn’t have enough garlic in it. Watch the women at the market squeezing this, sniffing that. Locally, 18 per cent of the diabetic diet food list is organic; my barber bemoaned the arrival of McDonalds but with a shrug he added, “It’s alright though. My children won’t go there, they like their food too much”.

I may be talking about France, but in truth, not a lot changes in attitude as you move into Spain, Italy or Greece. A meal in the shade of the olive grove behind the farmhouse is something to be savoured and enjoyed with the family. Never hurried, this isn’t food; this is nourishment; enjoyment; pride. Farmers are proud of their beetroot, leeks and peppers. The man who keeps the goats brings his offering of cheese, and another his own, hand-made olive oil. The gathering sips it like wine, and nod approval. What defines good food? Taste. What makes things tasty? Variety, freshness and fat.

And, if the next day, the participants are feeling less than perfect, it will be dubbed ‘une crise de foie’, and they will eat artichokes and black raddish, drink Hepar (a magnesium-rich spring water), and take milk thistle, avoiding wine for a couple of days.

The-rainbow-diet is rich in colorfull fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds and extra virgin olive oil. We can suggest Diet Vegetable Recipes, defeat dementia, heart disease, Longevity, diabetes and cancer by taking Cholesterol Diet Menu.Diet Vegetable RecipesCholesterol Diet Menu