Healthy Cooking Series Welcome! We are so glad you came today. I’m Barbie Karr and I am a Food Technologist with culinary training from the Culinary Institute of America (CIA). I am also the Laboratory Director for a local food ingredient manufacturer. Today’s Lunch & Learn is about Mediterranean Cuisine – a favorite of the USDA and the Mayo Clinic who tout its heart disease fighting benefits. Healthy Cooking Series Mediterranean Cuisine

Mediterranean Cuisine Created for those who want their food choices to better align with their wellness goals Why are we here? Katy Tombaugh Henn, my friend and the owner of Columbus Corporate Wellness, asked me to share my knowledge of food and nutrition with you since you have made the decision to create a healthier lifestyle for yourselves and your families.

Mediterranean Cuisine Today’s agenda: Eat!  Learn about the health benefits of what you are eating Find out the history of the food Take away a comparison to similar grocery options Of course it is always helpful to know what you are going to be doing, and today you are going to eat! Unlike most meals, however, you will also be learning about the foods you are consuming. And I’ll show you how these choices compare to comparable products (when available) to those you can purchase as ready-to-eat at the grocery store.

Mediterranean Cuisine To be honest there is no Mediterranean diet, there isn’t even a Mediterranean cuisine. As you can see on this map – the Mediterranean sea touches 3 continents (Europe, Asia, Africa) and 20 countries (Spain, France, Monaco, Italy, Malta, Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Montenegro, Albania, Greece, Turkey, Syria, Lebanon, Israel, Egypt, Libya, Tunisia, Algeria, and Morocco). That is a lot of different cultures and ethnicities to have a single diet or cuisine.

Mediterranean Cuisine Common traits: 9 daily servings of fruits and vegetables Meat consumed rarely Seafood and fish consumed weekly Whole grains Unsaturated fats (olive, sesame) Alcohol in moderation Exercise daily Relaxed meals But there are commonalities that their diets share which we classify as the Mediterranean diet.

Mediterranean Cuisine Today’s Menu: Tzatziki Dip with Whole Wheat Pita Chips Chickpea & Rice Stew Sesame-Almond Cookies So today, I took some liberties with recipes from all three continents. Tzatziki from Europe, Chickpea and Rice Stew from Africa, and a Sesame-Almond Cookie from Asia. I hope you enjoy our mini tour of the Mediterranean and learn how we can eat without the unwanted calories, fat and sodium.

Mediterranean Cuisine Tzatziki A combination of yogurt and cucumber Can be a dip, soup or salad Related to Indian raita & Turkish cacik Common from the Mediterranean through the Middle East all the way to India Tzatziki in the US is usually thought of as a dip, which is how we are serving it today, but that isn’t always true in the Mediterranean. It can also be served as a soup or a salad made with yogurt & cucumber and a variety of herbs. Depending on where you are in the Mediterranean, versions can contain parsley, dill, mint, or oregano. Some have olive oil and lemon juice while others use vinegar. Most have garlic, but not all, and some substitute it with onion.

Mediterranean Cuisine Cucumbers – part of the squash family (curcurbitaceae) High in vitamin C, caffeic acid, fiber, silica, potassium & magnesium Contain the phytochemical caffeic acid A strong antioxidant that shows anti-inflammatory effects and may protect cells from UV damage Studies suggest: Help maintain healthy blood pressure Good source of antioxidants Cucumbers were first cultivated in southern Asia around 10,000 years ago and were brought to the Mediterranean by trade with the Romans. The Greeks were growing cucumbers back in the day of Pliny the Elder who lived from 23AD to 79AD and wrote about them in his manuscripts. Although they are 90% water, the other 10% contains some good stuff.

Mediterranean Cuisine Yogurt High in probiotics, B6, B12, riboflavin, calcium and protein Studies suggest: Consuming 100g (~1/4 cup) of yogurt containing 1,000,000 live cultures twice weekly will help you maintain a healthy gut and boost your immune system Yogurt is a probiotic because it contains live bacteria, euphemistically called cultures because who wants to think of eating live bacteria. The most common strains are Lactobacillus acidophillus, Bifidobacterium bifidus and Streptococcus thermophilus. When buying yogurt, look to make sure it contains live cultures – it will say it on the container. Not all yogurts are created equal.

Mediterranean Cuisine Tzatziki Dip Time Savers: Greek yogurt Pre-minced garlic Healthy Substitutions: Low-fat yogurt Whole wheat pita Our recipe brings the fat down to 1g per serving as compared to Trader Joe’s dip which has 13g per serving Greek yogurt is thicker than standard yogurt because more of the whey has been strained off. It is still available in full fat, reduced fat & fat-free versions. I prefer the low-fat to fat-free so that is what I used. Cucumbers, because they are 90% water, benefit from being grated and strained before mixing them in the yogurt. Just place them in a colander or wring them in a clean tea towel. A serving is a ½ cup (4oz). The calories for ours is 167 while Trader Joe’s contains 243 – including the whole wheat pita chips.

Mediterranean Cuisine Chickpea & Rice Stew – an adaptation of a North African stew From Morocco to Syria there are versions Can be vegetarian / vegan Others include lamb, beef or goat Our recipe is completely vegetarian/vegan The new 2010 USDA Dietary Guidelines specifically reference eating an ovo-lacto vegetarian or Mediterranean diet as part of their “Healthy Eating Patterns” to help lower obesity and reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease. Since most of us are not going to become vegetarians, there exists another option – that of becoming “flexitarians”. This means you add some vegetarian options to your weekly meals – very Mediterranean! The benefits are not only to your waistline, but to your pocketbook as meats and seafood are much more expensive than legumes and whole grains.

Mediterranean Cuisine Chickpeas – aka Garbanzo Beans Legumes that originated between Turkey & India around 8700BC Exist in wild and domesticated forms Domesticated contain 2X the tryptophan Economical and easy to find at store Dried or canned The chickpea originated somewhere between Turkey and India around 8700BC according to archeologists. Wild forms are almost impossible to find in the US, we get the domesticated ones. Nutritionally, dried & canned are the same – there is no guilt in using canned chickpeas in recipes. They are a real time saver and a good way to add protein to a meatless meal.

Mediterranean Cuisine Chickpeas – 2 cups provide 100% DV for fiber 70% fiber is insoluble – colon scrubber 30% fiber is soluble – lowers cholesterol and tryglyceride levels Fat that is present is polyunsaturated alpha-linolenic acid (ALA) an essential omega-3 fatty acid Chickpeas are full of great nutrition. In addition to the fiber, they contain the essential omega-3 fatty acid ALA. This is the omega-3 that your body can convert to the other essential fatty acids it needs. Manganese is also high in chickpeas, in fact one cup contains 85% of the daily value of this mineral which helps you to produce energy from protein and carbs and the synthesis of fatty acids.

Mediterranean Cuisine Brown Rice Rice that still has its bran, germ, and aleurone layers present These layers contain the vitamins, minerals, essential fats and other nutrients High in the minerals manganese and selenium I doubt that brown rice is particularly foreign to anyone here, but I will also go out on a limb and say it is not something many of you eat. It has a chewy texture and nutty flavor that works well in the stew. Keeping the whole grain intact keeps the nutrition of the rice intact as well and not just for the fiber. Like the chickpeas, brown rice is high in manganese which has another role in the body. It is a component of the antioxidant enzyme superoxide dismutase found in the energy factories of your cells called mitochondria. Its selenium content is also important as it is an essential mineral involved in thyroid hormone metabolism.

Mediterranean Cuisine Sweet potatoes High in beta carotene – a precursor to vitamin A High fiber content helps to lower insulin resistance Lastly, the stew contains sweet potatoes. The color of the sweet potato is due to its beta carotene content (a vitamin A precursor that your body can store for future use without becoming toxic and a great antioxidant). They also have a high fiber content which helps stabilize blood sugar levels while lowering insulin resistance.

Mediterranean Cuisine Chickpea & Rice Stew Time Savers: Canned chickpeas Low sodium vegetable stock Healthy Substitutions: Brown rice Sweet potatoes Our recipe as compared to Stouffer’s Beef Stew has 80 more calories but brings fat down to 5g from 14g per serving and fiber up from 2g to 11g This stew is a great one pot meal. Start by caramelizing the onions, deglazing the pan, and adding all of the ingredients until soft and thick. A serving of this is 12oz, one recipe will serve 6. As compared to Stouffer’s Beef Stew – ours has more calories but they are much healthier calories as they come from fiber rather than fat.

Mediterranean Cuisine Sesame-Almond Cookies Meringue based (egg white) Gluten free High protein This particular cookie is related to the French Macaroon as it is a meringue based almond cookie but the sesame seeds tie it to the Asian continent and a very similar cookie exists in Lebanon.

Mediterranean Cuisine Almonds Contain healthy fats and protein High in vitamin E, calcium, magnesium, potassium, niacin, riboflavin, and fiber Studies show: Help reduce the risk of heart disease Reduce cholesterol levels The FDA states “Scientific evidence suggests but does not prove that eating 1.5 ounces per day of most nuts, such as almonds, as part of a diet low in saturated fat and cholesterol may reduce the risk of heart disease” – you can’t get a much better reason to add these to your diet than that. Because of their high protein content, the USDA has put almonds in the Protein Food category with meat, seafood, poultry & eggs.

Mediterranean Cuisine Sesame Seeds High in manganese, copper and zinc Contain the phytochemicals Sesamin Sesamolin Phytosterols Sesame seeds have a sweet nutty taste that works well in desserts. They originated in India and can be found in ancient Hindu stories where they symbolize immortality. There are even hieroglyphics showing Egyptian bakers adding them to dough. Copper is used by the body in antioxidant and anti-inflammatory enzyme systems, while zinc is important for bone health where it helps prevent osteoporosis in both men & women. The lignins sesamin & sesamolin and the phytosterols (natural statins) found in sesame seeds all act to block the absorption of cholesterol in the small intestines.

Mediterranean Cuisine Sesame-Almond Cookies Compared to Frieda’s Almond Cookies Calories 100 vs 170 Fat 6g vs 10g Sat fat 1g vs 3g Higher sugar 10g vs 6g As I mentioned earlier, this is a meringue based cookie, but you don’t make it like a meringue. Instead you beat together the almond paste & sugar, then beat in the egg whites to lighten the “dough”. A silpat (silicon baking mat) or parchment paper is needed for these, as they tend to stick to the cookie sheet otherwise. Almond paste can be found in cans or boxes on the baking aisle of the grocery store. Like the main course, there isn’t a direct comparison so we are using Frieda’s Almond cookies which are 170 calories to our 100 and our fat is only 6g compared to 10g but we are higher in sugar.

Mediterranean Cuisine Summary The entire meal was 662 calories per serving vs Grocery store comparables of 728 Fiber content increased from 2.5g (10% DV) to 15g (60% DV) Fat reduced from 36g (55% DV) to 12g (18% DV) Sodium reduced from 2376mg (99% DV) to 798 (32% DV) I do hope that you enjoyed your meals and learned that vegetarian meals can be satisfying and delicious. By becoming “flexitarian” you can add variety to your weekly meals while adopting healthy habits. The entire meal wasn’t a large reduction in calories from the grocery store comparables, but it is a large change in some key areas: Our meal provides 60% of the daily value of fiber (vs 10%), 18% of the daily value of fat (vs 55%) and 32% of the daily value of sodium (vs 99%). The USDA dietary guidelines would be so proud!

Mediterranean Cuisine “Vegetarian: A person who eats only side dishes”. - Gerald Lieberman While the sentiment on this slide is often how eating meatless is perceived, I do hope that today’s meal showed you that it doesn’t have to be true. It is my wish that you all enjoyed this meal as much as I enjoyed making it for you. So my friends, eat and be well. Thank you for coming!