The Mediterranean diet of fruits, vegetables, legumes and cereals has been found to give significant protection against cardiovascular disease, prolong life span and improve general health. This diet, which is low in dairy, fats and red meat, relies on fish, fresh vegetables and olive oil accompanied by a responsible amount of red wine.
When the University of Florence conducted an analysis on 1.5 million people over 40 years, they found that when people followed a Mediterranean diet, their health improved showing a 6% reduction in cancer and a 13% reduction in both Alzhemeiers and Parkinsons diseases.
Perhaps this also means that vegetable gardeners are overall, a healthy bunch of people? Take a typical backyard vegetable garden, laden with fresh greens for salads, tomatoes and herbs. More than likely it will also have a lemon or orange tree bearing with brightly coloured, juicy fruit and maybe an apple or two.
Vegetable gardeners should feel like the richest people in the neighbourhood when they can harvest enough produce to make a satisfying meal. Not only is home-grown produce beneficial to our nutritional health, but our physical and emotional well-being too. A healthy gardener is a happy one.
Fruits and vegetables, especially those grown without chemicals, are rich in anti-oxidants, vitamins and minerals. Ideally, a combination of colours in fruit and vegetables is best. Blue-purple fruits such as blueberries, grapes and blackberries help the body trap free radicals before they cause any damage. The carotene in carrots and sweet potato, which makes them orange, is linked to lowering cancer and cholesterol levels. It should come as no surprise that Mother Nature’s vegetable garden provides this rich, healthy composition of ingredients that our body needs rather than a processed, instant meal from the freezer.
It is heart warming to see generations of people in the Mediterranean celebrating and enjoying food rather than taking it for granted and eating on the run. I’m sure that we could all benefit from following their diet, even if only for the red wine and afternoon siesta!
