My annual doctor’s appointment in 2012 changed my life. Every year previous to 2012, I had my yearly appointment and every year I heard the same comments - “Your are doing great! Keep up the good work!” Not 2012! My doctor informed me I had high blood pressure and my cholesterol was over the top - not good - not great! I blamed the results on DNA. Most of my siblings experienced these same physical troubles and were always discussing ‘what they were taking for whatever their ailments were!’ My doctor pulled out his prescription pad and started writing me a script for meds.

Hold on! My doc and I had a wee discussion about the problems and possible solutions. I immediately scrapped the idea of going on medication and asked him about food choices to change the numbers. He told me - “Good luck! Ninety-nine out of one hundred people can’t keep to that kind of lifestyle to bring the numbers down!” Watch me! Right away - he hooked me up with a nutritionist - and at our first meeting she was quite blunt with me. She told me unless I changed my eating habits I would one day have a heart attack or a stroke! Ouch!

Over the next 12 months I would adapt the Mediterranean Diet/Lifestyle plan in my life (one year before I actually knew its name). For that whole year I didn’t put anything “unhealthy” into my mouth. I passed on cookies, cakes, ice-cream, white pasta, white bread, chips, and most cheeses. (Do you know that cheese is 34% fat?) One year later my blood showed that my cholesterol was 100% under control - I had lowered the numbers by making the best food choices - and my blood pressure was normal. I have not strayed too far from this lifestyle in 13 years.

What exactly is the Mediterranean Lifestyle? It was inspired by cultures in Greece, Spain, Italy and France and it’s an approach to cooking that emphasizes veggies, whole grains, lean protein, legumes, nuts and seeds. Fortunately we don’t have to live in Greece or Spain to enjoy this way of life - although, I’d like to try living there for a season. We have all the food we need right here in Kincardine.

Here are a few health benefits I learned along the way!

#1. My mood was in a better place. I consistently build meals around plant-based foods - eat whole grains - eliminated processed foods - choose chicken over red meat (mostly) - and dialled back on dairy. Dr. Lachance reported in the World Journal of Psychiatry “dark green vegetables are some of the most mood and energy-enhancing foods on the planet! Spinach, romaine, kale, broccoli and Brussel sprouts are all considered top antidepressant foods!” I try to include 2 - 4 servings of nuts and legumes each day - peas, walnuts, almonds, lentils etc. There are so many great choices. It’s reported - “that healthy nut and legume consumption is linked to positive mental and cognitive health. That’s because both are chock-full of brain-boosting anti-inflammatory and antioxidant components.”

The timing for beginning this lifestyle - 2012 - was perfect for me. I was in the end stages of menopause and one of my worst symptoms was mood swings. Once I eliminated bagged or boxed foods and exchanged them for all things fresh - almost all things plant based - my mood swings were no longer swinging quite so violently. :)

These good foods are a way of life. I can’t imagine of ever going back.

#2. Eating the Mediterranean lifestyle helps to stave off inflammation. I have arthritis in both of my thumbs. They are sometimes inflamed and really hurt. When I eat healthy, my thumbs are less inflamed and definitely don’t ache as much. Sugar, refined grains and saturated fat trigger an inflammatory immune response. I aim for half to two-thirds of my plate to be non-starchy veggies. I limit added sugar! (I did cut added sugar completely for four months last year. It most certainly helped reduce inflammation but I also lost weight which wasn’t a great look for me)! I read lots of labels. I don’t eat as much fish as I should but I do take an omega-3 supplement. I limit white flour. I rarely eat cookies or muffins made with white flour. I use olive oil for everything. I buy my oils and vinegars in Southampton. It might sound difficult to live this way but it’s the way our grandparents lived! Once you make this way of life a habit - it’s common place but there is nothing common about the way one’s body responds to good food.

#3. My heart is healthier. In the middle of the 20th century, heart disease surpassed pneumonia and tuberculosis as the leading cause of death for men and women in North America. Guess where there is little heart disease? Spain. Italy. Greece. Specialists in the States studied the diet patterns of these European countries, which were high in plant foods - fruits and vegetables, whole grains, legumes, nuts and seeds and olive oil. Fish, poultry, dairy, and eggs were eaten in moderation - red meat was a rare occurrence. Why would I want to eat any other way? If I feed my body the things it isn’t meant to tolerate - like processed convenient foods, my body will let me down.

#4. The first week will be the hardest - but once your body adjusts - you’ll never look back. I was teaching fitness classes back in 2012 when I started my new eating regime. About the fourth day in - I had to sit on a stool to teach my classes because my body was out of whack. Even though I thought I was eating healthy - I wasn’t. The first week - I was fatigued - I was dizzy - I was tired - I was moody - I almost stopped. But I didn’t. After the first week - things turned a corner. My body began to respond - the fatigue and tiredness went away - the moodiness and dizzy spells were eliminated - my body began to look leaner and fitter. I had the right mindset though. I would let food heal me.

#5. Food is for our enjoyment and sharing a great meal with family and friends is the best. Last summer after Zac and Pete and I completed our Camino walk in Spain, we flew from Santiago de Compostela to Barcelona for a few days to complete our holiday. I realized two things very quickly. The Spanish people have siestas every afternoon and their evening only begins around 7 and revolves around good food. After visiting Barcelona’s beaches and touristy sites, Zac and Pete had their siestas while I read. It was only around 7:30 that we would head out to a beautiful square, and find a place to have a drink. Then we would wander the square, watching the nightly entertainment and find another establishment for dinner. Now, we’re talking 9 pm. My favourite meal of all time was our last night in Barcelona. I enjoyed Paella - a traditional Spanish dish that originated in the Valencia region.

Paella is made with simple ingredients that we all have in our own kitchens - rice, saffron, vegetables, chicken or seafood. I had mine with chicken. The three of us sat around the table, enjoying our meals and talking. All around that lovely little restaurant, groups of two, three and more, were laughing, eating, talking, sharing life. No one was in a rush.

This Momma who is usually in bed around 10, was finishing her meal around 10:30 and then heading to yet another restaurant for dessert and a “nightcap” - sparkling water for me and some fancy spanish drinks for the boys.

There is nothing I enjoy more than having family and friends over for a meal and just sitting around the table, enjoying good food and conversation and laughter and sometimes - tears too. Sharing life.

The Mediterranean diet (not really a diet but a lifestyle) is consistently ranked as the healthiest eating by the world’s leading experts. I’m no expert but I wholeheartedly endorse it too.

It changed my life! It can change yours too.