Good news, meat lovers. You can now eat healthy without neglecting your meat cravings. Australian researchers have come up with a modified Mediterranean diet that’s great for meat lovers.

A healthy diet for meat lovers

A typical Mediterranean diet includes mainly fruits, vegetables, nuts, grains, beans, cereals, fish and unsaturated fats like olive oil. It only allows small amounts of meat and dairy. But the modified version the researchers came up with allows people to have it both ways.

The researchers added two to three servings (around 250 grams) of fresh lean pork every week to the Mediterranean diet and retained everything else. This medium-pork diet, according to the researchers, can help improve mental health.

The researchers arrived at this conclusion after comparing the effects of the diet to those of a low-fat diet on people aged 45 to 80. All of the participants were at risk of cardiovascular disease. Those who were put on the Mediterranean-pork diet scored significantly better than the participants on the low-fat diet in terms of cognitive processing speed and emotional functioning tests, indicating good mental health.

“The Mediterranean diet is widely accepted as the world’s healthiest diet and is renowned for delivering improved cardiovascular and cognitive health, but in Western cultures, the red meat restrictions of the diet could make it hard for people to stick to,” said Alexandra Wade, a professor of nutrition at the University of South Australia and one of the study authors.

Adding pork, according to Wade, broadens the appeal of the diet and delivers health benefits like improved cognitive function. This is perfect for the elderly as they are at high risk of age-related diseases like Alzheimer’s.

“We’re hoping that more people will find this dietary pattern to be more in line with their accustomed eating patterns and therefore more adoptable,” Wade added.

Meat to include in a Mediterranean diet

Besides pork, you can also fit the following lean sources of protein into a Mediterranean diet:

1. Fatty fish and seafood – The Mediterranean diet includes fish and seafood like shrimp and scallops. Though these foods differ in texture and taste from beef and poultry, they are just as delicious, if not more so. Plus, fatty fish like salmon and mackerel are beneficial for your brain and heart.
2. Poultry – Fowl meat like chicken, turkey and duck is lean and contains lower less saturated fat than red meat. High levels of saturated fats can increase bad cholesterol, but moderate amounts can be incorporated into a healthy diet.
3. Eggs – Egg yolks are packed with nutrients like vitamins A and D and antioxidants that help preserve good eyesight like lutein and zeaxanthin. Eggs are also extremely versatile foods. You can cook them in many ways and add them to a variety of Mediterranean dishes and desserts.

How to cook meat Mediterranean style

How you cook your food is just as important as the kinds of food you choose to eat. Here’s how to cook meat in the Mediterranean tradition:

Baking and roasting

Make a simple vegetable stock using celery, carrots, onions and fresh herbs to soften the meat while it roasts. Add the stock from time to time to keep the meat juicy and tender. If you’re cooking lean meat like pork tenderloin, simply soak it in semi-skimmed milk for a tasty cream that you can pour over slices of meat.

Stewing

Stewing meat in the Mediterranean tradition calls for tasty, low-fat ingredients to keep the meat cooking without using heavy ingredients. The most popular ingredient for Mediterranean stewed meat is tomato — either as a sauce or simply crushed.

Brown the meat in a pot with onion, garlic and extra-virgin olive oil. Then cover the meat with tomatoes and cook over low heat. The meat will be soft and juicy.

Grilling

You can also grill meat while you’re on a Mediterranean diet. Simply grill with fresh sprigs of rosemary, sage or thyme, then add a pinch of salt and serve. If the meat is too dry, prepare an emulsion with four tablespoons of lemon juice and a tablespoon of extra-virgin olive oil. Brush it on the meat after cooking and complete with a dash of ground black pepper.

Frying

Many traditional Italian dishes include fried meat like Milanese cutlets, Bolognese-style cutlets and meatballs. Fry meat using fresh herbs for breading and extra-virgin olive oil, then pair with fresh vegetables dressed with a drizzle of olive oil, salt and vinegar. Take note that the consumption of fried foods is usually few and far between in the Mediterranean tradition.

Eating healthy is not an easy thing to do if you’re a die-hard meat-lover. But you don’t have to choose one over the other when there are several ways to incorporate your favorite food into a healthy diet. Follow the tips listed here to continue eating meat while following a Mediterranean diet.

Sources:

NewsWise.com

PopSugar.com

LaCucinaItaliana.com