Page 10 - The Mediterranean Refresh

Introduction

to the

Mediterranean

Lifestyle

I know … I know… It’s called the Mediter-
ranean Diet. But I hate that word diet. It
sounds like you’re going to have to stop eat-
ing all your favorite foods, start calorie count-
ing or join some cultlike exercise place—the
word’s been used for decades to describe
some pretty horrific things.
But have no fear.
This book isn’t about dieting, calorie
counting or anything like that. It’s about
adopting a lifestyle that’s been around for
hundreds of years: a lifestyle full of delicious,
seasonal and fresh foods. The Mediterranean
Diet is full of an unlimited amount of food
from all nutritional groups. Although the fo-
cus may be on foods that you’re not familiar
with, no food groups are completely excluded.
There are no hard-and-fast rules—just “less
of this” and “more of that” guidelines.
The diet is based on the eating habits of
people on the coasts of Italy, Morocco, Spain,
Greece and France. People living on the
shores of the Mediterranean have a very

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