1. Posted by A Yahoo! Health User on Wed, Oct 25, 2006, 1:52 am PDT

thank you for this great article! i am from Romania and enjoy a helathy lifestyle not what people now call a diet-the Medit. Diet! I as a person find out that if I take care of myself, eat everything in moderation and use healthy alternatives as well as to work out then i am going to be okay! i would like to disagree with the term "diet" used in this context! i still eat bread, i still eat feta cheese, olives, use olive oil, eat lots of salads but i eat everything in moderation which is something that i thought that you would mention. second of all you need to be active if you eat what the Europeans eat since the Europeans walk and do not use their cars as much which keeps them in shape!but i enjoyed the rest of the article knowing that i can do something good about health related problems that might be genetic and will affect me through the way i eat: simple, rich and wholesome foods! Ingrid

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2. Posted by A Yahoo! Health User on Wed, Oct 25, 2006, 3:11 am PDT

my doctor says my cholesterol is still high. he says to continue to lose weight. i stay away from margarine, deserts(esp. fatty ones like pie and cakesand ice cream)i try to avoid cheeseand when i go grocery shopping i watch the salts and fats. i am getting a little frusterated as to what else i can do.

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3. Posted by A Yahoo! Health User on Wed, Oct 25, 2006, 10:38 am PDT

I didn't realize how closely my way of eating resembled a "mediterranean diet." I've been eating like this for quite a few years now. I didn't know it had any name. I've just been trying to eat food with a lot of antioxidants and healthy fats in my meals as much as possible and keep the unhealthier food to a minimum since I quit smoking over a decade ago. When you listed those foods, it looked like a basic outline of what I eat. Very surprising to me. I do believe that fruits and vegetables can drive away many diseases and cancers before they begin. In some instances, just eating a healthy diet can reverse the situation. That's why I started eating this way after I quit smoking.

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4. Posted by A Yahoo! Health User on Thu, Oct 26, 2006, 4:10 pm PDT

NEVER EVER buy the baked goods on the shelf! TRANS FATS!!!! are in there unless it says specifically that it has NO trans fats. Eat "nothing hydrogenated" Its EVERYWHERE AND CLOGS YOUR ARTERIES Its one molecule away form being PLASTIC and CANNOT be assimulated by the body..ONLY *STORED*!!!..HELLO????guess where???? OUR ARTERIES AND CELLS AND G*D KNOWS WHERE ELSE!!!!!An excellent alternative to margerine is Smart Balance brand spread..I am a butter lover and its is the BEST! I never eat hydrogenated foods anymore if it can be helped. Thank G*d the food companies are getting on the band wagon finally!

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5. Posted by A Yahoo! Health User on Thu, Oct 26, 2006, 6:14 pm PDT

Berta: That smart balance spread isn't so great. Ingredients aren't completely healthy. I saw something in there that was questionable. Can't recall if it was a third oil that wasn't worth the advertisement or another ingredient. I won't ever buy it again though. They market it as a "flaxseed and olive oil spread" but slip a few unhealthy ingredients in the mix like we're none the wiser. I agree, transfats are horrid. Don't typically try to eat them either. However, I'm not going to lose a lot of sleep if I do. I really don't consider myself on the fast track to death if I occasionally eat something I avoid. I eat more healthy than most.

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6. Posted by A Yahoo! Health User on Sat, Oct 28, 2006, 8:38 pm PDT

i think i will try it.

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7. Posted by A Yahoo! Health User on Mon, Oct 30, 2006, 1:58 pm PST

My Dad was raised by parents that imigrated from eastern Europe. They ate a diet high in vegetables, seasonal fruits and very little meat because that is what poor people could afford. He laughs now that this type of diet is popular. He says it is a diet of the rich because it is good for you. The poor used to grow their own food, now we go to an organic restaurant to eat such fare.

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8. Posted by A Yahoo! Health User on Mon, Nov 13, 2006, 7:57 am PST

hi, i'm cinnamongirl and i'm fightin g breast cancer. i'm trying to do it the natural way by diet and herbal remedies. so far no chemo or rads. my cancer is estrogen recepter positive and after 2 years of drinking redclover tea i just read that it is only good for neg recepters and can accually be harmful for pos. anyone know for sure?? it's so hard out here by myself because insurance won't cover any of the doctors i want to consult with. any input would be helpful.

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9. Posted by A Yahoo! Health User on Mon, Nov 13, 2006, 8:30 am PST

I would like to make a comment to Cinnamongirl. I have heard of several people beating cancer by following a vegan diet. People who adopt a vegan diet don't consume dairy products or flesh (red meat, poultry or fish). They consume fruits, preferably raw vegetables, grains, nuts & seeds and choose organic foods when possible. Hormones are given to livestock therefore passing the unusual amounts to the consumer via flesh & dairy. Hormones given to the livestock are also believed to be causing our children to reach puberty at a much younger age than generations in the past. I have a family history of breast cancer myself. I have adopted a vegetarian lifestyle to be preventive but I still consume eggs & cheese in moderation.

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10. Posted by A Yahoo! Health User on Mon, Nov 13, 2006, 10:00 am PST

In response to brndsmk, has a doctor or dietician advised you that, eating complex carbohydrates and adequate fiber will help to lower your cholesterol levels? Fiber slows the absorption of cholesterol into your bloodstream. Try switching from white bread to wheat, then eventually whole wheat/grain breads and pastas. Also, limit how much fast food that you intake (especially the deep fried foods) that is chock full of trans fats. When eating margarines, you want the soft tub kind instead of the stick variety of margarine. When purchasing a margarine, look for water as one of the ingredients and partially hydrogenated oils. Also, you want to watch how much protein you eat, the typical american eats more protein than necessary, and animal proteins are where most dietary cholesterol comes from. I hope I have helped you somewhat. Good luck!

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11. Posted by A Yahoo! Health User on Mon, Nov 13, 2006, 10:00 am PST

In response to brndsmk, has a doctor or dietician advised you that, eating complex carbohydrates and adequate fiber will help to lower your cholesterol levels? Fiber slows the absorption of cholesterol into your bloodstream. Try switching from white bread to wheat, then eventually whole wheat/grain breads and pastas. Also, limit how much fast food that you intake (especially the deep fried foods) that is chock full of trans fats. When eating margarines, you want the soft tub kind instead of the stick variety of margarine. When purchasing a margarine, look for water as one of the ingredients and partially hydrogenated oils. Also, you want to watch how much protein you eat, the typical american eats more protein than necessary, and animal proteins are where most dietary cholesterol comes from. I hope I have helped you somewhat. Good luck!

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12. Posted by A Yahoo! Health User on Mon, Nov 13, 2006, 2:29 pm PST

I lived in Greece for three years. During that time I chose not to own a car but rather to ride the public bus. In my first year there, between the change in diet and the extra walking (and toting bags of vegetables from the farmers' markets) I lost 30 lbs and had the firmest body around. No fancy diet foods and no going to the "trend du jour" exercise class/program. When I returned to the U.S. so did many of my bad habits along with the plastic food in this country which supposedly is "organic." The result was that the weight and lingering lethargy returned. This article was a great wake-up call that I needed to get back on track to a slower, saner, healthier way of living.

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13. Posted by A Yahoo! Health User on Sun, Dec 31, 2006, 4:23 am PST

celtjade: This article was a great wake-up call for me as well. I am half Greek, and although I've not been to Greece yet, I lived with my grandmother (yiayia) for a while. (She was born and raised in Greece and moved here later.) Anyways, she just passed away... at the beautiful age of 97. She was very active and healthy. Reading about the Mediterranean diet reminded me of exactly how and what she ate. I think I'll be "going back to my roots" in 2007.

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14. Posted by A Yahoo! Health User on Sun, Dec 31, 2006, 4:24 am PST

celtjade: This article was a great wake-up call for me as well. I am half Greek, and although I've not been to Greece yet, I lived with my grandmother (yiayia) for a while. (She was born and raised in Greece and moved here later.) Anyways, she just passed away... at the beautiful age of 97. She was very active and healthy. Reading about the Mediterranean diet reminded me of exactly how and what she ate. I think I'll be "going back to my roots" in 2007.

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15. Posted by A Yahoo! Health User on Sun, Dec 31, 2006, 4:24 am PST

celtjade: This article was a great wake-up call for me as well. I am half Greek, and although I've not been to Greece yet, I lived with my grandmother (yiayia) for a while. (She was born and raised in Greece and moved here later.) Anyways, she just passed away... at the beautiful age of 97. She was very active and healthy. Reading about the Mediterranean diet reminded me of exactly how and what she ate. I think I'll be "going back to my roots" in 2007.

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