BABA GHANOUSH. PHOTO: KELLY JAGGERS

What is the Mediterranean Diet? The Mediterranean diet is considered one of the healthiest diets by doctors and leading health organizations such as the American Heart Association.

We are fans of the Mediterranean diet, too. As you may have seen in the article in the previous issue of Healthy Aging^® Magazine, where we covered the virtues of the Mediterranean Diet

What is the Mediterranean diet?

The Mediterranean diet is a broad description of the traditional dietary habits gleaned from the countries along the Mediterranean Sea. Each of the more than 20 countries has its own culture and cuisine, but they share these common diet choices:

• Including fruits, vegetables, whole grains, beans, and nuts
• Choosing olive oil over butter or other oils
• Limiting dairy products, red meat, sweets, sugars, salt, and highly processed food.

Followers of the Mediterranean diet are said to have the lowest rates of chronic diseases such as heart disease and some cancers.

Here are some suggestions if you are looking for ways to incorporate the Mediterranean diet into your meal planning from cookbook author Kelly Jaggers in her latest cookbook, The Ultimate Mediterranean Diet – Cooking for One Cookbook.

If you are cooking for yourself or even for two, sometimes it’s challenging to prepare these delicious recipes without an overabundance of leftovers.  Jaggers shares 175 healthy and delicious recipes that are easy to make. Here are three to try:

Baba Ghanoush, Lasagna Rolls, and Banana Loaf Cake

For the full exercise and more, read the full article in Healthy Aging® Magazine:

Healthy Aging Magazine | More Benefits of the Mediterranean Diet

Kelly Jaggers is the author of “The Ultimate Mediterranean Diet – Cooking for One Cookbook.”