Table 2.
Middle Eastern dining tips (Adapted with Permission from yourbodygoal).
| HEALTHFUL MIDDLE EASTERN DINING |
| BACKGROUND |
| Many are familiar with Italian foods that emphasize pastas. Also, countries that border bodies of water (e.g., Mediterranean Sea, such as Greece), often consume a substantial amount of seafood. While Middle Eastern foods can include pastas and seafoods, Middle Eastern foods may have some variances compared to the Mediterranean Diet. Having said this, due to the influences of surrounding areas, Middle Eastern cuisine often has substantial similarities to the Mediteraanean Diet, such as consumption of vegetables, fruits, whole grains, and healthful fats, fish, poultry, beans, legumes, and eggs, moderate dairy, limited red meat, and healthful fats from olive oil, nuts, and seeds. |
| COMMON VEGETABLES |
| Common vegetables include arugula, artichokes, cabbage, cucumbers, dandelion greens, eggplant, garlic, green beans, jute leaves, onions, okra, potatoes, spinach, and zucchini. Consumption of these vegetables are made less healthful when refined or deep fried. |
| COMMON FRUITS: |
| Apples, apricots, avocados, carob, citrus fruits (especially lemons), dates, figs, grapes, melons, mulberries, olives, persimmons, plums, pomegranates, stone fruits like peaches, and tomatoes. These fruits are made less healthful when refined and consumed as juices, with removal of fiber. |
| COMMON GRAINS AND LEGUMES |
| Grains include barley, bulgur, freekeh, rice, wheat, and wheat berries. Legumes include chickpeas for hummus and lentils for soups and Mujaddara. Grains are made less healthful when refined, with removal of nutrients and fiber. Couscous is a common pasta (i.e., milled durum wheat mixed with water or eggs) derived from semolina flour. Whole grain couscous will have more nutrients and fiber than refined couscous. |
| COMMON MEATS AND DAIRY |
| Meats include lamb (i.e., a sheep that is less than one year old) meat,as well as lamb spleen, liver, and kidneys, some beef, goat, eggs, poultry, and tripe. Dairy includes feta or goat cheese, labneh (kefir cheese), and Greek yogurt. While red meats such as lamb and beef have saturated fats, if lean cuts are served in moderation, such meats can be included in a balanced diet. |
| HEALTHFUL FATS |
| Foods rich in the more healthful monounsaturated and/or polyunsaturated fats include avocados, ghee, nuts (e.g., almonds, pistachios, cashews, walnuts, pine nuts), olive oil, olives, seeds (e.g., sesame and pumpkin) |