Pasta and Pizza?

I heard something interesting yesterday over the airwaves: Someone asked whether Italian food was the same as the Mediterranean Diet. That question implied such familiar Italian foods as pizza, pasta, sausage, and the like -- you know, the typical American diet.  Yes, I know, he asked about Italian food, but as we all know, the food we know as Italian is found in every facet of our American lives, in almost every form.

What distinguishes the Mediterranean Diet from what have come to associate with Italian food is that the Mediterranean region encompasses many countries, including Morocco, Spain, Italy, Turkey, Greece, Lebanon and Israel, to name a few. The food of the Mediterranean region is characterized by the bounty of the earth -- not by processed carbs, although to be sure, folks in the Mediterranean region do eat their share of pasta, breads and pastries. But unlike their American counterparts whose diet stresses processed foods, those folks focus on fresh produce, fruits and vegetables, olives, dates, figs and pomegranates, and of course, the renowned olive oil. Italians in Italy eat quite a bit of pasta, typically "pastasciutta" which is spaghetti with butter and Parmesan, practically at every meal. But the bulk of their diet is still the unprocessed fruits and vegetables from the land that is bathed in sunshine. So it is in Spain and France, as it is in Israel that itself is a melting pot of many nations, all of which have contributed their recipes of favorite foods. An Israeli breakfast typically consists of eggplant (hazzilim), tomato cucumber salad, squash, boiled eggs, milk, and fruit, as compared to the American breakfast of coffee and a donut. Yes, I'm exaggerating, but not much.

Bottom line: Pasta and pizza are OK on any diet, but should form part of a balanced diet, moderating the amount of processed white flour one eats, and emphasizing those foods that grow naturally and are minimally processed. Granny Smith apple, anyone?