California Central Coast Wine and Food Guide.

Over the last twenty years or so, I have read everything I can get my hands on concerning a healthy diet and how it affects your body and quality of life.

I have also noticed and learned that in many of the most common diseases such as heart disease, diabetes, obesity, and digestion problems can all be prevented or lessened by eating what is known as the Mediterranean Diet. It can even help prevent some forms of cancer. Though our recipes are heavily influenced by the Italian cooking style, the Mediterranean Diet is really the basis for all our recipes.

After looking over our recipes, you’ll notice that they emphasize fresh fruit, vegetables, seafood, complex carbohydrates such as pasta, brown rice, fregola, use of olive oil, salads, legumes, rustic breads, low fat cheeses like Parmesan and Feta and of course moderate consumption of wine. Doesn’t sound like too bad of a prescription does it!

I also noticed in my travels, peoples that live around the Mediterranean, are trim from their diet and their lifestyle of regular exercise- especially walking. These people eat a diet that’s rich in vegetables, low in red meat, high in seafood, regular use of olive oil, grains and low-fat cheeses, fruit and wine. When those peoples do consume more red meat, they also add to their meal a balance of fresh vegetables and fruit to compensate.

On the Mediterranean Diet you also have less of an tendency to gain lots of weight. In my opinion, this is the best long-term diet to live a great quality of life—especially here in California with such access to fresh seafood, vegetables, fruit, extra virgin olive oil, locally grown nuts and wine and beautiful countryside to walk.

If the Mediterranean Diet was ever put to a test, the last four or five months have been a trial by fire. Cooking and testing multiple recipes a day, my husband and I were unsure just how well our weight and the Diet would fair. We did adhere to our regular exercise schedule of walking as much as possible. With a lot of relief and increased confidence in the benefits of the Mediterranean Diet, we found that neither of us put on any weight!

So please join us in our quest to uncover some of the healthiest, and tastiest ways to enjoy all of our bounties here on the California Central Coast.


To learn more about the Mediterranean Diet, here are some resources:

New England Journal of Medicine , Meir J. Stampfer, M.D.,senior author of a study published July 17, 2008

The Mediterranean Diet Cookbook, by Nancy Harmon Jenkins 1994/2001/2007

Reversing Hypertension, by Julian Whitaker, M.D. 2001

Reversing Diabetes, by Julian Whitaker, MD 2004