Tag Archives: Advanced Mediterranean Diet

Please Help Keep This Blog Alive

You need a break. Enjoy.

I pay $3 to $12 to license many of the photos and diagrams here. I won’t steal someone else’s intellectual property.

Have you noticed how some blogs just fizzle out? No new posts for a year, then they’re gone?

One reason is that it costs money to maintain them. For instance, I pay WordPress $30/year to keep them from posting advertisements that would interfere with your reading pleasure. I also turn down many offers from marketers who will pay me for access to my audience.

The biggest “cost” of the blog is my time that it takes to write posts.

Steven P. Parker, M.D.

Steven P. Parker, M.D., in 2016

I hope you find my writing worthwhile and interesting. You’ll find information here, at no cost, that should improve your health and longevity. What’s that worth?

If you’d like to support the blog, the best way is to buy one of my books, or recommend one to your friends or relatives. The second best way is to post a review of the book at Amazon.com. Even a brief one. My books are at Amazon.com, Smashwords, and wherever fine books are sold.

I’d be grateful for your support. Your continued readership is also encouraging to me.

Steve Parker, M.D.

PS: I’m based in the U.S. but have lots of readers from the U.K., Australia, Canada, New Zealand, India, and Germany. I’m not sure how easy it is to get one of my paper books in those countries. Ebooks from Smashwords should be widely available.

 

Comments Off on Please Help Keep This Blog Alive

Filed under Shameless Self-Promotion

Low-Carb Beats Low-Fat Diet for Weight Loss Once Again

…according to an article at MedPageToday.

Many physicians have been reluctant to recommend low-carb diets out of fear that they increase cardiovascular risk. A recent study compared low-carb to low-fat dieting over 12 months and actually found better improvements in cardiovascular disease risk factors on the low-carb diet (max of 40 grams a day).

This Avocado Chicken soup is low-carb. Use the search box to find the recipe.

This Avocado Chicken soup is low-carb. Use the search box to find the recipe.

After 12 months, folks on a low-carbohydrate diet had lost 5.3 kg (11.7 lb), while those on a low-fat diet with similar caloric value had lost 1.8 kg (3.9 lb). Both groups showed lowering of LDL cholesterol, while the low-carbers had better improvements in HDL cholesterol and triglycerides.

DietDoctor Andreas Eenfeldt can add this study to his list of others that show better weight loss with low-carb diets compared to low-fat.

Regular readers here know of my Low-Carb Mediterranean Diet for diabetes and prediabetes. My Advanced Mediterranean Diet for non-diabetics also offers a low-carb option in addition to traditional reduced-calorie portion-control eating.

Steve Parker, M.D.

Comments Off on Low-Carb Beats Low-Fat Diet for Weight Loss Once Again

Filed under Carbohydrate, Mediterranean Diet, Weight Loss

Recipe: Chicken Avocado Soup

FullSizeRender

Avocados in soup? Yeah, I was skeptical, too. But it works amazingly well. Since I provide the nutritional analysis below, you can easily work this into the Low-Carb Mediterranean Diet, Ketogenic Mediterranean Diet, or Paleobetic Diet.

Ingredients

1.5 lb (680 g) boneless skinless chicken breast

1 tbsp (15 ml) olive oil

1 cup (240 ml) chopped green onions

1/2 jalapeno pepper (or 1 or 2 peppers if you wish), seeded and minced (use the seeds, too, if you want it very spicy hot)

2 roma tomatoes (5 oz or 140 g), seeded and diced

2 garlic cloves, minced

60 oz (1,700 g) low-sodium chicken broth

salt and pepper to taste (nutritional analysis below assumes no salt added)

1/2 tsp (2.5 ml) ground cumin

1/3 cup (80 ml) chopped cilantro

3 tbsp (45 ml) fresh lime juice (2 limes should be enough)

3 medium California avocados, peeled, seeded, and cubed

Instructions

Heat up the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat, then add the green onions and jalapeño; sauté until tender (1–2 minutes) then add the garlic and cook another 30 seconds or so. Next into the pot goes the chicken broth, cumin, tomatoes, chicken breasts, and optional salt and pepper. If adding salt, I’d wait until just before serving: taste it and then decide if it needs salt. Bring to a boil with high heat, then reduce heat but keep it  boiling, covered with a lid while the chicken cooks through-out. Cooking time depends on thickness of the breasts and may be 15 to 45 minutes. When done, it should be easy to shred with a fork. Reduce heat to low or warm then remove the chicken breasts and allow them to cool for 5–10 minutes. When cool enough, shred the chicken with your fingers and return it to the pot. Add the cilantro. Ladle 1.5 cups (355 ml) into a bowl, add one fifth or sixth of the avocado cubes (half of an avocado) and the juice of 1/4 to 1/2 lime. Enjoy!

IMG_2233

Serving size: 1.5 cup of soup plus 1/2 of an avocado

Servings per Batch: 5

Advanced Mediterranean Diet boxes: 1 veggie, 1 fat, 1 protein

Nutritional Analysis per Serving:

43 % fat

13 % carbohydrate

44 % protein

350 calories

12 g carbohydrate

8 g fiber

4 g digestible carb

638 mg sodium

1,180 mg potassium

Prominent features: Rich in protein, vitamin B6, vitamin C, niacin, pantothenic acid, phosphorus, selenium; plus a fair amount of fiber

PS: You can fancy this up just before serving by adding a couple large triangular corn tortilla chips (broken into a few bits) or half of a 6-inch (15 cm) corn tortilla (first, microwave for 20 seconds, then break into a bits). Both items each add 5 g of digestible carbohydrate; the tortilla chip option adds 60 calories and the corn tortilla adds 25 calories. Shredded cheese might be a nice topper, too.

 

3 Comments

Filed under Recipes

Don’t Settle for Store-Bought Salad Dressing; Try Home-Made AMD Vinaigrette

Salmon tends to dry out when baked; a vinaigrette marinade helps keep it moist

Salmon tends to dry out when baked; a vinaigrette marinade helps keep it moist

Classic vinaigrettes are very low in carbohydrate content. On the other hand, many commercial salad dressings are “enhanced” with added sugar, which you don’t need if you have diabetes.

Try AMD vinaigrette on salads, fresh vegetables, or as a marinade for chicken, fish, or beef. If using as a marinade, keep the entree/marinade combo in the refrigerator for 4–24 hours. Seasoned vinaigrettes taste even better if you let them sit for several hours after preparation.

I’ll warn you, this is pretty spicy. If you prefer less tang, either use less of the vinaigrette, or reduce these particular ingredients by half: lemon juice, salt, pepper, paprika, and mustard.

This recipe was in my first book, The Advanced Mediterranean Diet from 2007; hence, “AMD vinaigrette.” BTW, there’s a second edition of The Advanced Mediterranean Diet from 2012.

Ingredients:

2 garlic cloves (6 g), minced

juice from 1 lemon (40–50 ml)

2/3 cup (160 ml) extra virgin oil olive

4 tbsp (16 g or 60 ml) fresh parsley, finely chopped

1 tsp (5 ml) salt

1 tsp (5 ml) yellow mustard

1 tsp (5 ml) paprika

4 tbsp (60 ml) red wine or apple cider vinegar

Preparation:

In a bowl, combine all ingredients and whisk together. Alternatively, you can put all ingredients in a jar with a lid and shake vigorously—my preferred method. Let sit at room temperature for an hour, for flavors to meld. Then refrigerate. It should “keep” for at least 5 days in refrigerator. The olive oil will solidify, so take it out and set at room temperature for an hour before using. Shake before using.

Number of Servings: 6 servings of 2 tbsp (30 ml). (In Australia and NZ, you guys say “serves” instead of servings, right mate?)

Nutritional Analysis:

98 % fat

2 % carbohydrate

0 % protein

220 calories

1.4 g carbohydrate

0.3 g fiber

1 g digestible carbohydrate

400 mg sodium

41 mg potassium

(You may see a slightly different nutritional analysis—2 g of digestible carb versus 1 g here—at one of my other blogs. That’s the difference between Fitday.com (here) and NutritionData, and rounding.)

Steve Parker, M.D.

Comments Off on Don’t Settle for Store-Bought Salad Dressing; Try Home-Made AMD Vinaigrette

Filed under Recipes

How to Eat Low-Carb at Fast-Food Joints

Laura Dolson tells you how over at About.com. For example:

Occasionally, you’ll see salads with other protein, but chicken is the mainstay of fast-food meal salads. Tips: 1. Skip the croutons, tortilla strips, and similar additions. 2. Be very careful about sugars in the dressing. 3) For best nutrition, look for salads with a mixture of greens, and a variety of vegetables. 4) Make sure the chicken is grilled, not “crispy fried”, or other chicken with breading.

On the Advanced Mediterranean Diet for non-diabetics, you have the option of:

  1. Traditional portion- and calorie-controlled eating, or
  2. Low-carb eating with the worlds’ first Low-Carb Mediterranean Diet

If you’ve read Conquer Diabetes and Prediabetes, you’re already familiar with #2.

Steve Parker, M.D.

Comments Off on How to Eat Low-Carb at Fast-Food Joints

Filed under Shameless Self-Promotion, Uncategorized

Can You Help a Doc Out?

 

"I may not make wine with all of my grapes, but when I do, it's red wine."

“I may not make wine with all of my grapes, but when I do, it’s red wine.”

A major U.S. women’s magazine is considering doing an article on my Low-Carb Mediterranean Diet. The writer would like to be able to interview folks (by phone) who have done the diet and had success with it. The article is about weight  loss, however, not control of diabetes. Before and after pics would be icing on the cake but are not necessary.

If you’ve read Control Diabetes and Prediabetes: The Low-Carb Mediterrean Diet, or The Advanced Mediterranean Diet (2nd edition), or KMD: Ketogenic Mediterranean Diet, then you’ve seen the Low-Carb Mediterranean Diet. Advanced Mediterranean Diet also has a traditional portion/calorie-controlled diet. Control Diabetes and KMD both start with the ketogenic Mediterranean diet (30 carb grams/day) and than add more carbohydrates as tolerated by the individual, resulting in the Low-Carb Mediterranean Diet. Most folks following the Low-Carb Mediterranean Diet will max out carb consumption at 80-100 grams a day.

I’m terrible at marketing myself and my ideas, so I’ve not kept track of individual success stories from the past.

If you’d be willing to share your success story, please email me with a few of the details at steveparkermd AT gmail.com and I will keep your name on file in case the magazine decides to run with the article. I’ll not divulge your information to anyone else. If you share with me, I’ll assume I have your permission to send your story and e-mail address to the writer.

Thanks for your consideration.

Steve Parker, M.D.

Comments Off on Can You Help a Doc Out?

Filed under Shameless Self-Promotion

Meal Plans For “Conquer Diabetes and Prediabetes”

For both types 1 and type 2 diabetes, carbohydrate restriction is a great way to help control blood sugars and minimize the toxicity and expense of drug therapy. Here are some low-carb recipes from my book, Conquer Diabetes and Prediabetes.

These are Hass or California avocados (the other common one in the U.S is the Florida avocado)

These are Hass or California avocados (the other common one in the U.S is the Florida avocado)

Breakfast:  Steak and Avocado

4 oz (110 g) raw steak

1 California avocado, peeled, seeded, and sliced (136 g)

½ tbsp (7 ml) olive oil (optional)

salt and pepper

1 tbsp (15 ml) vinaigrette (see below) or commercial Italian dressing (regular, not low-fat, with less than 2 g of carb per tbsp or 15 ml)

Cook the steak over medium heat, adding half a tbsp (7 ml) olive oil at the start if desired. Salt and pepper to taste. Peel and slice a California avocado. Dress avocado with homemade vinaigrette or commercial Italian dressing. Salt and pepper to taste. Digestible carb grams: 4.

AMD VINAIGRETTE

Try this on salads, fresh vegetables, or as a marinade for chicken, fish, or beef. If using as a marinade, keep the entree/marinade combo in the refrigerator for 4–24 hours. Seasoned vinaigrettes taste even better if you let them sit for several hours after preparation. This recipe was in my first book, The Advanced Mediterranean Diet; hence, “AMD vinaigrette.”

Ingredients

1 clove (3 g) garlic

juice from ½ lemon (23 g or ml)

a third of a cup (78 ml) oil olive

2 tbsp (8 g) fresh parsley

½ tsp (2.5 ml)) salt

½ tsp (2.5 ml) yellow mustard

½ tsp (1.2 ml) paprika

2 tbsp (30 ml) red wine vinegar

Preparation

In a bowl, combine all ingredients and whisk together. Alternatively, you can put all ingredients in a jar with a lid and shake vigorously. Let sit at room temperature for an hour, for flavors to meld. Then refrigerate. It should “keep” for at least 5 days in refrigerator. Shake before using. Servings per batch: 3.

Nutrient Analysis:

Recipe makes 3 servings (2 tbsp or 30 ml per serving). Each serving has 220 calories, 2 g digestible carb, almost no fiber, negligible protein, 24 g fat. 3% of calories are from carbohydrate, 97% from fat.

Lunch:  Aguacate Cucumber Salad

5 oz (140 g) cucumber, peeled and sliced into rounds

1 California avocado, peeled, seeded, and sliced (136 g)

2 tbsp (30 ml) AMD vinaigrette (see above) or commercial Italian dressing described below

salt and pepper

dash of lime or lemon juice (optional)

1 oz walnuts

Mix the cucumber and avocado in a bowl with the AMD vinaigrette or commercial Italian dressing (regular, not low-fat, with 3 g or fewer carbs per 2 tbsp or 30 ml). Salt and pepper to taste. For extra zing, add a dash of lemon or lime juice. Enjoy the walnuts on the side now, or mid-afternoon as a snack. Digestible carb grams: 10.

Dinner:  Bacon Shrimp Salad

2 slices (15 g) pork bacon, cured, cooked (or substitute 2 tbsp (30 ml) commercial real bacon bits)

2 tbsp (30 ml) AMD vinaigrette (see above) or commercial Italian dressing as below

½ packet of tabletop Splenda

4 oz (110 g) fresh baby spinach

4 oz (110 g) cooked shrimp (Consider commercial pre-cooked, peeled shrimp to save time)

6 oz (180 ml) dry white wine

Cook two bacon slices over medium heat, then crumble or cut in to tiny pieces (or substitute commercial real bacon bits). Add a half packet of Splenda to the AMD vinaigrette or commercial Italian dressing (regular, not low-fat, with 3 g or fewer carbs per 2 tbsp or 30 ml), then mix. On a bed of fresh baby spinach, place the cooked shrimp, then top with bacon pieces and vinaigrette. Enjoy with 6 oz dry white wine. Digestible carb grams: 9.

Comments Off on Meal Plans For “Conquer Diabetes and Prediabetes”

Filed under Recipes

A Little Known Way to Reduce Your Stroke Risk Starting Today

Older adults with high olive oil consumption have a lower risk of stroke, according to French investigators.

Caprese salad: mozzarella cheese, basil, tomatoes, extra virgin olive oil

The Mediterranean diet, rich in olive oil, has long been linked to lower rates of stroke.  French researchers wondered if that might be related to higher olive oil consumption.  Triglyceride esters of oleic acid comprise the majority of olive oil, and oleic acid blood levels reflect olive oil consumption.

Have you heard of monounsaturated fatty acids?  Oleic acid is one.

Methodology

Over 7,000 older adults without history of stroke were surveyed with regards to olive oil consumption.  Oleic acid plasma levels were measured in over a thousand of the study participants.  Over the course of five years, 175 strokes occurred.

Compared with those who never used olive oil, those with the highest consumption had a 41% lower risk of stroke.  The researchers made adjustments for other dietary variables, age, physical activity, and body mass index.

In looking at the plasma oleic acid levels, those in the highest third of levels had 73% lower risk of stroke compared to those in the lowest third.

Comments

Results suggest that the olive oil in the Mediterranean diet  may help explain the diet’s protection against stroke.  The researchers didn’t suggest an amount of olive oil that would reduce stroke risk.  I suggest at least one or two tablespoons (15–30 ml) a day, on average.  Olive oil is a key component of the Low-Carb Mediterranean Diet and Advanced Mediterranean Diet.

Steve Parker, M.D.

Reference:  Samieri, C. et al.  Olive oil consumption, plasma oleic acid, and stroke incidence: the Three-City StudyNeurology, Published online before print June 15, 2011, doi: 10.1212/WNL.0b013e318220abeb

3 Comments

Filed under Health Benefits, Mediterranean Diet, Stroke

Mediterranean Diet Linked to Lower Childhood Asthma

Researchers note lower risk of asthma symptoms in Greek 10- to 12-year-olds following a traditional Mediterranean diet, according to a recent Journal of the American Dietetic Association.

I reported in 2008 on a Portuguese study that found much improved control of adult asthma in those eating a Mediterranean diet.  Why, I even seem to recall a study that found a lower incidence of asthma in children of mothers who ate Mediterranean-style.

If you’re an overweight adult with asthma, why not look into the Sonoma Diet by Connie Guttersen, or my Advanced Mediterranean Diet?  People with diabetes or prediabetes may do better with the Low-Carb Mediterranean Diet.

Steve Parker, M.D.

3 Comments

Filed under Health Benefits, Mediterranean Diet

Mediterranean Diet Prevents Diabetes – Again

Spanish researchers report that the Mediterranean diet reduced the risk of developing diabetes by 50% in middle-aged and older Spaniards, compared with a low-fat diet. 

Over 400 people participated in a trial comparing two Mediterranean diets and a low-fat diet.  Over the course of four years, 10 or 11% of the Mediterraneans developed type 2 diabetes, compared to 18% of the low-fatters.  One of the Mediterranean diets favored olive oil, the other promoted nut consumption.

We’ve seen previously that the Mediterranean diet prevents diabetes—not all cases, of course—in folks who have had a heart attack.  It also reduced the risk of diabetes in younger, generally healthy people in Spain.

So What?

The study at hand is not ground-breaking.  It enhances the body of evidence that the Mediterranean diet is one of the healthiest around.  I suppose another way to look at this study would be to say that the low-fat diet caused diabetes.

Learn how to move your diet in a Mediterranean direction at Oldways or the Advanced Mediterranean Diet website. 

Diabetics and prediabetics should consider the Low-Carb Mediterranean Diet; otherwise look into the Advanced Mediterranean Diet if you need to lose weight.

Steve Parker, M.D.

Reference:  Salas-Salvado, Jordi, et al.  Reduction in the incidence of type 2 diabetes with the Mediterranean diet: Results of the PREDIMED-Reus Nutrition Intervention Randomized Trial.  Diabetes Care, epub ahead of print, October 7, 2010.  doi: 10.2337/dc150-1288

2 Comments

Filed under Causes of Diabetes, Health Benefits, Mediterranean Diet, Prevention of T2 Diabetes