Here’s the flawed calculus that no healthy culture shares with us: volume = value, and quantity = quality.
Whether you review the dietary behaviors of Nordic, Asian, or Mediterranean cultures, you find that
A) they eat a broad range of cuisines. However,
B) they do that in control because they don’t judge how good it is by their EYES. They judge how good it is by their TASTE.
So a key principle for Mediterranean Wellness is … “Eat Small, Be Small”.
When you take small bites, you end up tasting your food, enjoying it more. Even better, physiologically that extra time allows your fullness signals to catch up to your brain before you overconsume.
That means you limit calories, prevent overconsumption, and get to have all the health benefits of those delicious food without eating so much that you make them bad for you.
In healthy cultures, they eat all kinds of real foods, with nothing “off the table”. However, all of them eat small, take their time, savor the flavor, and don’t feel like they have to eat their body weight to get their money’s worth.
If you need a quick take-home message for Mediterranean Wellness, this is a key one. Eat small, be small.