A recent study published in the British Medical Journal showed that individuals who consumed seven or more servings of fruit and vegetables a day had a reduced risk of dying from cancer and heart disease.
While we know that the traditional Greek diet decades ago was mostly vegetarian due to the religious fasts, but also to economic reasons, today Greeks have moved away from their traditional diet, eating a more Westernized diet, but surprisingly still consume plenty of vegetables. In fact, according to a 2010 OECD report, Greece has the highest consumption of vegetables per capita in Europe based on supply and production; however, it is mostly older Greeks who still eat more vegetables. Here is how we do it:
1. Greeks eat cooked vegetables as a main course
This is probably the most important thing you can do to increase your intake of vegetables drastically without really noticing. As I've mentioned before, I always found it ineffective the way Western diets try to increase vegetable intake by either trying to persuade us to eat boiled or steamed vegetables with some butter or loaded with melted cheese. That is not the way to go, for the simple reason you need tons of butter and cheese to make these boring vegetables tasty, which defeats the purpose. Instead, you can try cooking vegetables such as green beans, peas, eggplant, zucchini, okra, cauliflower with olive oil, onion, tomatoes and herbs in a pot or in the oven. These dishes are often called lathera, from the Greek word for oil, "lathi," and we ate a plate of this vegetable casserole along with some feta cheese and a slice of bread. When we make vegetables this way, an average adult serving usually corresponds to ½ pound of vegetables, that is about four servings of vegetables in one sitting.
2. Greeks eat seasonal salads with every meal
It's not enough that we eat vegetables as a main course; a seasonal salad was always in the middle of the table regardless of what the main course was. However, it is important to note that the salads are made from seasonal vegetables. So, in the summer months you'll see the famous Greek salad, or more often what we call aggourodomata (which means cucumber-tomato all in one word), along with some olive oil and oregano. In the winter and spring months, the salads at the table are cabbage and carrot with a bit of olive oil and vinegar or lemon or a "prasini" -- green salad as we call it -- made with romaine lettuce and spring onion. While in restaurants you will find Greek salads with tomato in the winter, they are generally tasteless, but consumers often ask for them perhaps not understanding that tomatoes are not in season in the winter and don't taste all that great.
3. Greeks eat weeds and other wild greens
Yes, these weeds are also known as horta. You have probably heard stories or witnessed this if you are a Greek-something: grandmothers picking dandelion weeds from the backyard. This was common in our household too, although my mom did this, and of course our neighbors found this strange. But this dietary habit is the secret to the famous Greek-Mediterranean Diet. While in the U.S. they recently discovered the wonder of leafy greens, in Greece these greens have been the basis of the diet because it was accessible to all and free -- anybody can pick them. They have very few calories, rich in antioxidants and are filling. We lightly boil them and eat them with olive oil, lemon and cheese. In Crete, they have over 150 varieties of greens and edible plants.
4. Greeks add tomato to everything
Tomato is a vegetable, and tomato sauce or canned chopped tomatoes also count as a vegetable, and in Greek recipes tomato is added everywhere, even in meat dishes. In the vegetable casserole mentioned above, tomato is added to make the sauce, so you are getting another serving of vegetables there. This is the case with meat as well. We make our chicken, beef, lamb and many other meals with plenty of tomatoes. Just one more way to get vegetables, plus tomato is rich in lycopene, an antioxidant that may protect from certain types of cancer.
5. Greeks eat a lot of vegetable pies
What are vegetable pies you say? Spanakopita is a famous Greek vegetable pie. We call them pites, not like pita bread. Pita also means something wrapped in phyllo. Phyllo can be thin, like the one best known you often find frozen in super markets, but also thick, homemade phyllo, made with olive oil. Basically, pites would be made with a variety of vegetables and greens such as spinach, leeks, greens, zucchini, peppers, mushrooms, artichokes, and the list goes on and on. Basically, anything in season. These pies were either vegan, especially during the fasting periods, so they were made with vegetables, herbs and olive oil. Or during non-fasting days, cheese and egg may be added. This is the original Greek fast food, because these were easy to carry with you and did not require refrigeration. Today, you find pites everywhere in Greece. They can easily make a filling lunch, plus it is another easy way to eat vegetables.
For more vegetable recipes and information on the Greek-Mediterranean diet visit OliveTomato.com