Mediterranean cuisine

One of the healthiest diets in the world is the Mediterranean cuisine. A cuisine that is delicious, simple, colorful and contains healthy spices. It incorporates foodstuffs that grow directly in the sun, fresh air and on rich fertile land!

The components of the Mediterranean cuisine are as follows:

Olive oil

Olive oil is a Mediterranean jewel that adores any rich cuisine. The scent and taste discerns its quality. Although high cholesterol indicates an exposure to stress, olive oil does in fact lower cholesterol (), thus reducing the risk of heart disease.

Forty years ago, scientists were surprised upon getting medical results of Crete inhabitants living in Greece. These people were known to eat on a daily basis a good amount of olive oil, part of their tradition in fact. All fats, including butter, margarine and olive oil, have the same amount of calories, but once in the body behave differently. Saturated fats in margarine are very destructive to the body, and leave traces of large amounts of LDL cholesterol, building up in blood vessels and damaging the heart.

On the contrary, olive oil reduces LDL cholesterol, but increases the value of good HDL cholesterol. A research study conducted in seven countries showed that 46% of Americans die from heart disease, while on Crete, only 4% of the Greek population die from heart disease, 10 times less than that compared to the US.
The body constantly creates free radicals. They are a catalyst for LDL cholesterol, which is then more willing to stick to blood vessel walls.
However, olive oil contains polyphenols, which are very powerful antioxidants. That means that they destroy the free radicals before they cause damage. So, the more olive oil in your diet, the cleaner your arteries.
It is also called a woman’s best friend. A large study that included 2,300 female participants and carried out by the Harvard School of Public Health has found that women, who use olive oil more than once a day, have a 25% lower risk of getting breast cancer. Specifically, it is the protective effects of polyphenols, as well as high concentrations of vitamin E that produces positive effects. Vitamin E is also an excellent antioxidant.

For summer salads with olive oil you can also use a lemon that adds extra vitamin C. In addition to vitamin C, vitamin E and polyphenols are all powerful antioxidants, so ensure that you get your daily dose of health and youth. Search the shop shelves for extra virgin olive oil, because it provides a larger amount of polyphenols due to the first pressing.
Keep it in a cool dark place or in the refrigerator. Buy home-grown cucumber, chop it up into small pieces, add olive oil, a little lemon, a little orange, rosemary and enjoy the meal.

Fish

Saltwater fish is rich in omega-3 fatty acids and digestible proteins that have a high biological value. Additionally, it contains valuable quantities of iodine necessary for proper functioning of the thyroids.

In Dalmatia, people eat lots of sardines. This is an epipelagic fish that feeds on plankton.
These fish are rich in omega 3 fatty acids, linoleic acid and calcium. They are very filling and delicious, and can be prepared in thousands of ways. The best herb to use is laurel.

Raws of fruits and vegetables

In the Mediterranean, every breakfast is based on lots of fruit, and an important part of any lunch is raw vegetables, which are consumed every day. It’s a way of life. Foods are always seasonal and often from the gardens people own. Other nations have realized the importance of raw vegetables and have been undertaking studies on the topic.
What Mediterranean people have based their whole life on has for the world become a recent movement in better health.
The raw diet dates back to the 1940s in Germany. Doctors understood the importance of raw food and its health benefits. In many U.S. hospitals where rejuvenation, anti-stress and anti-age programmes are held, a raw diet programme has become a prerequisite. European countries such as Switzerland, Great Britain, Austria and Germany also support and acknowledge the use of raw diet to improve health. The founder of these programmes is the German, Dr Buchinger, with the system expanded by Dr Breuss who has used it in the treatment of serious diseases such as cancer. It is known as a 42-day complete treatment of fasting during which you drink only fresh vegetable juices and tea extracts.
Today, many people start the day with freshly squeezed juice and it becomes common practice once they understand and believe that they feel much better, more energetic, stronger and happier. Raw food is just as good for healthy people as it is for the sick. When you eat raw food, you consume part of nature itself.
All the energy from food, which includes the sunshine, minerals from land, wind power, nutrients is transferred to the person consuming natural produce. Nutrients such as mineral salts, vitamins and enzymes retain their natural qualities and inherent quantitative ratios as nature provides.
One of the most important things relating to raw food and what is an advantage over all other types of food are the enzymes.
A raw diet supplies a natural intake of enzymes. Natural enzymes cannot be synthesized  in vitamin form, and so there is no need to talk too much about them. However, enzymes are crucial for the production of hormones, fats and carbohydrates in the metabolism, cleansing the blood, reproduction functions, and much more. Raw food can be quite delicious. There are no limits to the imagination and possible recipes.

I recommend that you try our raw cakes. They are healthy and very tasty.

Meat

Meat from animals that graze in the meadows along the coast, which are full of spices and herbs, gives meat a special flavour and nutritional value. Grass on pastures that are covered with seawater spray , which means they are enriched with iodine and other minerals, is excellent fodder for animals. In addition, the method of preparing food is extremely simple and preserves the nutritional value of foods. This is Dalmatian meat on the Mediterranean, with added value that brings health to your body.

Fermented products

Fermentation is the conversion of sugar into ethanol. Food is enriched with vitamins and better conserved. Wines and cheese are produced in a natural way and can be nibbled and drunk in good company listening to a good song.
In small quantities, these products are very healthy. If you overdo with them, they can be harmful.
Mediterranean people consumed it in moderation.

Wine

Wine is also a healthy fermented product.
The wine is produced by the fermentation of grapes. It is best if ferment without the addition of sugars, enzymes and certain other substances. Yeast consumes the sugar and turns it into alcohol and CO2.
Wine has a long tradition and a particular soul about it. Wine is drunk with respect. So drink it in a Mediterranean fashion.

Drinking 1-2 glasses of wine a day reduces the risk of getting a heart attack. Resveratrol, which is found in red wine, protects a person from heart disease. The best effect is achieved if wine is drunk slowly.
Wine contains flavonoids. One of the most important is quercetin. Its concentration increases when grapes are exposed to more sunlight.
Both resveratrol and quercetin have the effect of protecting health.

Herbs

The use of rosemary, laurel, basil, sage, thyme, and fennel gives food certain flavours that can reconnect us with nature and at the same time increase our level of enjoyment.
Spices are carefully added. As with anything that is Mediterranean, a balanced measure is of the utmost importance. Herbs when added to certain flavours create a number of chemicals that act like antibiotics, destroying microorganisms.
So we have the gastronomic pleasure and practical value of herbs.

You can learn how to use them and in what combinations in the Mulier Healthy Cooking classes.

SALT at right moment and in the right dose

A moderate amount of salt, added at the right moment, gives meals a gourmet experience and final touch. By regulating the amount of salt amount, it becomes possible to change the physiology of the body, such a blood pressure, kidney functioning, hydration and much more.

Delicacies and pleasure

Modus Vivendi – enjoy the delicacies. Mediterranean delights often means just simple food.  However, it’s important to enjoy it slowly and with pleasure. For example, homemade bread along with extra virgin olive oil is great, or how about anchovies, prosciutto, goat and sheep cheese in olive oil.
Mediterranean delicacies are often enjoyed in the traditional tavern or konoba in Croatian. As gathering place, it’s imbued with laughter and song, the place providing premium food. The famous Croatian writer, poet, journalist and editor Jaksa Fiamengo said that the tavern is a place for testing good tastes.

The tavern is a testing place for good tasting food and wine. Moderation in food and conversation means generally achieving moderation in life.

Light fasting

On Fridays we abstain from eating meat, and only eat fish and vegetables. That means that every Friday we eat less and in modesty. A light regular fast strengthens the body.
Older generations fast regularly once a month. They do not eat meat or fish, fruit and drink only water, and perhaps eat some vegetables.
A regular moderate fast, such as that done by Mediterranean people, strengthens and heals the body and mind.
It is especially recommended for chronic ailments.
A clean body is most important and the first step toward good health.
Join us and enjoy the Mediterranean style of detoxification, which is easy, using tasty foods and without dramatic adverse effects.

Fresh sea air

The sea air, which carries in it positive ions, nourishes our bodies.

A pine forest, which is located next to our hotel and is near the sea, emits a lot of negative ions. You need only to stop by a waterfall to feel how the negative ions affect you. An environment containing negative ions relaxes invigorates the body. With views of the live sea and pine needles that are one of the best negative ion generators, you’re definitely going to feel great.

Air, which  is filled with positive ions, such as that found in cities, offices with artificial lighting, causes fatigue, drowsiness, shortness of breath, tension, frequent headaches, hay fever, allergies, depression, the habit of yawning already at about noon and drowsiness, difficulty in getting up, waking up and accompanied by a feeling of heaviness and light-headedness.

Lots of sun and lots of vitamin D

Vitamin D is synthesized in the skin after exposure to the ultraviolet rays from the sun or other manmade sources. Typically, the largest quantities can be found in fish such as mackerel, catfish, salmon, sardines, tuna, eel, cod liver oil, as well in mushrooms and eggs. The recommended daily dose in the European Union is 5 μg. Vitamin D is important for bone density, and hence for bone quality, and is important for the immune system, cancer prevention, and prevention of cardiovascular disease. Take advantage of exposure to the sun and give your body a chance to take advantage of solar energy, making your body more ready for the long winter months.
Increasing your intake of vitamin D tablets may reduce magnesium, so make sure your intake of magnesium is sufficient.

The slow food philosophy

Eating slowly, chewing food properly, allows the body to make the most of the nutrients in food.
Chewing allows us to sense the sweetness of food such as that in fruits, meat, fish, and vegetables, while rejecting the yearning for cakes. This ultimately creates a balance of insulin in the body and reduces stress.

Mediterranean people laugh a lot

LAUGHTER STRENGTHENS THE IMMUNE SYSTEM
THE PERSON WHO LAUGHS LAST, LAUGHS TOO LATE!