The world’s varied and colorful cultures have, for centuries, exchanged ingredients and recipes for food drink, and this is even more true today, especially in ethnically diverse places like the United States. There, food from many sources from Mexico to China to India to the Mediterranean can be found, and Mediterranean take out food or general Mediterranean cuisine like at a Greek or Turkish restaurant can be found, and many may love the flavors and the health benefits of such a diet. A falafel restaurant may have the finest Turkish or Levant food in one’s area, and many may offer catering for exotic flavors. Mediterranean take out may be found by those interested in Greek or Moroccan or Turkish food, and Mediterranean take out and a place to find it may be just an Internet search away. Online, dining options are always easy to find, and a person may even search for “Falafel restaurants Dallas Texas” or “Mediterranean take out” when they’re in the mood for exotic food beyond the more common Mexican or Chinese. Just how healthy is this food today? Is it popular?
Health and the Mediterranean Diets
Speaking broadly, Mediterranean food encompasses most regions around the Mediterranean sea, from France and Italy to Greece, Turkey, and Morocco, meaning that “Mediterranean food” is a varied category that has no single typical dish or flavor to it. Anything Spanish, Moroccan, or Turkish can be put into this broad category of food, but often, Americans are interested in what is known as the “Mediterranean diet,” which is a bit more specific. What is that? Mediterranean foods such as lamb, olives, wheat, and tomatoes and certain cheeses are often found in this diet and it is popular for its health benefits. In fact, recent studies have been done to see just how beneficial this diet really is. The results found that adults who eat more Mediterranean foods may have a lowered risk of dementia, and what is more, in a group of 923 senior citizens, those who carefully followed this diet lowered their risk of dementia by as much as 53%, and those who moderately followed the diet has a 35% lowered risk of developing dementia. What is more, a general Mediterranean diet is low in saturated fats, which is good news for the average American consumer. Saturated fat should make up no more than 10% of a person’s diet, according to the American Dietary Guidelines, and Mediterranean food may involve many different vegetables in one’s diet, which may help since many Americans do not eat as many fruits and vegetables as they should.
There are even more health benefits to consider with a general Mediterranean diet. The International Journal of Cancer, for one, published a study showing that a person who regularly follows the Mediterranean diet may expect reduced post-menopausal estrogen-receptor-negative breast cancer rates of about 40%, and on top of that, the Mediterranean diet may also help curb the high rates of diabetes in the United States today. This diet has been known to reduce diabetes development rates, mainly from type 2 diabetes, and it may boost glycemic control as well.
Greek Food and Catering
Americans love to buy food of all kinds, and the convenience of getting take out or catered food has made these options very popular, and this includes Mediterranean take out such as authentic Greek and Turkish food. More recently, online food delivery has taken off and established a place in the food industry, and online food delivery is expected to grow over 12% within the next five years. It may also account for about $4 billion in the total $30 billion delivery market as of 2015, and although Mediterranean food is not quite the staple that Chinese and Mexican foods are, it is still a popular choice in the United States, and someone looking for Greek or Moroccan flavor can look up specialized restaurants in their area. Most cities and some towns may have a Mediterranean restaurant in them, and an interested customer can find them with certain online apps and websites and find out if they offer catering or take out options. Some may also be sit-down restaurants, another popular option for consumers today.
