Your Heart Needs the Mediterranean Diet

Emilia Klapp, a registered dietitian and educator has written a very informative book about the healthy habits of Mediterraneans and the Mediterranean Diet.

Written by: Emilia Klapp, R.D., B.S.
Published by: Preventive Nutrition Press

Background

Emilia Klapp, a registered dietitian and educator recently contacted us, asking if she could send us a review copy of her new book, Your Heart Needs the Mediterranean Diet. Since she was born and raised in Spain and understands the Spanish culture and diet, we thought that her book might be educational for us and our readers.

If you are interested in learning more about how to eat a healthy diet and live a healthy lifestyle, even if you do not know anything about Spanish or Mediterranean cuisine, you will find this book helpful. Ms. Klapp even includes several healthy Mediterranean recipes!

Emi and Al, The Book's Main Characters

The book is easy-to-read, written in dialogue form. The reader is taken through a series of appointments between a fictitious patient named Al, who sounds like the typical middle-aged American and a registered dietician named Emi. Al has both high blood pressure and high cholesterol, is married with children, and works at a high-stress job. On top of that, he eats poorly, (usually on the run) and doesn’t exercise.

Through this series of conversations, we learn about the benefits of the Mediterranean diet and regular exercise. Al makes a number of small changes that Emi suggests to his daily routine and diet, and begins to feel the benefits. Along the way, Emi explains cholesterol and where it comes from, why fruits and vegetables are “heart-friendly” and how some of the basic components of the Mediterranean diet (like tomatoes, garlic and onions) are thought to benefit our health. She even provides some Spanish food recipes in her book, like Green Beans with Garlic and Tomato Bread. (Our versions of these recipes are posted here.)

Nutrition Data

Ms. Klapp is very clear and concise in her writing, providing supporting nutritional and medical data when necessary. Her book seems to strike the right balance between information and entertainment. She provides diet advice, without being “preachy.”

She provides the references or sources for her nutritional information at the end of every chapter, citing nutrition and medical journals, for those who are interested. Most readers probably won’t be concerned about that, but we liked to see that her sources were listed. Some readers may find the chapter containing the detailed explanations of antioxidants, phytochemicals and free radicals too much to absorb, but it’s only a short chapter that can easily be “skimmed.”

Would we recommend the book?

We would recommend this book to those readers who are interested in the Mediterranean diet, and how the simple physical activity of the Mediterranean lifestyle can help you live healthier.

Learn More - If you want to learn more, Emilia Klapp has a web site where she provides information on the Mediterranean diet, heart health, links, a sample chapter of her book, etc. http://www.EmiliaKlapp.com