Fattoush is the kind of salad people throughout Lebanon typically make every other day. Like many other Lebanese recipes, it includes leftover pita scraps, fried or toasted, that serve as croutons. Pita bread has been a staple of Lebanese cuisine since the 16th century!

I’ll be honest, even with my love of everything Mediterranean, I don’t cook fish all that often.  Generally, I am more likely to get fish when I eat out than when I am at home.  I do love making fish stew though.  I had some amazing fish stews while sitting at small tavernas overlooking the Mediterranean Sea in Crete and I enjoy the simplicity of a few vegetables, fresh herbs or spices, fish and a good  broth.  Plus there was the added benefit of watching the fishermen come in with their catch in the morning and eating it later in the day.

Mediterranean Diet for Weight Loss? Yes! I lost 45 pounds eating a high fat, super delicious Mediterranean Diet. Here are 21 recipes that will help you lose weight and keep it off.

My first trip to Crete, the Greek island considered to be one of the healthiest places in the world, was the beginning of my education about the true Mediterranean Diet. This island has some of the highest longevity rates in the world and the men here live to be the same age as the women.  As a matter of fact, when the first researchers went to Crete in the 1950’s they could only find one man on the island with any kind of heart disease.

After my mom died, I started overeating.  One meal in particular stands out in my memory.  My extended family and I were all at an Indian restaurant and I ordered a full meal and then started eating everyone else’s leftovers.  I was stuffing my grief.  Even before my mom died, I was struggling with my weight, but after she died I gained 20 more pounds and was the heaviest I had ever been in my life (256 pounds when I got married a year later).