Opinion

Sure, diet trends come and go.

When Oldways, a dietary think tank, introduced the Mediterranean Diet Pyramid in 1993, extra-virgin olive oil, sun-dried tomatoes, feta cheese and kalamata olives were hard-to-find ingredients.

Fifteen years later, the key ingredients are available in nearly every supermarket and the Mediterranean eating style is widely recognized as the gold standard for optimum health, endorsed by the Harvard School of Public Health and the World Health Organization.

"The science coming out of the universities and research institutions continues to support its healthfulness. It's one of those things that have not been a fad," says Dun Gifford, founder and president of Oldways in Cambridge, Mass.

In the traditional diets of Greece, Crete and southern Italy, people typically consume olive oil as their principal fat, rounding out their diet with plenty of fruit, vegetables, legumes, fish, lean meats and low-fat dairy. Daily exercise and moderate red wine consumption are also an important part of the lifestyle.

The Greek Salad below pays homage to the Mediterranean Diet, albeit with a slight modern twist: fat-free feta. Fat-free feta is a fairly new product showing up in many dairy cases alongside the blocks and crumbles of plain, reduced fat and multiflavored versions. "It has the same taste, flavor and texture," Gifford says. "I don't think reduced-fat or fat-free feta as a bad thing; it's just a part of modern living."

Skip the fat in the feta, and you have room to add a few more lovely ripe olives.

Shopping tip: Pepperoncini (peh-per-awn-CHEE-nee) are mild to medium-hot pickled yellow-green peppers available at most supermarket salad bars. They also are found in jars in the pickle and salad dressing aisle.

Greek Salad

• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

• 1 clove garlic, minced

• 3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

• 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar

• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano leaves

• 1/4 teaspoon salt

• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

• 8 cups torn mixed lettuce (romaine and iceberg leaves)

• 2 tomatoes, seeded and sliced into thin wedges

• 1/2 cup sliced cucumber

• 2 tablespoons pepperoncini, rinsed and well drained

• 1/2 small red onion, thinly sliced

• 1 to 2 tablespoons fat-free feta cheese

• Olive garnish, optional

Whisk together the olive oil, garlic, lemon juice, vinegar, oregano, salt and pepper. Set aside and allow to stand at room temperature for 10 minutes.

Place the lettuce in a salad bowl. Top with the tomatoes, cucumber, pepperoncini and red onion. Drizzle with the dressing and toss to coat evenly. Sprinkle with feta cheese.

Makes 6 servings.

Nutrition information per serving (without olives): 59 calories (42 percent from fat), 3 grams total fat (trace saturated fat), trace cholesterol, 6 grams carbohydrates, 2 grams protein, 109 milligrams sodium, 2 grams dietary fiber.

Jill Wendholt Silva is the food editor for The Kansas City Star. Recipes developed by professional home economists Kathryn Moore and Roxanne Wyss.

• Most Read
• Most E-mailed
• Latest News