Are you tired of fad diets that promise quick weight loss but leave you feeling hungry and unsatisfied? Look no further than the Middle Eastern diet, also known as the Mediterranean diet. This way of eating has been around for centuries and has been shown to promote weight loss, improve heart health, and reduce the risk of chronic diseases like diabetes and cancer.

Here are some of the key principles of the Middle Eastern diet:

Focus on plant-based foods: The Middle Eastern diet emphasizes fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes, nuts, and seeds. These foods are high in fiber and low in calories, which can help you feel full and satisfied while also promoting weight loss.

Use healthy fats: While the Middle Eastern diet is not necessarily low-fat, it does emphasize the use of healthy fats like olive oil, nuts, and seeds. These fats are rich in monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fatty acids, which have been shown to reduce inflammation and improve heart health.

Limit red meat: Red meat is not a staple of the Middle Eastern diet. Instead, this way of eating emphasizes lean proteins like fish, poultry, and plant-based sources like legumes.

Use herbs and spices: The Middle Eastern diet is known for its use of flavorful herbs and spices like turmeric, cumin, and sumac. Not only do these add flavor to dishes, but they also have anti-inflammatory properties that can help reduce the risk of chronic diseases.

Practice mindful eating: In the Middle Eastern culture, food is often shared and enjoyed in the company of others. Taking the time to savor your meals and enjoy them with loved ones can help you feel more satisfied and prevent overeating.

By following the Middle Eastern diet, you can enjoy delicious, flavorful meals while also keeping the fat away. Give it a try and see how it can improve your health and wellbeing!

Highly recommended

Roasted aubergine with curried yoghurt

All the various components of this dish can be prepared a day in advance, if you want to get ahead. Keep all the elements separate and in the fridge, bringing everything back to room temperature before you assemble the dish. When you next see some fresh curry leaves, grab hold of them – they are sometimes around but then they disappear from the shelves for a while. Freeze what you don’t use so that they’re ready for when you next need them. Lightly fried in a tablespoon of oil, they make a wonderfully aromatic addition to this dish, sprinkled over with the pomegranate seeds before serving. If you’re going down the curry theme for the rest of your meal and have some poppadoms fried, these are great crumbled over. If you do this, you won’t need the almonds.

INGREDIENTS
3 large aubergines (or 4 regular) (1.1kg)
100ml groundnut oil
200g Greek-style yoghurt
2 tsp medium curry powder
¼ tsp ground turmeric
1 lime: finely grate the zest to get 1 tsp, then juice to get 2 tsp
1 onion, thinly sliced (150g)
30g flaked almonds
½ tsp cumin seeds, toasted and lightly crushed
½ tsp coriander seeds, toasted and lightly crushed
40g pomegranate seeds
salt and black pepper

METHOD
1. Preheat the oven to 220°C fan.
2. Use a vegetable peeler to peel away strips of aubergine skin from top to bottom, leaving the aubergines with alternating strips of black skin and white flesh, like a zebra. Cut widthways into round slices, 2cm thick, and place in a large bowl. Mix well with 70ml of oil, ½ teaspoon of salt and plenty of pepper, and spread out on a large parchment-lined baking tray. Roast for 40–45 minutes, until dark golden-brown, then set aside to cool.
3. Mix the yoghurt with 1 teaspoon of curry powder, the turmeric, lime juice, a generous pinch of salt and a good grind of pepper. Keep in the fridge, until required.
4. Put the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil into a large frying pan and place on a medium high heat. Once hot, add the onion and fry for 8 minutes, stirring frequently, until soft and dark golden-brown. Add the remaining teaspoon of curry powder, the almonds and a pinch of salt, and continue to fry for 2 minutes, until the almonds have lightly browned.
5.When you are ready to serve, arrange the aubergine slices on a large platter or individual plates, slightly overlapping. Spoon over the yoghurt sauce and top with the fried onion mix. Sprinkle over the cumin seeds, coriander seeds, pomegranate seeds and lime zest, and serve.

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Butternut transformed into pudding by cooking in saffron and cardamom sugar syrup for 1 hour and a half

Finished with lemon and pistachio and ready to be served with cream/yoghurt.

Source: @ottolenghi

Grilled carrots and tofu with harissa

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Roasted aubergine with curried yoghurt and pomegranate beautifully cooked

Source: @ottolenghi

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