For many years, the incredible health benefits of the Greek Mediterranean diet have been widely known. Chefs, cooks, bloggers, publishers and, now, even Instagram influencers, have long promoted the long lasting and health benefitting advantages of our native diet, but do YOU know just how good the Hellenic diet can be for your body. You may consider an evening in Elia as a wonderful night out and delicious treat, but here’s how we’re even helping you to live longer!
Carnivore, vegetarian, pescatarian, vegan, gluten free. Whichever choices you make, the Greek Mediterranean diet can cater to all and in doing so, has been proven to combat obesity, cancer and Alzheimers and to lower heart disease. The fact that it’s all equally delicious is an added bonus! Greek food is about our environment and natural larder. It’s how to maximise the seasonality of your produce and all the incredible authentic ingredients at your disposal.
As with our Souvlaki, Voskou and Mixed Grills, meat is usually grilled or roasted – ensuring the health benefits are preserved and additional heart UN-healthy fats are avoided. Meat is rarely fried and, traditionally, cooked in large batches – communal cooking has always been part of Greek life so the Elia kitchen is fully at home with cooking to feed our even larger community in George Square!
Low fat, protein rich seafood and fresh fish is integral and simply prepared – our prawns, calamari and mussels are beautifully prepared and simply put together to ensure you get the taste of the sea as it should be enjoyed. If you joined us at Kathara Deftera (Clean Monday) last week, you will have seen the incredible fish, seafood, pulses and seasonal vegetables at our fingertips. Straight from the market to your plate.
We don’t really need to list the health benefits of seasonal produce but if you consider that folate rich Spinach, heart healthy Olives and Olive Oil, high fibre Chickpea and antioxidant heavy fresh herbs feature heavily in our cuisine, then frankly need we say more?!
When you consider that the word diet comes from the Greek “diaeta”, a word meaning way of life, then it will all start to make sense. We don’t cook this way as a fad. We don’t cook this way specifically to ensure we live to 97 (although current research dictates that natives of Crete are amongst the longest living in the world! Long life being linked to various factors, not least of which was their daily diet)
We don’t even cook this way to attract health conscious guests to our restaurant. This is how we enjoy food. This is how to prepare food with love, with care and with consideration. We all eat to live, but Greek dishes and the Elia Mediterranean menu is how we truly live to eat.
