HANAPEPE Physician, nutritionist and author Steven Masley was planning to be at Talkstory Bookstore in Hanapepe on Friday, signing copies of his latest book The Mediterranean Method.

With recent COVID-19 stay-at-home rules and travel quarantines, however, the Pacific Northwest resident is postponing his book signing.

A trained chef, European sailboat captain and the creator of a health program for public television, 30 Days to a Younger Heart, Masleys newest book promotes an eating style that some studies show leads to a healthier life.

He is a fellow with the American Heart Association, the American College of Nutrition, and a former fellow with the American Academy of Family Physicians. He is also an affiliate clinical associate professor at the University of South Florida.

He has appeared on over 700 media interviews, including public television, The Today Show and the Discovery Channel.

His newest book looks at the advantages to the philosophies of The Mediterranean Diet, and provides recipes and practical ways to make the diet work for the average person.

The Mediterranean Diet has been rated as the overall No. 1 diet on the planet three years in a row by US News and World Report. Masley says these honors should not be too surprising, as Mediterranean countries have some of the longest life spans on the planet and they have lower rates of heart disease, diabetes, memory loss, cancer and obesity than nearly all other western countries.

The meals are simple to prepare, Masley says. It has also been ranked as the easiest diet to follow long-term.

The diet itself is based upon the eating habits of people living around the Mediterranean Sea: Spain, France, Italy, Greece and Turkey, as well as Middle Eastern and northern African countries.

Masley says what these cuisines have in common is the consumption of fresh, seasonal, whole foods featuring vegetables, fruits, beans, nuts, herbs and spices; the predominate use of extra-virgin olive oil; moderate amounts of seafood and poultry; and the moderate consumption of red wine.

What the Mediterranean diet specifically has avoided is processed foods, sugar, sweeteners and artificial flavors. Red meats are rarely on the menu or are used sparingly to flavor a dish.

Considering all these benefits, Masley said he felt compelled to write a book, The Mediterranean Method, to help promote this eating plan and to make it simple to follow.

To do background research for this book, I read nearly 1,000 scientific journal articles, plus, my wife Nicole and I bought a sailboat and sailed from Spain to Turkey during 2018 and 2019. We visited small ports, food markets, family-run restaurants, and searched for regional recipes that were easy to prepare, delicious and healthy.

Let me share my version of the food and lifestyle pyramid of a low-glycemic Mediterranean diet, adapted from my book, The Mediterranean Method, Masley said.

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