A Greek salad with fresh feta. Grilled lamb chops with bright sprigs of mint. Mussels sautéed with flavorful tomatoes and garlic, partnered with earthy olives and potatoes. Now, picture these Mediterranean diet dishes served against a setting as delicious as the meals themselves: a farm-to-table restaurant overlooking rolling vineyards, a cozy neighborhood trattoria, the dining room of a rustic B&B.

A Mediterranean diet, rich in fruits and vegetables, fish and seafood, olive oil and spices, and red wine, has long been credited for heart health, longevity of years, and overall health and wellness. (And the key foods taste pretty amazing, too.) Travel, too, gets kudos for stress reduction, real-world learning opportunities, and the opportunity to forge new connections and relationships.

Which got me to thinking: The Mediterranean diet is local to some of the most beautiful and desirable locations around the world. Why not plan a vacation specifically around these places for an incredibly memorable—and delicious—vacation?

If you’re looking to live more healthfully, consider these destinations for your next vacation, where eating in the Mediterranean fashion is simply the way of life.

1. Bodrum, Turkey

One hallmark of a Mediterranean diet is using spice in place of salt. If you’re looking for a destination that’s full of savory goodness, consider Bodrum in southwest Turkey. Stop by the local market, held every Friday, to shop for fresh fruits, vegetables, and spices, or head to the marina for the catch of the day. And be sure to save some spices to take as souvenirs – in doing so, you’ll import a little bit of the authentic Mediterranean diet to your home kitchen.

2. Napa Valley, California

If you can’t take a vacation to the Mediterranean region itself, do the next best thing and head to California’s Napa Valley. With its comparable climate and agricultural production, Napa Valley vacations offer a delicious way to have the Mediterranean diet on American soil. And while everyone knows Napa for its wine, be sure to try a vintage of locally produced olive oil, which gives Italy a run for its money.

3. Ravello, Italy

Italy’s pedigree as a delicious destination is well established; the challenge is simply choosing which region to visit as part of your Mediterranean diet vacation. Consider the Amalfi Coast for just-caught seafood, lemons right off the vine, and crisp wines harvested from a local vineyard. Make Ravello your home base – it’s a UNESCO World Heritage site, and has no shortage of craggy cliffs, gorgeous architecture, boutique hotels, and fine restaurants.

4. Santorini, Greece

Seafood is a staple of the Mediterranean diet, and the options here range way beyond fish. When in Greece, for example, try the octopus. In Santorini, there’s no shortage of places offering this regional specialty – try it grilled with local vegetables, tossed in a salad, or part of a meze plate. Finish your meal with a glass of vinsanto, a dessert wine produced right on the island.

5. Split, Croatia

Split, Croatia’s second-largest city, is home to the lively Green Market, a daily market with the freshest fruit, vegetables, and meats (and souvenirs, too). Beyond the market, be sure to seek out a konoba, a no-frills restaurant serving regional delicacies such as squid-ink pasta or risotto, grilled lobster, octopus salad, and other delights from the sea.

Which types of cuisine do you seek out when you travel? Share your recommendations and leave a comment below!

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Main photo courtesy Meal Makeover Moms via Flickr Creative Commons

Turkish spice market/bazaar, Bodrum, Turkey photo courtesy Alex Berger via Flickr Creative Commons

Napa Valley olives photo courtesy Nagarjun Kandukuru via Flickr Creative Commons

Ravello, Italy photo courtesy Nate Gray via Flickr Creative Commons

Grilled octopus, Santorini (Photo from Mario Restaurant at Monolithos of Santorini) photo courtesy Klearchos Kapoutsis via Flickr Creative Commons

Croatian cherries from Split, Croatia photo courtesy Josefine Stenudd via Flickr Creative Commons

The post Nourish Your Body and Soul: Plan a Mediterranean Diet Vacation appeared first on EcoSalon.

For those of you interested in food culture, EATLACMA, is not to be missed. This multi-faceted investigation of food, art, culture and politics presented by Fallen Fruit has been on view at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) all year with projects revolving around food as a common ground. These projects have manifested themselves as artists’ gardens planted and harvested on the museum campus, hands-on public events, and a concurrent exhibition, Fallen Fruit Presents The Fruit of LACMA.

The Fallen Fruit exhibition culminates November 7 in “Let Them Eat LACMA“ at the museum. This all day affair promises to be exciting with such novel experiences as a tomato fight, a watermelon eating contest, chewing carolers and digestion/belly-listening sessions, to name a few.

One project on view is the Food Pyramid by Didier Hess. This installation considers the diet suggestion of Big Food and the resultant mode of food production dominant in the late twentieth century. The structure is a compact model of an operational, low-impact food garden, operating with a solar-powered pump and recycling water from the top of the pyramid. The Food Pyramid naturally balances its ecology with native bog plants, vegetables, rocks and gravel. The waste generated from the tilapia in the pond nourish the tomatoes, onions, lettuce and cilantro growing in surrounding plant containers. At the final day of events on November 7, the Food Pyramid will be consumed in the form of fish tacos harvested from this amazing, sustainable mini-garden.

Now that’s an art installation that’s not hard to swallow.

The post Raising Food Awareness Through the Arts in Los Angeles appeared first on EcoSalon.