The Cretan Diet,

quoted from the site : www.mediterraneandiet.gr

On an international scale there is much discussion about, and deep interest in, finding the ideal diet, which will improve the health of human beings warding off illnesses. Ever since antiquity, the traditional diet of Cretans seems to be just such a one, including all the right ingredients. The Greek island of Crete has always been identified with healing and regeneration. Following scientific research and statistical analyses, the Cretan nutrition and diet has been proven to promote health and longevity. It consists almost exclusively of products that the people of Crete produce naturally. Products that only the island of Crete and its ideal climatic conditions can offer.

A comparative study among several developed countries, which began in 1960 on behalf of seven countries, has a group of about 700 Cretan men from the countryside under medical observation, regularly checking the state of their health: so far this group has had the lowest percentage of deaths caused by heart attacks and different kinds of cancer.
 

If someone decides to incorporate a Cretan-like diet, it is good to know the following basics:
 

Use olive oil as the principal fat, replacing other fats and oils.
Drink a moderate consumption of wine, normally with meals; about one to two glasses per day for men and one glass per day for women.
Eat fresh fruit as a typical daily dessert; limit sweets with a significant amount of sugar and saturated fat.
Incorporate an abundance of food from plant sources, including fruits and vegetables, breads and grains, beans, nuts, and seeds.
Eat minimally processed and seasonally fresh and locally grown foods.
Total dietary fat should range from less than 25 percent to over 35 percent of energy, with saturated fat no more than 7 to 8 percent of total calories.
Eat low to moderate amounts of cheese and yoghurt daily.
Consume low to moderate amounts of fish and poultry weekly and limit eggs from zero to four servings per week.
Eat red meat only a few times or just one time per month.
 

The Caves of the island,

quoted from the site of the University of Crete
 

The Greek Speleological Society has recorded over 3.000 caves in Crete. Not only outstanding examples of nature's talent for interior decoration, many of them are also of great scientific value, being of archaeological, paleontological and historical interest. Man used caves as places of worship as well as dwellings from the Paleolithic era on. The Minoans began the custom of worshiping their gods in small palatial or house shrines, in sacred caves and in shrines built on mountain peaks and tops of hills.
 

The Cave of Sentoni at Zoniana

This is Crete 's richest cave in terms of natural decoration. It lies in the district of Rethimnon, 13 km. west of Anogia village and 1 km. from the village of Zoniana at an altitude of 800 m.
 

The Dikteon Cave (Dikteon Andron)
The legendary birthplace of Zeus (Jupiter), this cave can be reached by going to the outskirts of the village of Psichro (48 km. east of Heraklion and 2 km. west of Agios Nicholaos), where, there is a path ascending to it. Significant archaeological finds indicate that the cave was a place of cult worship. One can go from the village to the cave on foot or by mule or donkey, which can be rented from the locals. The descent into the fascinating cave demands some caution. Stalactites of various shapes adorn the lower cave.
 

The Ideon Cave (Ideon Andron)
20 km. south of the Anogia traditional village, on the upland plain of Nidas, on Mount Psiloritis , lies this sacred cave, where according to mythology, Rhea hid the baby Zeus from the murderous Saturn. Cult objects have been found here, along with statues and bronze shields and other finds now on display in the Heraklion Archaeological Museum .
 

The Cave of Eileithyia (Ilithiia)
This cave was used for cult rituals from the Neolithic era up to the 5th century B.C. Lying 1 km. south of Amnissos, it was sacred to Eileithyia, the goddess of childbirth. Archaeological investigations here uncovered idols of woman in the act of giving birth or praying, figures of animals, neolithic shells and tools.
 

The Cave of Agia Paraskevi Skotinou
22 km from Heraklion. This very interesting cave used for cult worship both in antiquity and during the Christian era.
 

The Kamares Cave
Northeast of the village of Kamares (57 km. from Heraklion) lies the Cave of Kamares , established during the Minoan period as a sacred spot, possibly dedicated to the worship of the goddess Eilethyia. The wonderful Kamares vases, on display in the Archaeological Museum of Heraklion were found here. Visiting the cave entails a 4-hour walk from the village.
 

The Gerani Cave
6 km. from Rethimnon, this is a cave of prehistoric, paleontological and archaeological interest. Finds from this cave may been seen in the Rethimnon Archaeological Museum .
 

The Melidoni Cave
3 km. from the village of Melidoni (26 km east of Rethimnon), this was used for cult worship during the Neolithic, Minoan and Archaic periods.

Cretan Orchids,

quoted from the site : www.ilios.ch
 

Crete is famous because of its richness of orchids.
 

In all, 60 types have been found till now on the island, several of which grow only there.
 

One of the most frequent orchid found is the Cretan Bee Orchid (Ophrys cretica), a rare type in other parts of the world. Cretan Bee Orchid type loves a dry, stony and sunny surrounding. Rarely you will find one under a bush in the penumbra. Their flowering time is in March and April.

Dictamos (Origanum dictamus), the famous Cretan herb,

quoted from the site : www.ilios.ch
 

There are so many stories and myths about this herb.
 

The Minoans for example appreciated dictamos as a holy plant and it is mentioned that dictamos was a part of the wine that Minoans drunk at their rituals.
 

Goddess Eileithya wore a chaplet of dictamos. She is the goddess of the birth.
 

The Greek myths tell us that Aphrodite healed her son Aeneas, when he was wounded in the Trojan War, with a bunch of dictamos, she got from the Ida mountains in Crete.
 

Aristoteles wrote: When a wild goat gets hit by the arrow of a hunter, she is running and eating Dictamos; then the arrow disappears and the healing process is activated.
 

Apparently Aristoteles was not wrong, about what he wrote. Present days doctors have verified that Dictamos contains thymol, which supports the healing process. Since the Minoan area, it was considered as the most precious medical plant. Today it is used as a panacea in Crete.
 

People use it externally for healing wounds and against effusions of blood. Besides this panacea, it is used against the common a cold, indigestion and as a tea to chill out. It is said that several liquors, even Martini, contain Dictamos.
 

Dictamos is a good tasting, stimulating tea. Some leaves in your bath revive the body and the soul. Dictamos got surnamed as "Erondas", which means "love herb".