Do you feel without energy or languishing?
Do you feel that you’ve lost meaning in your life and work and have problems sleeping at night?
Do you feel lonely even if you have many friends?
Do you feel that your work doesn’t have any impact on others and you are just working to pay the bills?
Do you feel older than your age, overweight but you’re tired of all these health gurus promising longevity and immediate weight loss by following a diet that is not science-based?
I’ve been there! A few years ago I had a burn out. Until that time, I had always thought that work would define my identity. I studied to be an economist, I gained an MBA from Harvard Business School and worked at Goldman Sachs.
But one day I asked myself: is this a “human” life?
I was just working! I had no time to take care of myself, cook and eat healthy food. At the time I lived in London and I had many friends, but I felt lonely.
I also felt that what I was doing was meaningless. What I was doing wasn’t having an impact.
Then, one day while I was visiting my parents back home in sunny Puglia, Southern Italy, I had a aha moment. I perfectly remember it. I was watching a beautiful red sunset with my sister and best friend and we’re sipping a wonderful rose wine. I decided that my life was too short, that I wanted to add life to my years (and not simply years to my life) and that I wanted to have an impact on other people’s life.
And I re-invented myself, way before it became such a trendy trend.
I decided to go back to following the ancient Mediterranean diet/ lifestyle and start taking care of myself, and find purpose in helping small sustainable food producers.
Fast forward a few years, I now also teach other people how to find meaning in life and reinvent themselves so that they can discover their true inner talent and use it to pursue public good.
Contrary to what people think, the Mediterranean diet is not simply about food.
Diet has nothing to do with losing weight. Diet in ancient Greek means way of life.
The Mediterranean diet is a way of living, a philosophy, that is based on 4 pillars: food + lifestyle + purpose + meaningful work.
The Mediterranean diet is about the food we eat, the way we produce, the impact we have on our community and the world with our life, and the way we work.
You can eat the healthiest plant-based diet, but if you are not taking care of your lifestyle, purpose and work, you are not following the Mediterranean way of life.
The Mediterranean diet is science based and may prevent heart diseases, obesity, cancer, neurodegenerative diseases, depression. It is true that you end up losing weight when you follow this way of eating and living. But it would be very limiting to say that that’s the major benefit.
When you follow the Mediterranean way of life, you feel rejuvenated, full of energy, you sleep well, connected with yourself, other people and nature, you find meaning in your life and work.
In 2008, Cinzia Rascazzo also founded the Stile Mediterraneo Food & Lifestyle Academy with the goal to revitalize the way people eat, work and live. Stile Mediterraneo is made of a team of doctors and food experts, providing educational retreats to individuals and corporate clients who learn how to improve their energy, wellbeing, happiness by eating well and living well and by having an impact through what they do.
During the retreats, clients learn the Stile Mediterraneo method based on scientific research and the principles of the Unesco heritage’s Mediterranean Diet, one of the healthiest in the world according to Harvard Medical School.
Stile Mediterraneo Academy has hosted events in Puglia, San Francisco, Boston, Princeton, Florida, Georgia, Montreal, Ottawa, Hong Kong, Germany.
Our e-book: Mediterranean Secrets for a Healthy & Happy Life, was presented at Harvard Business School in 2012.
The New York Times celebrated the role of Stile Mediterraneo Academy in promoting such an ancient and healthy way of life.