Diets 101: Mediterranean Diet
You may have heard of the Mediterranean diet, but not know exactly what it is. Today, I’ll break it down and discuss exactly what it is and why it’s a great option for an overall healthy diet. Plus I’ll share my top tips so that you can easily start eating a Mediterranean-style diet now!
What is the Mediterranean diet?
The Mediterranean diet is a plant-based (but not vegetarian) eating pattern. It is named so because it follows the eating patterns of those living around the Mediterranean Sea, such as the people of Spain, Greece, and Italy.
What to eat?
Whole grains, such as brown or wild rice, quinoa, barley, oatmeal, and whole grain bread
Vegetables, including starchy varieties like potatoes and winter squash
Legumes, such as beans, peas, lentils, and peanuts
Fruits
Nuts and seeds, including nut butter without added sugar
Fish and seafood
Healthy fats, including avocado and avocado oil, and olives and olive oil
Herbs and spices
Cheese and plain yogurt
Eggs
Chicken and turkey
Red wine in moderation (no more than 1 glass per day)
What to avoid or limit?
Red meat
Processed meats, like salami, deli meats, hot dogs, and bacon
Refined grains, such as white bread and pasta
Packaged snack foods like crackers, cookies, and chips
Added sugars found in soda and other sweetened drinks, packaged desserts, salad dressings, and other condiments
Refined oils, such as soybean, corn, cottonseed, and other vegetable oils
Basically, this diet focus on eating whole foods rather than packaged and processed foods. It’s almost impossible to completely cut out processed foods, but making small changes to move towards more of a whole food-based diet can have major health benefits.
Why eat a Mediterranean diet?
One thing I like about the Mediterranean diet is that it’s really not a “diet” at all. Rather than cutting out whole food groups like many diets, it emphasizes eating more whole foods and fewer processed ones. There is nothing you have to avoid completely which makes it a much more balanced and realistic plan for many people. The 2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommend the Meditteranean diet as a healthy eating pattern.
Research has shown that following a Mediterranean diet can reduce the risk for cardiovascular disease. It may also help with weight loss, but isn’t really meant as a weight loss diet. People with diabetes have also seen benefits in blood sugar control because of the higher intake of fiber as the diet emphasizes increasing intake of fruits, veggies, whole grains, nuts, and seeds.
How you can start eating a Mediterranean diet today!
Eating a Mediterranean diet doesn’t have to be hard. Some simple changes you can make today are:
Use olive oil & vinegar on your salad in place of a store-bought salad dressing. Or try making your own honey dijon dressing!
Eat fish instead of red meat for dinner 1-2 times per week.
Snack on almonds or walnuts in place of chips or crackers.
Fill half your plate with colorful veggies at dinner.
Swap out your white rice for brown rice, wild rice, or quinoa.
Buy plain yogurt and add your own fruit rather than buying sweetened varieties.
Buy peanut or other nut butter without added sugars and oils or you can even make your own!
Now that you know what the Mediterranean diet is, why not try incorporating some of the tips above in your eating patterns? I think it’s important to remember that you don’t have to change everything at once when moving towards a healthier eating pattern, but try picking 1-2 things to start with and build on from there. Next week I’ll talk about another healthy eating pattern, the DASH diet, so be sure to come back to check it out!
