Most of the people who switch to the Mediterranean Diet say they’ll never go back, and why would they? The Mediterranean Diet has been shown to guard your wellbeing against diabetes, enhance your heart health, boost your anti-ageing wellness and give you a weight loss plan that you can actually stick with – what more could you want? Let’s take a look at the key components of the Mediterranean Diet:
1. Fruits and Veggies: As the staple part of any healthy diet programme, it’s no surprise to see fruits and vegetables in the Mediterranean diet. The emphasis in this plan is on minimally processed fruits and veggies – especially fresh and whole produce if you can get it. According to the Mediterranean diet, a variety of plant foods should make up the majority of your meals, as well as eating them for healthy and filling snacks. The key to healthy snacking is to have plenty of items to grab-and-go – after all, are you going to go all the way to the shops for something decadent when you’ve got an apple sitting right there? Own your lazy ways and fill your fridge with baby carrots (and a nice pot of hummus), apples and bananas.
2. Wholegrains: The problem with low-carb diets is that they’re not sustainable; you need yummy and filling foods and any diet plan that excludes these is a failure waiting to happen. Plus, carbs make up an important part of any healthy diet and while you can get some from fruit and veg, a girl cannot live on carrot sticks alone. Wholegrains are essential to the Mediterranean diet so ditch sugary cereal and white bread, pasta and rice and switch to wholegrain.
3. Nuts: Not only do almonds, cashews, pistachios and walnuts give you four great picks for your healthy snack list, but these nuts – and others – are also good sources of fibre, protein and healthy fats. If you’re a peanut butter fan, go for natural rather than the type with added hydrogenated fat.
4. Olive Oil: Instead of cooking with butter or margarine, try olive or canola oil. You can use it in your frying pan, as a light drizzle over vegetables, or as a delicious dip for bread (especially if you flavour it). Alternately, lightly spread olive oil on wholegrain bread for a tasty alternative to butter or add a touch of olive oil, some garlic and green onions for flavouring to your pasta dishes.
5. Herbs and Spices: Cutting salt and fat can seem impossible when so many recipes call for these nasty ingredients, but herbs and spices can act as great stand ins and will make your food much tastier and more interesting.
6. Fish: When you think “Mediterranean Diet,” you think fish. You should aim to eat healthy fish like fresh or water-packed tuna, salmon, trout, mackerel and herring at least twice a week. Although breaded and fried fish aren’t really your friends, you can still get a great taste and easy clean-up from grilling, baking or broiling.
7. (Less) Red Meat: Once you’ve got all your fabulous fish recipes under your belt, it’s time to rein in your red meat consumption. While a small portion of lean red meat is fine to eat a few times a month, most of the time you should be opting for fish and poultry. The real red devils to look out for are sausage, bacon and other high-fat, processed meats – avoid those completely if you can.
8. Low-fat dairy: Instead of higher fat dairy products, such as whole-milk, cheese and ice cream, switch to skimmed milk, fat-free yogurt and low-fat cheese.
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