The Mediterranean diet, inspired by the traditional eating habits of countries bordering the Mediterranean Sea like France, Spain, Greece, and Italy, is more than just a diet; it's a lifestyle. This dietary approach emphasizes whole foods and healthy fats and offers a range of health benefits.
The Core Principles of the Mediterranean Diet
The Mediterranean diet focuses on consuming whole foods while limiting processed options. It does not typically involve strict calorie restrictions, but rather emphasizes mindful eating.
The general guidelines of the Mediterranean diet encourage you to:
- Consume more fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes, nuts, seeds, and heart-healthy fats.
- Consume fewer processed foods, added sugars, and refined grains.
- Limit alcohol consumption.
Overall, the diet is high in healthy plant foods, low in animal products and meat, and includes fish and seafood at least twice a week.
Key Food Groups in the Mediterranean Diet
The Mediterranean diet revolves around a variety of food groups. It is possible to create a diet based on the following foods:
Read also: The Hoxsey Diet
- Vegetables: Include a wide array of vegetables such as tomatoes, broccoli, kale, spinach, onions, cauliflower, carrots, Brussels sprouts, cucumbers, potatoes, sweet potatoes, and turnips.
- Fruits: Enjoy fruits like apples, bananas, oranges, pears, strawberries, grapes, dates, figs, melons, and peaches.
- Nuts, Seeds, and Nut Butters: Incorporate almonds, walnuts, macadamia nuts, hazelnuts, cashews, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, almond butter, and peanut butter.
- Herbs, Spices, and Condiments: Season your meals with sea salt, pepper, turmeric, cinnamon, cayenne pepper, oregano, garlic, basil, mint, rosemary, sage, and nutmeg.
- Legumes: Consume beans, peas, lentils, pulses, peanuts, and chickpeas.
- Whole Grains: Opt for oats, brown rice, rye, barley, corn, buckwheat, whole wheat bread, and pasta.
- Fish and Seafood: Include salmon, sardines, trout, tuna, mackerel, shrimp, oysters, clams, crab, and mussels in your diet.
- Poultry: Choose chicken, duck, and turkey.
- Eggs: Consume chicken, quail, and duck eggs.
- Dairy: Incorporate cheese, yogurt, and milk in moderation. Greek yogurt is a particularly good choice.
- Healthy Fats: Use extra virgin olive oil, olives, and avocados.
Foods to Limit or Avoid
While the Mediterranean diet is inclusive, it's important to limit or avoid certain foods:
- Added Sugar: Found in soda, candies, ice cream, table sugar, syrup, and baked goods.
- Refined Grains: White bread, pasta, tortillas, chips, and crackers.
- Trans Fats: Found in margarine, fried foods, and other processed foods.
- Processed Meat: Processed sausages, hot dogs, deli meats, and beef jerky.
- Highly Processed Foods: Fast food, convenience meals, microwave popcorn, and granola bars.
Beverages to Include and Limit
- Drinks to Include: Water, coffee and tea (with limited sugar or cream), small to moderate amounts of red wine (with a meal), and fresh fruit juices without added sugar.
- Drinks to Limit: Beer and liquors, sugar-sweetened beverages like sodas, and fruit juices with added sugar.
Sample Mediterranean Diet Meal Plan
Here's a sample 1-week meal plan to guide you:
- Monday:
- Breakfast: Greek yogurt with strawberries and chia seeds.
- Lunch: Whole grain sandwich with hummus and vegetables.
- Dinner: Tuna salad with greens and olive oil, and a fruit salad.
- Tuesday:
- Breakfast: Oatmeal with blueberries.
- Lunch: Caprese zucchini noodles with mozzarella, cherry tomatoes, olive oil, and balsamic vinegar.
- Dinner: Salad with tomatoes, olives, cucumbers, farro, baked trout, and feta cheese.
- Wednesday:
- Breakfast: Omelet with mushrooms, tomatoes, and onions.
- Lunch: Whole grain sandwich with cheese and fresh vegetables.
- Dinner: Mediterranean lasagna.
- Thursday:
- Breakfast: Yogurt with sliced fruit and nuts.
- Lunch: Quinoa salad with chickpeas.
- Dinner: Broiled salmon with brown rice and vegetables.
- Friday:
- Breakfast: Eggs and sautéed vegetables with whole wheat toast.
- Lunch: Stuffed zucchini boats with pesto, turkey sausage, tomatoes, bell peppers, and cheese.
- Dinner: Grilled lamb with salad and baked potato.
- Saturday:
- Breakfast: Oatmeal with nuts and raisins or apple slices.
- Lunch: Lentil salad with feta, tomatoes, cucumbers, and olives.
- Dinner: Mediterranean pizza made with whole wheat pita bread and topped with cheese, vegetables, and olives.
- Sunday:
- Breakfast: Omelet with veggies and olives.
- Lunch: Falafel bowl with feta, onions, tomatoes, hummus, and rice.
- Dinner: Grilled chicken with vegetables, sweet potato fries, and fresh fruit.
Snacking on the Mediterranean Diet
Healthy snack options include:
- A handful of nuts.
- A piece of fruit.
- Baby carrots with hummus.
- Mixed berries.
- Grapes.
- Greek yogurt.
- Hard-boiled egg with salt and pepper.
- Apple slices with almond butter.
- Sliced bell peppers with guacamole.
- Cottage cheese with fresh fruit.
- Chia pudding.
Health Benefits of the Mediterranean Diet
Research suggests the Mediterranean diet can:
- Promote weight loss.
- Help prevent heart attacks, stroke, and type 2 diabetes.
- Reduce the risk of premature death.
The Mediterranean diet is beneficial due to its emphasis on:
Read also: Walnut Keto Guide
- Limiting saturated and trans fats: Reducing the risk of high LDL cholesterol and inflammation.
- Encouraging healthy unsaturated fats: Promoting healthy cholesterol levels and brain health.
- Limiting sodium: Reducing the risk of high blood pressure.
- Limiting refined carbohydrates: Preventing blood sugar spikes.
- Favoring foods high in fiber and antioxidants: Reducing inflammation and supporting healthy digestion.
Mediterranean Diet serving goals and sizes
A fridge and pantry full of nutritious foods are great for starters. But where do you go from there? How much of each food do you need? It’s always best to talk to a dietitian to get advice tailored to your needs as you get started. The chart below offers some general guidance on serving goals and serving sizes, according to the type of food.
- Fresh fruits and vegetables: Fruit: 3 servings per day; Veggies: At least 3 servings per day.Fruit: ½ cup to 1 cup; Veggies: ½ cup cooked or 1 cup raw.Have at least 1 serving of veggies at each meal; Choose fruit as a snack.
- Whole grains and starchy vegetables (potatoes, peas and corn): 3 to 6 servings per day.½ cup cooked grains, pasta or cereal; 1 slice of bread; 1 cup dry cereal.Choose oats, barley, quinoa or brown rice; Bake or roast red skin potatoes or sweet potatoes; Choose whole grain bread, cereal, couscous and pasta; Limit or avoid refined carbohydrates.
- Extra virgin olive oil (EVOO): 1 to 4 servings per day.1 tablespoon.Use instead of vegetable oil and animal fats (butter, sour cream, mayo); Drizzle on salads, cooked veggies or pasta; Use as dip for bread.
- Legumes (beans and lentils): 3 servings per week.½ cup.Add to salads, soups and pasta dishes; Try hummus or bean dip with raw veggies; Opt for a veggie or bean burger.
- Fish: 3 servings per week.3 to 4 ounces.Choose fish rich in omega-3s, like salmon, sardines, herring, tuna and mackerel.
- Nuts: At least 3 servings per week.¼ cup nuts or 2 tablespoons nut butter.Ideally, choose walnuts, almonds and hazelnuts; Add to cereal, salad and yogurt; Choose raw, unsalted and dry roasted varieties; Eat alone or with dried fruit as a snack.
- Poultry: No more than once daily (fewer may be better).3 ounces.Choose white meat instead of dark meat; Eat in place of red meat; Choose skinless poultry or remove the skin before cooking; Bake, broil or grill it.
- Dairy: No more than once daily (fewer may be better).1 cup milk or yogurt; 1 ½ ounces natural cheese.Choose naturally low-fat cheese; Choose fat-free or 1% milk, yogurt and cottage cheese; Avoid whole-fat milk, cream, and cream-based sauces and dressings.
- Eggs: Up to 1 yolk per day.1 egg (yolk + white).Limit egg yolks; No limit on egg whites; If you have high cholesterol, have no more than 4 yolks per week.
- Red meat (beef, pork, veal and lamb): None, or no more than 1 serving per week.3 ounces.Limit to lean cuts, such as tenderloin, sirloin and flank steak.
- Wine (optional): 1 serving per day (females); 2 servings per day (males).1 glass (3 ½ ounces).If you don’t drink, the American Heart Association cautions you not to start drinking; Talk to your healthcare provider about the benefits and risks of consuming alcohol in moderation.
- Baked goods and desserts: Avoid commercially prepared baked goods and desserts; Limit homemade goods to no more than 3 servings per week.Varies by type.Instead, choose fruit and nonfat yogurt; Bake using liquid oil instead of solid fats; whole grain flour instead of bleached or enriched flour; egg whites instead of whole eggs.
The E2M Diet: An Alternative Approach
The E2M (eager to motivate) diet is an 8-week virtual plan that focuses on a whole-body approach to health. The plan emphasizes nutritious vegetables, fruits, nuts and seeds, and high-quality meats and seafood. It includes weekly meal plans and ideas, food lists, exercise protocols, access to personal trainers, and motivational support. Workouts include Zumba, HIIT, cardio kickboxing, step aerobics, spin, yoga, and mat pilates.
The major underlying goal of the E2M diet appears to provide a non-restrictive, relaxed, and guided approach toward diet and exercise that can benefit everyone’s weight loss journey. This plan encourages you to:
- Dive into a whole-food diet: A whole-foods diet limits the number of processed foods and sugar that you eat and emphasizes fruits, veggies, nuts and seeds, olive oil, whole grains, and legumes.
- Practice moderation: Stick to your preferred “diet” 80% of the time, and enjoy “off-limits” foods for 20%.
- Seek the benefits of exercise: Consider healing the whole body.
- Get motivated: The protocol provides dietary motivation, health counseling, and virtual professional trainers.
- Embody their core principles: Lastly, don’t forget to embrace the fundamental values of the E2M diet: be honest, be realistic, and be kind to yourself.
Low Carb Diet
People often use low carb diets to promote weight loss and stabilize blood sugar levels. Though guidelines can vary, low carb diets typically limit foods high in carbs or added sugar.
Generally, low carb diets limit foods high in carbs or added sugar, including sweets, starches, and refined grains.
Read also: Weight Loss with Low-FODMAP
Here are a few of the most popular low carb eating patterns:
- Ketogenic (keto) diet: This low carb, high fat eating pattern limits daily carb intake to less than 5-10% of total calories, or around 20-50 g of carbs.
- Atkins diet: During the first phase of this diet, carb intake is limited to about 20 g per day, depending on which plan you choose. Over the duration of the diet, your intake gradually increases but typically doesn’t exceed 100 g per day.
- South Beach diet: Besides reducing carb intake, this diet encourages you to eat lean meats and heart-healthy fats. During the initial phase, grains and fruits are also off-limits.
- Paleo diet: This diet mimics the eating patterns of our hunter-gatherer ancestors and is naturally low in carbs.
- Dukan diet: The diet restricts carbs while being high in protein and low in fat. It’s divided into four phases to help you reach your weight loss goals.
Here are some of the foods to eat on a low carb diet:
- Meat: beef, lamb, pork, chicken
- Fish: salmon, trout, haddock, tuna
- Eggs: whole eggs, egg whites, egg yolks
- Non-starchy vegetables: spinach, broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, asparagus, tomatoes
- Lower carb fruits: oranges, blueberries, strawberries, raspberries, blackberries
- Nuts and seeds: almonds, walnuts, sunflower seeds, chia seeds, pistachios
- High-fat dairy: cheese, butter, heavy cream, Greek yogurt
- Fats and oils: lard, avocados, avocado oil, olive oil, coconut oil
Unless you’re following a very low carb or keto diet, you may also want to include small amounts of these foods:
- Starchy vegetables: potatoes, sweet potatoes, yams, peas, corn
- Higher-carb fruits: bananas, pineapples, mango, and many others
- Whole grains: brown rice, oats, quinoa
- Legumes: lentils, black beans, pinto beans, chickpeas
- Higher-carb dairy: milk and full-fat yogurt
Depending on your daily carb allowance, you might need to limit or avoid the following foods:
- Sweet snacks: candy, ice cream, baked goods, other products that contain added sugar
- Refined grains: white rice, white pasta, tortillas, crackers
- Diet and low fat products: including dairy products, cereals, or crackers that are low in fat but contain added sugar
- Highly processed foods: convenience meals, fast food, cookies, chips, pretzels
- Sugar-sweetened beverages: soda, sweet tea, sports drinks, energy drinks