How The Mediterranean Diet Works
Our lifestyles have played a significant role in the rise of obesity, cardiovascular diseases, cancer, and other lifestyle-related diseases. Researchers have found that the Mediterranean diet can support long-term weight loss, help control blood pressure, and reduce blood lipid levels.
This Mediterranean diet encourages you to eat more natural and wholesome foods. Fruits, veggies, and whole grains are rich sources of dietary fiber and help regulate blood glucose levels, lower LDL cholesterol, and improve digestion. You will eat lean protein and a minimum amount of red meat, which makes the Mediterranean diet greatly heart-friendly. Yogurt and cheese are good sources of calcium, good gut bacteria, and protein. Legumes are high in protein and dietary fiber. Nuts are packed with protein and healthy fats that prevent inflammation-induced weight gain.
You will need to drop all kinds of processed and artificial foods that are high in sodium, sugar, and trans fats. And most importantly, the Mediterranean diet highlights the importance of having lunch or dinner with family or friends, as they do in Mediterranean culture, which helps reduce stress and depression. Here’s the image of the Mediterranean diet pyramid that shows what and how much you are assumed to eat.
Mediterranean Diet Basic Guidelines
- Eat plant-based food like vegetables, fruits, nuts, legumes, and whole grains.
- Eat fish and poultry twice every week.
- Eat red meat 2-3 times a month.
- Use herbs and spices to make your food flavorful and tasty.
- Use olive oil instead of vegetable oil, butter, lard, margarine, etc.
- Avoid consuming processed food.
- Consume limited salt and sugar.
- Indulge in a sweet treat once a week.
- Drink wine in moderation.
- Enjoy your meal with family or friends.
- Drink an adequate amount of water (3-4 liters) per day.
- Exercise regularly.
Mediterranean Diet Plan
| Meals | What to Eat |
| Early Morning (6:00 – 7:30 am) | 1 teaspoon fenugreek soaked (overnight) in 2 cups of water |
| Breakfast (6:45 – 8:15 am) |
Options: Kale and celery smoothie + 1 boiled egg+4 almonds Vegetable quinoa + ½ grapefruit + 4 almonds |
| Mid-Morning (9:30 – 10:45 am) |
Options: 1 bowl fruit salad/ freshly pressed fruit juice 1 cup fresh coconut water |
| Lunch (12:30 – 1:30 pm) |
Options: Tuna salad/tofu salad with light dressing + 1 cup buttermilk Grilled fish with blanched veggies and a small cup hummus + 1 cup buttermilk |
| Evening Snack (3:30 – 4:30 pm) | 1 cup green tea + 1 small cup cucumber (spice up with lime juice and herbs) |
| Dinner (7:00 – 7:30 pm) |
Options: Kidney bean with brown rice with a side of veggies + 1 small cup yogurt Mushroom stuffed capsicum with whole wheat pita bread + 1 small cup yogurt |
Mediterranean Diet Foods To Eat
Veggies – Tomato, broccoli, cauliflower, Chinese cabbage, spinach, swiss chard, asparagus, zucchini, bell pepper, bok choy, green chili, pumpkin, bottle gourd, snake gourd, bitter gourd, okra, eggplant, radish, turnip, beetroot, carrot, sweet potato, potato with peel, radish greens, rocket spinach, collard greens, and green beans.
Fruits – Papaya, apple, grapes, grapefruit, lime, lemon, orange, plum, pear, peach, pluot, figs, blueberry, strawberry, starfruit, green apple, watermelon, and muskmelon.
Fats & Oils – Olive oil, rice bran oil, and ghee (clarified butter).
Seeds & Nuts – Macadamia nuts, almonds, pistachios, walnuts, pumpkin seeds, flax seeds, sesame seeds, sunflower seeds, and hazelnuts.
Beverages – Coconut water, freshly pressed fruit juice and vegetable juice, buttermilk, green tea, herbal tea, and black coffee.
Herbs & Spices – Cinnamon, cardamom, turmeric, nutmeg, black pepper, star anise, cayenne pepper, cumin powder, coriander powder, cilantro, oregano, dill, fenugreek seeds, rosemary, thyme, clove, saffron, fennel seeds, and fenugreek seeds.
Mediterranean Diet Foods To Avoid
Veggies – Potato without the peel.
Fruits – Mango and jackfruit.
Fats & Oils – Animal fat, butter, mayonnaise, ranch, canola oil, and vegetable oil.
Seeds & Nuts – Cashew nuts.
Junk Food – Deep fried chicken, wafers, crisps, doughnut, nachos, salami, sausage, pepperoni, fries, pizza, burger, etc.
Beverages – Aerated drinks, artificially sweetened drinks, packaged fruit juices, and alcohol.
Mediterranean Diet Exercise Routine
When it comes to being healthy, nutrition plays a significant role, and so does exercising. You need to exercise constantly to keep your muscles and cells active, strengthen your body, keep your metabolism going, build resistance to diseases, and to become fit. Here’s a sample workout plan.
- Head tilt – 1 set of 10 reps
- Neck rotations – 1 set of 10 reps
- Shoulder rotations – 1 set of 10 reps
- Arm circles – 1 set of 10 reps
- Wrist rotations – 1 set of 10 reps
- Waist rotations – 1 set of 10 reps
- Ankle rotation – 1 set of 10 reps
- Spot jogging – 3-5 minutes
- Jumping jacks – 2 sets of 20 reps
- Side Lunges – 1 set of 15 reps
- Russian twist – 2 sets of 20 reps
- Tricep dips – 2 sets of 5 reps
- Bicep curls (5 lb weights) – 2 sets of 10 reps
- Crunches- 2 sets of 10 reps
- Lying leg circles – 1 set of 10 reps
- Horizontal kicks – 1 set of 10 reps
- Push-ups – 2 sets of 10 reps
- Forward elbow plank – 20-second hold
- Side plank – 20-second hold
- Stretch
Mediterranean Diet Benefits
- Following the Mediterranean diet can help prevent and protect from coronary heart disease.
- This diet aids weight loss.
- Reduces the risk of Alzheimer’s.
- This diet may help fight cancer.
- Following the Mediterranean diet helps reduce inflammation and protects from metabolic syndrome.
- Helps improve cognitive function.
- It helps to stay relaxed and stress-free.
- Helps protect against low-grade inflammatory diseases.
- Following the Mediterranean diet can help increase your lifespan.
Mediterranean Diet Side Effects
Though there are no severe side effects of this diet, if you are not used to eating much plant-based food, you might find this diet a bit difficult initially. However, once you get used to it, it will become a part of your lifestyle and it will not bother you anymore.
Bottomline
The Mediterranean diet is surely the best diet to follow if you want to enhance your health and lead a disease-free life. This diet is not a fad diet, and you have the freedom to eat anything as long as it is nutritious and unprocessed. So, discuss with your dietician today and try the Mediterranean diet to see yourself transform! Take care.
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