What do you eat on the Mediterranean diet? (2024)

What does the Mediterranean diet consist of? What can you eat on the Mediterranean diet? Registered Dietitian Nutritionist and Mediterranean diet expert Ale Zozos answers your questions and busts some big myths along the way!

This is a guest post by Ale Zozos, Registered Dietitian Nutritionist. Opinions are fully her own. Bio included below the post.

What do you eat on the Mediterranean diet? (1)

So you want to start on the Mediterranean diet but you’re not sure of one major thing: What can you eat?

What does the Mediterranean diet consist of?

The Mediterranean diet is a pattern of eating that focuses more on fruits, vegetables, whole grains, beans, nuts, legumes, lean proteins from fish and poultry, good fats from olive oil, and some dairy, while limiting consumption of sweets and red meats.

To dig a bit deeper into the ins and outs of eating this way, I asked registered dietitian nutritionist Ale Zozos, who also comes from a big Greek family and has eaten this way from an early age, to walk us through what is included in a Mediterranean diet plan through a dietitian’s lens (Ale is sharing her thoughts below as an expert in this field, all opinions are her own).

Eat more plant-based foods

To start, the Mediterranean diet is a plant-forward diet, which means it is high in plant-based foods. This does not mean you have to become vegetarian or go vegan to eat the Mediterranean way, it simply means you want to get more plant-based foods in your diet – think rainbow eating! Other important plant-based foods to eat on the Mediterranean diet include:

Whole grains
Nuts and seeds
Beans and legumes
Herbs and spices
Quality Extra-virgin olive oil

The CDC reported that the vast majority of Americans (about 90%) don’t get enough fruits and vegetables in their diets. So, just increasing your fruit and vegetable intake is a great place to start!

Eat some fish and lean proteins, moderately

Once you get a solid foundation from eating more plant-based foods, fill in the gaps by consuming foods that provide good lean proteins, healthy fats, complex carbohydrates, fiber. Eat the following in moderate amounts:

Fatty fish (2 times per week)
Lean poultry
Some dairy
Eggs
Cheese (avoid highly processed cheeses, however)

Avoid processed foods

One of the things that happen more naturally when eating the Mediterranean diet is that we end up eliminating, or at least limiting, harmful processed foods. By getting more of the good stuff– plants, lean proteins, and good fats– we naturally reduce our intake of unhealthy processed foods that are high in sodium, refined sugar, and saturated fat – dietary patterns that when over consumed can lead to weight gain, diabetes, high cholesterol, and heart problems.

What do you eat on the Mediterranean diet? (2)

Carbs, fats, and proteins: Micronutrients and the Mediterranean diet

No, we are not about to count macros here. Macronutrients are the nutrients we want to consume in the largest quantities and that provide us with energy (calories). There are three macros – protein, fat, and carbohydrates. Protein and carbohydrates provide 4 calories per gram while fat provides 9 calories per gram.

Mediterranean diet myths busted!

Before we wrap things up today, I wanted to leave with you with some busted myths you may have heard:

Myth 1: The Mediterranean diet does not work outside the Mediterranean
False! This sensible way of eating is easy to implement no matter where you live. Most ingredients used in Mediterranean cooking, from produce to fish, nuts, seeds, and grains, are available in most grocery stores.
Myth 2: You can’t eat red meat or sweets
False! Red meats and sweets are not entirely sworn off when following the Mediterranean diet, but they are consumed less frequently and in smaller quantities.
Myth 2: You can only eat fresh produce
False! A vegetable in any form is better than not. When fresh produce is in season and available at a good price, of course it is great to buy. But quality frozen produce, picked and flash-frozen at its peak, is a great way to increase your intake of fruits and vegetables without ruining your budget. You can make the choice.
Myth 3: You have to cook everything from scratch
False! In Mediterranean cooking, there are many ways to use canned beans, chickpeas, sauces, and more to save time in a pinch. Give your beans a quick rinse before using them in a delicious minestrone or ribollita. And another thing that you can buy ready is rotisserie chicken. In a pinch, I’ve turned it into a healthy chicken salad and even thrown it in avgolemono soup.
Myth 4: You can’t cook with olive oil
False! Olive oil is the cooking fat of choice for many Mediterranean countries. It might lose some of its unique flavor during cooking, but quality olive oil does not become unhealthy, and depending on the quality of the oil and cooking temperature, you can use it more often than you think. How can you tell if your EVOO is good quality? Give it a taste! It should taste great and should give a little burn in the back of the throat.

Takeaways

As you can see, there are no definitive diet rules, just general guidelines and principles to help you get the most variety out of your unique Mediterranean eating plan. A balance of all macros is what makes the Mediterranean diet ideal for weight loss, glucose and lipid management, and the prevention of major cardiovascular events. Plus you don’t have to make everything from scratch or spend your savings improving your health. Sounds like a win-win to me!