Top 10 Tips For Eating A Mediterranean Diet

We share here the basics of the Mediterranean diet so that you can start doing it in your daily life. Try it!

Top 10 Tips for Dieting a Mediterranean Diet

The Mediterranean diet is famous all over the world. Without a doubt, it is one of the healthiest diets out there, and has been ranked number one on several occasions. Today, we want to share with you the top 10 tips for dieting in the Mediterranean.

Keep reading and find out in this article what are the main tips to carry out this balanced diet every day at home. You will not regret!

10 tips for eating a mediterranean diet

If you want to change your eating habits and start the Mediterranean diet, check out the 10 bases of this cultural heritage:

1. Olive oil as base fat

Olive oil is essential for a Mediterranean diet

Olive oil is one of the most important healthy fats due to its content of fatty acids and antioxidants.

Rich in antioxidants, monounsaturated fatty acids and vitamin E, olive oil is used for everything from dressing salads to cooking or frying.

Are you making toast? Don’t hesitate: a dash of olive oil could be just the touch you need. Are you planning to fry some potatoes? Or are you preparing a salad? Without a doubt, olive oil is preferred over any other variety of oil, and even over butter.

2. Fresh food every day!

The Mediterranean diet is based on the consumption of fresh, seasonal foods. That is, you must buy the vegetables and fruits of each season. That way you can take advantage of its full nutritional value and, on top of that, save money! If, in addition, you also choose food from your locality, you will certainly buy the best quality for the lowest price.

3. Steps to eating a Mediterranean diet: fruits and vegetables with every meal

Hand in hand with the previous point, comes this indication to make the Mediterranean diet. Include vegetables and fruits with each of your meals. So you’ll eat between 1 and 2 servings of fruit and about 3 servings of vegetables a day. How to do this? Let’s see several examples:

Have breakfast with tomato and olive oil and some fruit.
Eat oilseeds for your morning snack.
Have some pasta with sauteed vegetables and fruit for dessert.
For an afternoon snack, choose a yogurt with fresh fruit or oilseeds, or a sandwich with avocado and raw ham.
At dinner time, a good option is roasted fish with salad and potatoes. For dessert: fruit.

4. Fish several times a week

Fish provides high quality protein as well as essential fatty acids for cardiovascular health.

Reduce your red meat intake and focus on increasing your fish intake. Ideally, eat whitefish and oily fish at least twice a week. The options are manifold: roasted, grilled, fried, sautéed… Your supply of omega-3 fatty acids will help you maintain vascular health by lowering cholesterol and triglycerides in your blood.

5. Eggs four times a week

Contrary to what you might believe, eggs are healthy. After several years and many studies, the belief that the egg was harmful to health broke down. Today, we know that eggs are a source of quality protein, vitamins and monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats.

The problem with the egg is the belief that it raises cholesterol, but that’s not the case. At least not completely: the excessive consumption of eggs, associated with other factors such as a sedentary lifestyle and stress, can cause an increase in cholesterol levels. Therefore, it is always better to eat it boiled or boiled rather than fried.

6. Steps to eating a Mediterranean diet: Regular consumption of dairy products

Cheeses and yoghurts are part of the daily meals of the Mediterranean diet, because they are rich in vitamins, minerals such as calcium and phosphorus and proteins of high biological value. You can combine a portion of cheese with fruit, or even yogurt with pieces of fruit inside. How about adding bits of cheese to the salad?

7. Minimize red meat consumption

Some studies, according to the WHO, seem to indicate that red meat can affect heart health if consumed in excess.

To follow a Mediterranean diet, it is important to reduce your consumption of red meat, choosing to eat more white meats, such as chicken and fish. Remember that, a few years ago, the World Health Organization warned about possible problems arising from excessive consumption of processed and red meat.

8. Cereals every day

Cereals are part of the base of the food pyramid as they provide us with energy. Mainly, it is recommended to choose wholegrain versions of pasta, rice, couscous and bread.

9. Steps to eating a Mediterranean diet: minimal intake of sweets

Sweet breads, cakes and sweets can be consumed in an extremely moderate way. In other words, its consumption is not prohibited, but it must be very controlled. Remember that too much sugar can cause illnesses such as diabetes or obesity. Less than two servings a week is ideal.

10. Water all the time

The drink of choice should always be water : it quenches thirst and does not supply empty calories to the body. It is advisable to moderate as much as possible the consumption of sugary drinks, such as soft drinks and industrialized juices.

What do you think of these 10 tips for the Mediterranean diet? As you can see, it’s not that hard to follow. You just need to adapt your habits to eat healthy foods and minimize consumption of the most harmful ones. Also, don’t forget the importance of exercising regularly!