Mediterranean Diet

hotpineapple

So yesterday I decided to give the Mediterranean Diet a go (though it's basic healthy eating principles with the limitation of processed foods and red meat). Has anyone tried this? Do you have any favorite recipes to share? Are there any links to helpful websites? Go nuts, and thanks in advance!

LKArgh

hotpineapple wrote: »

So yesterday I decided to give the Mediterranean Diet a go (though it's basic healthy eating principles with the limitation of processed foods and red meat). Has anyone tried this? Do you have any favorite recipes to share? Are there any links to helpful websites? Go nuts, and thanks in advance!

I am Greek, so this is pretty much my normal diet. I would suggest you google regional recipes: Greek, Southern Italian, Southern French, Spanish, Egyptian, Moroccan etc. Thousands of blogs and recipes out there.

You can get some ideas here:
http://kopiaste.org/healthful-recipes/
http://www.oliveoil-culture.com/en
http://www.eatlove.com.au/chefs/tessa-kiros/25/recipes/ (not purely mediterranean but she has a lot of Italian and Cypriot recipes)
https://souvlakiforthesoul.com/
https://racheleats.wordpress.com/recipes/
http://chocolateandzucchini.com/

Before starting, make sure to buy olive oil, it will be your basic fat for cooking and absolutely cannot be replaced.

Need2Exerc1se

While I don't really follow any certain diet the Mediterranean Diet is closest to how I eat naturally. I probably eat more red meat than it suggests, especially after hunting season.

I don't use recipes but almost any recipe that is made from whole ingredients and not red meat based would fit the diet.

Need2Exerc1se

Need2Exerc1se wrote: »

While I don't really follow any certain diet the Mediterranean Diet is closest to how I eat naturally. I probably eat more red meat than it suggests, especially after hunting season.

I don't use recipes but almost any recipe that is made from whole ingredients and not red meat based would fit the diet.

EDIT: Just wanted to note that I ate this same way while gaining weight. Things like red wine and nuts and pasta are pretty easy to overeat if you don't eat mindfully.

jgnatca

I just wanted to mention that many North American recipes that call themselves "Mediterranean" cut out more fat than the diet calls for. Love that olive oil...in moderation. Lots of fresh vegetables, so shop often and shop fresh.

This salad made me love tuna.

http://www.hummusapien.com/mediterranean-tuna-salad/

Need2Exerc1se

jgnatca wrote: »

I just wanted to mention that many North American recipes that call themselves "Mediterranean" cut out more fat than the diet calls for. Love that olive oil...in moderation.

Ah yes, the olive oil. Very, very easy to overeat that deliciousness.

hotpineapple

Thank you all for the advice! Olive oil has been a staple cooking oil, so there's no short supply there! Also, can anyone tell me if a whole cup of nuts each day is reasonable, and if so, what sorts of nuts?

ki4eld

hotpineapple wrote: »

Thank you all for the advice! Olive oil has been a staple cooking oil, so there's no short supply there! Also, can anyone tell me if a whole cup of nuts each day is reasonable, and if so, what sorts of nuts?

You should weigh nuts in grams. They're very calorie-dense and a "cup" can be hundreds of calories. Nuts are going to vary in calorie content, so you'll need to use the food database or other research. Maybe a good place to start... http://calorielab.com/foods/nuts/18

OyGeeBiv

A cup of peanuts has about 825 calories.
Almonds have about 530 calories in a cup.
A cup of pistachios is about 690.

Whether you can/should eat a cup a day depends entirely on your calorie goal and what else you're eating. Personally I look for a wide variety of foods each day.

BurnWithBarn2015

I do Mediterranean...

But so do most people who do CICO

The Olive oil nuts and beans are up a bit normally but the Mediterranean diet is the most balanced diet
And considered the most healthy way of eating

hotpineapple

I'm thinking a cup of almonds would probably be beyond my limits...
I'm thinking I might try for about a quarter cup a couple of times a week, and adjust my other meals from there

OyGeeBiv

I really like adding slivered almonds to yogurt for a bit of crunch. And sometimes I add them to salad if I have room in my calories and fat for the day.

Also I recently made cashew butter which I'm enjoying. Just raw cashews in a food processor. It takes about 10 minutes to form "butter". I like that there's nothing added at all. Yummy on apple slices.

Minnie2361

Thanks good idea

OyGeeBiv

hotpineapple wrote: »

I'm thinking a cup of almonds would probably be beyond my limits...
I'm thinking I might try for about a quarter cup a couple of times a week, and adjust my other meals from there

There's another way to eat nuts (or anything) in smaller increments. You don't need to eat an entire 1/4 cup if you don't want to. Weigh everything! I'll put a container of yogurt on my scale, zero it out, and then sprinkle some almonds on top. Rather than try to hit a certain number of grams, I put in a reasonable amount and then log whatever the scale says. It's usually some oddball number.

Need2Exerc1se

hotpineapple wrote: »

Thank you all for the advice! Olive oil has been a staple cooking oil, so there's no short supply there! Also, can anyone tell me if a whole cup of nuts each day is reasonable, and if so, what sorts of nuts?

A cup of any type of nuts is going to eat up a lot of your daily calorie allotment. They are nutrient packed but high calories. A palm full is my daily go-to. But IDK what your calorie goal is or what else you'd be willing to give up to fit all those nuts in.

snowflake954

I live in Italy and so we're on the Mediterranean Diet. It's a little of everything and alot of fresh fruits and vegetables. In my opinion it's the healthiest. Yes, olive oil is a staple. I measure it out in teaspoons. Good luck.

GemimaFitzTed

I am of Southern Italian origins (parents born in Calabria, Italy), and I follow a Mediterranean diet. However growing up, my mother started to deviate a lot and increased serve sizes. She now understands that there is such a thing of too much olive oil and too much pasta in a serving.

Favourite recipes? Fresh pasta, fresh pasta sauce, stuffed eggplants and/or capsicum, Chicken and lamb tagines....the list goes on and on!