It’s been hard to ignore all the noise going around about the Mediterranean Diet but what is this exotic-sounding meal plan? And what benefits does it have? Well, today we are going to give you a no-nonsense look at the health craze that is actually one of the best diets out there (it was the only eating plan to achieve 5/5 in the ABC Health & Wellbeing guide to weightloss diets).
So what are you waiting for? Here’s all you need to know.
According to La Trobe University Associate Professor Catherine Itsiopoulos, there are “10 commandments” of the Mediterranean diet which can help understand it quickly and easily, as it starting the diet is not as simple as many cookbooks would like you to believe.
Instead of finding recipes that are labelled as Mediterranean, you can instead follow the commandments from Professor Itsiopoulous:
The commandments are:
One thing to note is that the Medi diet is low on dairy foods as the traditional Greeks got their calcium and dairy intake up in other ways, through their food. The dairy levels currently advised in the National Dietary Guidelines. Sardines and other small fish with bones and leafy greens all have good amounts of calcium, as does slow-cooked meat with bones.
If you are still trying to wrap your head around the diet that has people raving, here’s some food swaps you can do today:
If you like chips, biscuits, crackers and french onion dip, eat carrots, celery, broccoli and salsa
White rice with stir-fried or glazed meat, try Quinoa with stir-fried vegetables.
And if you love your desserts and ice cream, chia pudding plus skim or almond milk is great-tasting and so delicious. Fruit can also help treat a sweet tooth!
Tell us, would you try to Mediterranean diet? What other diets have you tried?