Easy Mediterranean Diet Meal Plan – With this simple guide, you will have a simple and easy to understand Mediterranean diet plan with everything you need to get started: recipes and tips.
I’ve been asked many times to provide an authentic Mediterranean diet meal plan, and when we say authentic, that’s what we mean! The reason for this is that most of the “Mediterranean diet” meal plans I see online are not like that at all. Sorry, but edamame beans, a small amount of olive oil, canola oil, meat at every meal, etc. are not part of the Mediterranean diet.
Easy Mediterranean Diet Meal Plan
The Mediterranean diet is considered the gold standard of diets. It was voted the Best Diet of 2018 by US News and is associated with numerous health benefits backed by compelling evidence. This covers heart health, cancer prevention, mental health, Alzheimer’s, fertility, weight loss, and more.
Weeknight Dinners: A Healthy Mediterranean Diet Meal Plan — Kelly Powers
Now, I have to say that I’m not a hardliner, but it’s important to eat at relatively regular times so you don’t feel very, very hungry at any particular time of the day. Having said that, I also think it’s important to be able to actually feel hungry and look forward to food. While adding snacks here and there is good for balancing blood sugar and hunger, snacking can also backfire. Many times we eat snacks without feeling hungry, or are addicted to ready-to-eat snacks such as granola bars, juices, smoothies, etc., which not only add quite a lot of calories, but are also processed food with all that it entails.
Below is a short timeline of the Traditional Mediterranean Diet meal plan, this is the same meal plan I also follow. Below the graphics you can find details, tips and links to recipes. I offer a variety of food options that you can mix and match with recipe links. For more ideas, just check out the Recipe Index and you’ll find a great selection of Mediterranean recipes.
Option #3: Greek scrambled eggs with tomatoes (kagianas) or other egg dishes with vegetables. Click for egg recipes.
Lunch at the biggest meal of the day. If you’re having trouble with this, you can swap dinner with lunch and try having dinner a little earlier.
The Easy Mediterranean Diet Meal Plan: 4 Weeks To Jump Start Your Journey To Lifelong Health: Zogheib Mhs Rd, Susan: 9781641526302: Books
Option #1: Dish Latero (seasonal vegetables or beans cooked with olive oil, herbs and tomato sauce, accompanied by bread and cheese). This is what you will eat 3-4 times a week. Commonly cooked this way are green beans, peas, spanakorizo (spinach-rice), and cauliflower. This is accompanied by a slice of bread and feta. Click to see spread recipes. Please note that one serving consists of 3-4 servings of vegetables.
Option #3: Once or twice a week, a chicken dish, such as Greek chicken stew with seasonal salad.
Option number 4: bean dish. Beans such as lentils as well as white beans are consumed as a thick stew or fried. They are accompanied by feta cheese and some bread.
Option #5: Grilled small fatty fish such as sardines or anchovies. Accompanied by lightly boiled greens drizzled with olive oil and a little lemon.
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Dinner is a lighter meal, so it’s generally best to eat a lighter diet, avoiding meats and heavy sauces. Usually it is a small portion of lunch or a dish rich in vegetables.
Wine (1-1 ½ cups) and a small meze dish (2-3 olives, a few pieces of cheese, tomato or carrot sticks)
Option number 2: Large salad (mainly greens in winter, tomatoes in summer) with olive oil dressing, grated or crumbled cheese and nuts (walnuts, pine or almonds). Check out our Mediterranean salad recipes.
Option 3: Stir-fried vegetables in olive oil (cauliflower or a mixture such as briami). This is a simple and easy way to cook vegetables and eat them as a main dish.
Mediterranean Diet Breakfast Recipes
Option 4: Feta omelette accompanied by a simple salad such as tomatoes and cucumbers with olive oil or green leaf salad.
Option number 5: Yogurt with breadcrumbs and fruits. This is a typical dinner, especially if the lunch was a bit bigger.
*Once a week chicken and once a week other meat or fish, accompanied by salad or greens (horta)
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Complete Mediterranean Diet Shopping List
Elena Paravantes, RDN, is a registered dietitian nutritionist, writer and consultant specializing in the Mediterranean diet and cuisine. For 20 years she has worked as a physician, consultant and lecturer in both the US and Greece. An expert on the Greek Mediterranean Diet, her interviews and articles have been featured in many publications including CNN, US News and World Report, Prevention, NPR and Shape. Elena has worked with a number of organizations including Loyola University, Yale University, Missouri State University, Louisiana State University, and the American College of Greece. Some of the links in this post may be affiliate links. This means that if you click on the link and make a purchase, I will earn a small commission at no additional cost to you, which will help me cover the cost of this blog.
Try this 7-Day Mediterranean Diet Meal Plan for a week and see how you feel! I think you’ll feel pretty good… This Mediterranean Diet Plan includes a grocery list and delicious Mediterranean recipes for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, as well as some suggestions for starters and desserts. Remember that we are all different, so listen to your body and make a diet plan to your liking!
It’s a new month and it’s time for another challenge! I’m a little late, I know…don’t throw shoes at me. I know that for the last 12 months I’ve been messing around? But the good news is I’m back today, so let’s make the most of it.
So let’s go on a Mediterranean diet this time, shall we? I love the Mediterranean diet – you can eat good food, share it with others, save time and stay healthy. What’s not to love? No more broccoli protein powder. No more chicken smoothies. We will eat some hummus, some salads, some fish, nuts, good bread, olives, all good Mediterranean foods, and it will be so easy and so delicious.
Delicious Mediterranean Diet Recipes
Now this is my meal plan for the week and I don’t count calories, I don’t eliminate food groups (although I will be changing some recipes and using gluten and dairy free alternatives as I need to eat this way for now). Please keep in mind that your body’s needs are unique and you need to fuel your body for your needs.
If you feel hungry, eat a little more. Don’t like tomatoes? Try another vegetable you like. If there is too much food for you, don’t force yourself to eat. The Mediterranean diet is not about restrictions, strictness and rules about something as natural as food. It’s about enjoying healthy, natural food, cooking with loved ones, sharing that food, and living life.
Make sure you drink enough water throughout the day to really take your time to chew and taste food, move your body every day in an unstructured way, in other words, don’t put all your movements in a workout basket.
Just strive to live longer and be more active by doing everyday activities like walking, hiking, playing ball, or even gardening. And sleep.
Easy Mediterranean Recipes
Here’s what I think of this Mediterranean meal plan. I want to make it super accessible so everyone can benefit from good, healthy food. I also want you to have variety, fun and learning so you want to eat this way in the future. Not because you have to, but because you really like it.
To do this, we offer fast and simple Mediterranean cuisine, and we prepare dishes in such a way that every day you can cook different dishes faster. Here is a list of things you can prepare at the start of the week:
To prepare for the rest of the week, on Day 4 you can make some more quinoa and this homemade muesli.
We’re going to make dinner really easy by eating salads. That’s right, salads. We all need to eat vegetables. This is a universal truth. They are a healthy part of any diet that helps improve your health or help you lose weight. It is not fat, fiber or protein. There is more to food than math and macronutrients. By keeping a varied diet, without complicating it, we can get everything, and more than enough. And fruit+vegetables>vitamins or macronutrients. So, lettuce.
Quick And Easy Mediterranean Diet Lunch Ideas
Breakfast: light oatmeal. Choose a flavor and cook them the night before. My favorite flavors are apple pie and blueberries. Highly recommend!
Lunch: chicken salad with mashed avocado. You can wrap it in a tortilla or serve it on toast. I recommend using whole grain or gluten free products.
