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Mediterranean Diet Resources & Recipes:
Note: Before I start I will say the resources I am listing in this are just ones I have seen be helpful, I am not making any money out of them and I don’t necessarily recommend them – Always consult with your physician or dietitian prior to adopting a diet or making other dietary changes. In addition to a health professional if you want to track your calories and nutrient intake yourself check out Cronometer which is free and very easy to use. https://cronometer.com/
Meal plans and recipe resources:
Meal Plan (pdf): Dietitian designed, 1000 calories per day, one week long meal plan with Macronutrient Profile (pdf)
- Please note: Whilst this meal plan is dietician designed, it is for general information only and is not tailored to your specific medical needs. It is recommended this is used in conjunction with your doctor or dietitian and is not designed for long term use
Other 7 day Mediterranean meal plans –
- http://www.eatingwell.com/article/288560/7-day-mediterranean-meal-plan-1200-calories/
- https://www.olivetomato.com/authentic-mediterranean-diet-meal-plan/
Other recipes:
- There are cultural variations on the Mediterranean diet e.g. MediterrASIAN diet, so please feel free to adapt to your background
- https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/collection/mediterranean
- Jamie Oliver has some great healthy recipes which are often Mediterranean style – https://www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/
Transcript
The Mediterranean diet is a great diet for a few reasons: It is the most well-studied diet, it has a wide range of foods to choose from so it makes it more flexible and easy to do, and the benefits go well beyond weight loss.
The Mediterranean diet consists of:
- High intake of olive oil (preferably extra virgin), nuts, vegetables, fruits, legumes and pulses like lentils, beans and chickpeas and whole grains and cereals. Foods like these are both tasty and high in fibre and can make you feel full and satisfied for longer
- Moderate intake of fish and poultry
- Low intake of dairy products, red meat, processed meats, and sweets
- Wine in moderation, consumed with meals
For weight loss specifically, a 2015 study from Harvard Medical School indicated the Mediterranean diet was almost twice as effective as the low-fat diet for weight loss and equally as effective as the low carbohydrate diets.
The benefits outside of losing weight though are really impressive. Multiple large scale studies of over 1.5 million people showed it lead to a significant reduction in overall mortality, mortality from heart and blood vessel diseases, the incidence of or mortality from cancer, and incidence of Parkinson’s disease and Alzheimer’s disease. Other studies show an average reduced risk of 40% for heart disease and that it lowers the risk and reduces the severity of type 2 diabetes and reduced risk of colorectal, breast and other cancers.
So I am a fan. Here is a way of eating that is enjoyable, easy to stick to and really good for us.
Reference:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4608274/ )
http://www.amjmed.com/article/S0002-9343(15)30027-9/abstract
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26528631
http://www.bmj.com/content/337/bmj.a1344
https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa1200303