The Mediterranean diet is the choice of many modern women to both own a supple health, a smooth skin and support effective weight loss.
However, if you are a “new believer” who is still quite confused and does not know where to start, do not ignore this article.
1/ Do you understand the Mediterranean diet correctly?
If you want your journey back to health and fitness to be successful, this is the first question that you need to answer right before you start following this healthy diet.
Originally called the Mediterranean diet because they are based on traditional food sources that people in the Mediterranean region often eat since the 1960s and maintain to this day, most typically the people of Italy and Spain. and Greece. According to scientific studies, the Mediterranean diet not only works to lose weight, strengthen the body’s resistance, prolong life, but it also helps prevent diseases, heart attacks, and strokes. , stroke, diabetes.
The Mediterranean region has many countries, the people of each region have a variety of food sources. Therefore, when applying the Mediterranean diet, you can vary the ingredients and processing methods, as long as you basically still meet the following principles:
Eat a lot: Vegetables, fruits, nuts, beans, potatoes, whole grains, bread, herbs, fish, spices, seafood and extra virgin olive oil.
Medium: Poultry, eggs, cheese and yogurt
Eat less: Red meat
What not to eat: Processed foods (sausages, instant noodles, canned meat…), refined grains, refined oils, drinks containing sugar, added sugar (candy, chocolate, ice cream…)
2/ Start your Mediterranean diet with these foods
It will be difficult to start adapting to a new diet, the way of processing is almost completely different from that of Vietnamese people (that is, instead of deep-frying, which reduces the nutrition in food, the Ethnic Diet encourages The processing method retains all the fresh nutrients of the food, helping users to clearly feel both the taste and the taste of the food).
One tip is to start with small changes, such as switching from frying to steaming, grilling, salads, switching from rice to oats, quinoa, millet, eating fish and seafood at least. Twice a week, limit processed foods and try to cook at home…
Then when the body has adapted, you will go deeper into this diet for a comprehensive change. Here is a list of foods you can choose from to get started with this diet.
- Vegetables: Tomato, broccoli, kale, spinach (spinach), onion, cauliflower, carrot, cucumber, Brussels sprouts…
- Fruits: Apples, bananas, oranges, grapes, melons, dates, figs, strawberries, pears, peaches…
- Nuts: Almonds, walnuts, macadamia, cashews, sunflowers, pumpkin seeds, hazelnuts…
- Legumes: Peas, lentils, peanuts, green beans, black beans, red beans…
- Tubers: Potatoes, sweet potatoes, radishes, yams…
- Whole grains: Oats, brown rice, corn, buckwheat, quinoa, millet, pasta, whole grain bread…
- Fish and seafood: Salmon, tuna, mackerel, sardines, shrimp, oysters, mussels, crabs..
- Poultry: Chicken, duck, turkey
- Chicken eggs, quail eggs and duck eggs.
- Milk: Cheese, yogurt, Greek yogurt
- Herbs and spices: Garlic, basil, mint, rosemary, pepper, cinnamon..
- Healthy fats: Extra virgin olive oil, sesame oil, sunflower oil, avocado, avocado oil…
Based on this food source, you can transform into different dishes based on the basic principles of processing.
Regarding drinks, you should avoid carbonated drinks, added sugar (coca, bottled juice), you can use wine (about 1 glass per day), coffee and tea can also be used . It is best to prioritize filtered water, fruit juice without sugar, herbal teas to purify the body …
3/ Suggest a Mediterranean menu for a week for beginners
When you first start, you will feel quite surprised, forget this and forget that. So it’s best to make your own menu, save the rules to remember and try to implement them step by step. You can refer to the following menu:
Rank | Breakfast | Lunch | Dinner |
Two | Greek Yogurt + Strawberry + Oatmeal | Whole grain bread with sautéed beef + vegetable salad | Tuna salad with olive oil + fruit dessert |
Not | Yogurt + nuts and fruit | Grilled salmon brown rice | Oatmeal porridge with shrimp |
Private | Oatmeal + raisins | Chicken breast salad | Noodles cooked with vegetables, fruits + bone broth |
Year | Yogurt + fruit and nuts | Brown Rice Kimbap | Pan-fried salmon served with rice from quinoa |
Six | Oats + fresh milk without sugar | Pea soup served with bread | Tuna salad + mustard sauce |
Seven | Cooked Oatmeal + Milk + Nuts, Red Apple | Beef spaghetti + salad | Brown rice + grilled chicken breast |
Sunday | Omelet (fried egg in butter with olive oil), vegetable salad | Brown rice + fried lean meat served with vegetables | Grilled chicken with potatoes, served with green vegetables and tomatoes |
You can refer to a few simple dishes below:
Baked potato
Ingredient:
- 2 potatoes
- ½ cup olive oil
- A little salt, pepper, lemon, Parmesan cheese, fresh cilantro
Method: Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Potatoes are washed, drained and cut lengthwise. Coat the sides of the potatoes with ½ teaspoon of sea salt and ½ teaspoon of ground pepper and olive oil.
Place a nonstick griddle and bake the potatoes until they turn crispy and soft inside (about 30 minutes). Then, you mash ½ cup of Parmesan and brush it over the potatoes, bake for another 10 minutes and you’re done. This dish is served hot with a little lemon, which is the right food for breakfast, lunch or dinner.
Quinoa salad
Ingredient:
-100g quinoa
- diced tomato
- 1 diced cucumber
- teaspoon minced garlic
- 1 lemon, pepper, salt, olive oil
Making:
Step 1: Soak and wash clean quinoa, then put it in a pot with boiling water, when it boils, lower the heat so that the quinoa cooks evenly until the water runs out (it takes about 10-15 minutes). Then let it cool for 5 minutes and then put it in the fridge.
Step 2: Mix tomatoes, cucumber, garlic, pepper powder, salt, lemon juice, olive oil in a bowl for 15 minutes. Then drain off the water and add the quinoa, mix well, add a little parsley and you’re done.
The reason many people look to the Mediterranean diet is not only the area where they support weight loss, but the most important thing is that this diet helps improve health status, increase longevity and prevent diseases.