Following a Mediterranean diet can help improve cardiovascular health, reduce your chance of getting some types of cancer, ensure you consume sufficient vitamins and minerals, and help you lose weight or maintain a healthy weight. However, not all Mediterranean diets deliver the same benefits. Follow a prudent Mediterranean diet to achieve proper nutritional balance and caloric consumption. Speak with a doctor or nutritionist about the diet if you have any health concerns.
Food Choices
The major components of a Mediterranean diet include vegetables, fruit, whole grains, plant-based protein, olive oil, herbs and spices. The diet also allows for some animal-derived protein, preferably in the forms of cheese, yogurt, fish or skinless poultry. Save red meat or sweets for rare indulgences. A prudent approach to this diet means centering every meal around the first major components, and using the other foods a few times per week.
Fresh Food
One of the major arguments in favor of consuming a Mediterranean diet is its emphasis on fresh foods rather than packaged, processed and fast food. However, this approach assumes you live somewhere where you can easily get fresh fruit and vegetables throughout the year. If abundant fresh, local or organic produce is not an option, either due to your locale or due to affordability, you will need to replace some of these portions with frozen produce. Check the packaging to ensure that your frozen fruits and vegetables do not contain added sugar, syrup or sodium.
Nuts and Seeds
Plant-based proteins such as legumes, nuts and seeds are a key part of the Mediterranean diet. However, nuts and seeds contain more fat than legumes, even though the fat is mostly unsaturated. For this reason, you should not make nuts and seeds your whole meal, but more of a garnish or a side dish. Choose plain nuts and seeds without sweet flavoring so that you control your caloric intake and your grams of sugar.
Portion Control
General Mediterranean diets pay less attention to counting calories, emphasizing the lower-calorie, fiber-filled whole foods that make up the food plan. However, even lower-calorie foods can make you gain weight if you do not practice portion control. Start every meal by filling half your plate with a leafy green salad dressed with olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Save the other half of your plate for your side dishes and entrees.
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