The Mediterranean diet, explained.

Google ‘Mediterranean diet’ and you’ll forget for a moment that it is, in fact, a diet. Plates are colourful and oh-so-Instagrammable, with the recommended division of greens, beans, and meat (and a side of fruit).

This eating regime celebrates whole grains, fruits and vegetables, fish and seafood, and of course, olive oil.

The advantages of following a Mediterranean diet.

While more a holistic approach to nutrition than a ‘diet’, the Mediterranean diet eating style relies on REAL foods.

The Mediterranean diet is high in vegetables, fruits, whole grains, beans, nuts and seeds and olive oil.

The main features of this diet include:

• Daily consumption of vegetables, fruits, whole grains and healthy fats
• Weekly intake of fish, poultry, beans and eggs
• Moderate portions of dairy products
• Limited intake of red meat

Meals are created around plants, not meat. Dairy, eggs, poultry and seafood are central to the Mediterranean way, with red meat consumed only occasionally. With olive oil and fish central to this regime, people enjoy health serves of ‘good’ fat. And, of course, Omega-3s fatty acids.

The Mediterranean lifestyle.

This diet is probably conjuring up images of meals with your friends and family. It’s an important point to address because the diet is interlinked with the way of life. This includes sharing meals with family and friends and being physically active.

In your everyday lifestyle, here are a few tips to follow:

• Aim for 7-10 servings of fruits and vegetables
• Switch to whole grains
• Use healthy fats, such as olive oil
• Eat fresh fish twice a week and reduce red meat intake
• Enjoy dairy, such as low-fat Greek yoghurt
• Add spices instead of salt.
  
  

A day in the life, living like the Mediterranean’s.

For breakfast, treat your heart (and tastebuds) to smashed avocado, with smoked salmon and poached egg, on wholegrain toast. Dash it with a handful of microgreens.

Now, for lunch cook falafel balls, and place with green beans, whole-wheat couscous, crumbled feta cheese, olives, and topped with tahini sauce.

Then, at dinner, continue the colourful plate trend with shrimp and leek spaghetti. It’s light, lemony, and gives you fibre and Omega-3s.Speaking of these essential fatty acids…Because Omega-3s are extremely important to your health (and your body doesn’t produce it), support your Mediterranean diet with Zinzino’s  Balance Products. Take the Omega-6:3 ratio test first and review your results after 120 days.Siesta time! Although, you won’t get those 3 pm slumps, quite like you used to.