I Ditched My Old Habits for 30 Days on the Mediterranean Diet—Here’s What Stuck

Our team editor decided to test out the renowned diet.

Medically reviewed by Suzanne Fisher, RD

Dana Ingemann, MPH She serves as a Senior Editor at GudangMovies21 and holds a certification as a GudangMovies21ication Specialist (CHES). Over her seven-year journey through personal, professional, and scholarly readings, Dana has discovered that many popular diets often fall short of their promises. Given this insight and medical experts' endorsement of the Mediterranean diet, she decided to explore whether it would suit her lifestyle and financial constraints.

If you've spent any time online lately, chances are you've come across mentions of the Mediterranean diet. On my own social feeds, it has been promoted as the ultimate solution for healthy eating. However, similar to your experience, I tend to approach such things with skepticism when they include the term "diet."

Despite its name, the Mediterranean diet It isn’t exactly what you’d call a “diet.” Instead, it’s a series of eating practices that adhere to a specific routine.

The Mediterranean diet emphasizes specific types of foods and suggests reducing the intake of others, without entirely eliminating anything from your meals. Additionally, considerable evidence supports the benefits of this dietary approach as highlighted by GudangMovies21. Individuals following this diet might see a reduced chance of heart-related issues, weight problems, and high blood pressure. high blood pressure ), metabolic syndrome, and dyslipidemia (an imbalance of fats, which can happen if you have high cholesterol , among other factors).

However, does the Mediterranean diet truly prove effective? From my personal encounter, indeed it does. Since this dietary approach emphasizes forming healthy eating routines instead of eliminating complete categories of foods, I discovered the regimen quite manageable and relished my dishes. This diet broadened my perspective and reduced my general skepticism towards weight-loss plans. I genuinely savored this journey and intend to seamlessly integrate several aspects of it into my everyday routine.

Before You Get Started

Remember to consult your healthcare provider before making significant alterations to your diet. Everyone has distinct nutritional requirements which can be affected by numerous elements such as medication intake, level of physical activity, presence of vitamin deficiencies, among others.

For instance, the Mediterranean diet suggests consuming minimal amounts of red meat. Should red meat be your main source of iron, or if you are iron deficient , you should work with a GudangMovies21care provider or a nutritionist to ensure you're consuming enough iron.

People often include wine in their diets. Nonetheless, consuming wine and alcohol is not advised for individuals who are pregnant , suffer from alcohol use disorder, or have various other conditions.

Foods To Buy

Individuals adhering to the Mediterranean diet model their eating habits after those residing around the Mediterranean Sea. This dietary approach encompasses sixteen nations bordering this sea, such as Italy, Morocco, Syria, Greece, among others, leading to numerous adaptations. Despite these differences, the diet typically comprises the subsequent types of food and categories:

• Lots of fruits and vegetables —particularly whole and unprocessed foods—including starchy items like potatoes
• Bread and other grains
• Legumes (beans), nuts, and seeds
• Olive oil (lots of olive oil)
• Dairy products
• Eggs , fish, and poultry , although poultry is limited

To most closely follow the recommendations of the diet, limit your intake of sugar and sugary drinks, foods with high salt content, highly processed foods , refined carbohydrates (such as white bread or white rice), fatty meats, and saturated fats.

Meal Prep Strategies

This diet was much more approachable than any others I’d reluctantly tried, mostly for the reasons listed above. In full transparency, I also already ate my fair share of olive oil, beans, fruits, veggies, and nuts prior to committing to it. However, I knew I’d struggle with a few vices, so I laid down some rules for myself to help me manage the following:

• Alcohol: I like having a beer or cocktail on the patio, particularly when the weather is pleasant. I made a promise to myself to limit my intake to two or less such beverages each week.
• Chicken: Although the Mediterranean diet permits having chicken in moderation, I consume quite a bit of it. Instead, I decided to purchase more fish and focus primarily on legumes for my main protein sources.
• Ice cream: Everyone who knows me understands that I adore ice cream more than anything else in life. Nevertheless, I have reduced my consumption to just once every two weeks.
• Convenience meals: It’s incredibly simple to heat up something store-bought. Despite this, I put effort into preparing my own meals ahead of time and freezing them for future use.

Afterward, I began focusing on cooking and meal preparation. Although I feel a bit ashamed, it doesn’t surprise me that I commenced with what could be considered the quintessential Mediterranean dishes. My favorite among these was a delightful couscous bowl featuring tomatoes, cucumbers, and red onions. chickpeas , crumbled feta cheese, and grilled salmon, served with a lemon-tahini sauce.

Making this dish was simple and it kept well. I prepared the couscous, diced the vegetables, whisked up the dressing, grilled the salmon, then stored each component separately before combining everything just as I was ready to serve it.

It inspired me to think—if I can prepare all components of one dish ahead of time and just combine them whenever I’m ready, why not apply that concept to multiple dishes? Personally, I tend to tire of eating leftovers beyond their second go-round. However, preparing meals so they offer varied combinations like "pick-your-own-adventure" style makes things much more exciting. So, I chose several items from various categories and mixed and matched according to my preference.

1. Prep a Grain

I opted to put together a variety of grains that would form the foundation of my dish. My choices included couscous, orzo, oats, basmati rice, and whole wheat tortillas. To save time, I precooked certain items like the orzo and basmati rice, which required more cooking time. Meanwhile, I left others uncooked because they were faster to prepare whenever needed.

2. Chop the Veggies

I diced an assortment of vegetables such as onions, bell peppers, broccoli, cabbage, kale, cucumbers, and tomatoes. Afterward, I sorted these ingredients into three groups: those for immediate cooking, refrigerated storage, and freezing. These categories indicate their intended use; some were prepared immediately for cooking purposes, others were kept chilled after chopping for later use, and several more were frozen post-chopping for future meals. By organizing them this way, I can easily access whichever state suits me best depending on the amount of preparation time available when assembling dinner.

3. Mix up some dressings

I keep glass jars, and let me tell you, I'm really glad I do! I chose several that were suitable for mixing dressings and got creative making various sauces and vinaigrettes; most tasted pretty decent. My top pick was the classic lemon-tahini dressing, though I also came up with a couple of other tasty ones too.

4. Pick Your Protein

I selected a mix of different beans, some fish, and also chicken for mine. protein sources Although I wasn't keen on doing much cooking ahead of time, I decided to take some initiative. I removed the meats from their initial wrapping, cut off excess fat when necessary, applied the marinade, and then stored them in the freezer for future use. This way, whenever I was prepared to start cooking, all I had to do was defrost them, and they were immediately ready to be cooked just as planned!

I'm quite satisfied with the outcome of this plan. Rather than hastily putting together a meal amidst my schedule or finding the motivation to prepare dinner, this approach enabled me to quickly create a delicious and healthy meal within typically 10 minutes or fewer. While gathering the components did require some effort during the weekend, it’s time I’d otherwise spend crafting only one recipe. This method proved simpler and provided meals for a more extended period.

Ways To Mix Up the Mediterranean Diet

Along with this approach, I discovered several other swift meal options that adhered to the guidelines of the Mediterranean diet. These consisted of:

• Smoothies: I went ahead and precooked and froze them too, allowing me to simply blend and head out whenever needed. Given more free time, I would scoop them into bowls and garnish with additional toppings instead.
• Toasts: Toasts aren't solely meant for peanut butter or jelly! Recently, I've created various types such as Caprese toast, smoked salmon with avocado toast, and Ricotta topped with toasted almonds, along with some others.
• Dips: If you've never combined various beans and vegetables with a vinaigrette and enjoyed them as a dip, then you're really missing something special.
• Salads: All the ingredients I had prepared ahead of time could just as well be added to some lettuce rather than mixed with grains for an additional bit of crispness.

In general, I didn’t lack for diversity. Although I had to prepare meals outside my usual cuisine, I discovered they were both simple to make and tasty.

Has the Mediterranean Diet Proven Effective?

To be honest, adopting the Mediterranean diet really benefited my health. It not only allowed me to maintain my usual exercise routine but also gave me an extra boost of energy compared to before.

I thoroughly enjoyed my meals as well. I plan to seamlessly integrate these strategies into my weekly meal preparation regimen, both for their ability to cut down cooking time and due to how tasty and revitalizing the dishes turned out to be.

What amazed me most with this diet is that I felt full for extended periods. Initially, I worried about feeling hungry frequently; however, I ended up eating quite a bit. fiber-packed meals That satisfied my appetite. To be completely honest: The additional fiber also brought some extra flatulence. Consider yourself alerted.

I realized that I had neglected several of my habits, each to varying degrees. Generally speaking, I could manage with reduced alcohol consumption, yet I craved more ice cream. Going ahead, I plan to incorporate more legumes and vegetables into my diet. less alcohol , along with a sufficient quantity of ice cream.

Difficulties Encountered While Adhering to the Mediterranean Diet

I recognize that adhering to the Mediterranean diet comes with certain hurdles, several of which I faced myself. The primary issue for me was time management. While I thoroughly enjoy sinking my teeth into some crusty whole-grain bread sprinkled with seeds and drizzled with olive oil, such fare alone wouldn’t keep hunger at bay. Crafting flavorful, nutrition-packed dishes primarily using fresh produce can be quite labor-intensive, despite efforts like prepping components beforehand as I attempted.

Similarly, choosing not to have a microwave meal Trader Joe’s So I had the option to prepare a couscous bowl but found it incredibly inconvenient at times. On some occasions, I gave in and opted for TJ’s instead, while on most days, I managed to resist. That’s what makes this eating plan great: finding balance.

Next, this eating plan depends largely on consuming raw and unprocessed items. Adhering strictly to this regimen could prove challenging without readily available sources of such foods or the necessary equipment for their preparation. Should you feel that embracing the full diet is overly demanding rather than beneficial, consider focusing on aspects within your manageable scope. As an illustration:

• Frozen is fine: Although the diet suggests consuming fresh fruits and vegetables, I don't have an issue with using frozen ones.Frozen broccoli is still healthier than potato chips!
• Explore the non-grocery choices available near you: Is your local area home to a food pantry? What about a community refrigerator? Or perhaps a crop-sharing program? Try searching for these online—what you discover might amaze you!
• Look after your future self: Personally, I cook for just little ol’ me. Therefore, when I cooked I made four or five servings at once. Future me was thankful for the meals.
• Don’t be so hard on yourself: I definitely gave in and went out for some ice cream or enjoyed a drink with my buddies. It was refreshing for the spirit, so to speak.

Related: Mediterranean Diet Foods: A Guide to Adopting This Popular Eating Plan

The Final Verdict

Is the Mediterranean diet suitable for me? Absolutely, yes. If you want to incorporate more vegetables, whole grains, and healthy fats into your meals, it might be just what you need. For those hesitant about following another "diet," remember that this one is not overly restrictive compared to others. Simply adopting certain elements, such as consuming more fish and reducing red meat intake, can make a positive difference. Consider using the Mediterranean diet as motivation to improve your overall eating habits and adopt their lifestyle approach. After all, when in Rome...