the mediterranean pantry

We often hear how beneficial a mediterranean diet is for our health— so here are some practical ways adopt this ‘diet’—

Fridge 

• Dairy— full fat milk, fresh cheeses such as feta, ricotta, mozzarella instead of overly ‘processed’ varieties.

• Yoghurt— avoid sugary or flavoured yoghurts and look for greek or natural instead.

• Vegetables— fill up your vegetable crisper with a variety of different coloured vegetables cauliflower, broccoli, cabbage, capsicum, mushroom, artichoke, zucchini, squash, avocado

• Fermented food— fermented food offers benefits to our gut, making your own sauerkraut or kombucha is a great way to feed gut bacteria.

Freezer 

• Fish- this could depend where you live, if you have access to freshly caught fish then go for it! However if fish is not easily accessible then chances are the fish you buy at your local supermarket or fish monger is frozen and then defrosted— freezing fish more often than not will preserve the nutrients. You should aim for 2x serves per week.

• Frozen vegetables— peas, beans, spinach, kale

• Frozen fruit— berries, mango, pineapple, bananas

Top shelf 

• Extra Virgin Olive oil

• Balsamic vinegar

• Honey as a sweetener

• Herbs & spices, cinnamon, cardamon, rosemary, thyme, paprika, turmeric, oregano, basil, chilli, salt & pepper

• Teas— any herbal, black or green tea

Main Pantry 

• Nuts, seeds & Grains— the aim is to include 30 different plant based food sources a week—

  • Hemp seeds- omega 3 ALA

  • Chia seeds- fibre, omega 3 ALA

  • Brazil nuts— selenium , antioxidants,

  • buckwheat— protein, antioxidants, gluten free

  • quinoa— protein, fibre

  • cous cous— selenium

  • Rolled oats— fibre, protein

  • Chickpeas—iron, magnesium, calcium

  • Dried Fruit— iron, vitamin C & B6

  • Barley— iron, selenium, potassium

  • Nuts— almonds, cashews, walnuts

  • Beans— black, kidney, butter

  • Lentils—iron, zinc,

• Alcohol— choose a glass of red wine instead of beer or sweetened alcoholic beverages, consume in moderation.

• Chocolate— the Mediterranean diet recommends you consume sweets in moderation, however chocolate should always be somewhere in the cupboard. I recommend dark chocolate, however choose whatever brings the most joy.

• Tinned food— tinned food is often overlooked, however they prove to be a nutritious and economic alternative, tinned tomatoes (try tinned cherry tomatoes), corn, beetroot

• Tinned fish— tuna, sardines, anchovies

Protein

• Fish- include fish in your diet 2x per week.

• Lean meats- limit your red meat intake and avoid processed meat, opt for lean cuts or poultry instead.

• Finding plant based sources of protein doesn’t always look like ‘fake meat’ you can find protein in a large range of foods. Soy based products, oats, buckwheat, nuts & falafels to name a few.

Practical tips 

• Cook with extra virgin olive oil

• Swap red meat for fish, poultry

• Swap refined carbohydrates for wholegrain

• Try to consume 30 different types of plant based food a week— try cooking with new foods and trying new recipes or simply try adding more plants into the meals and recipes you already enjoy.

• Increase fibre intake— if you are consuming more wholegrain and plant based foods then this should be easy! ‘High fibre’ looks like 6g/ 100g or more on the nutrition information.

• Try to reduce or limit salt intake to less than 6g/ day— salt is often hidden in processed or packaged food so if you are eating fresh, whole foods then you probably don’t need to be too concerned. If you are worried limit or stop adding salt to home cooked meals or take the salt shaker off the kitchen table.