The world-famous Mediterranean diet comes in a lot of forms. It was popularized by a diet book way back in the 70s (or at some point around then), and is still held up today — at least anecdotally — as one of the world’s best and most delicious diets.
You don’t have to follow one particular example of it, and really you don’t have to follow it at all, if you don’t want to, but being here in Malta and seeing directly how people eat so differently from North America has just made us want to write about it constantly. So we started thinking of three ways you can get some of the best things about the diet without upending everything about your current routine.
Savor Your Meat By Making it Scarce and Expensive.
When you have chicken or beef several times a week, you not only cease to make it a special meal, but you also simply eat it too much. If you steer your weekly meals around vegetables and grains, the few times you have meat, you’ll be able to enjoy it that much more often.
One of the best ways to do this? Buy better meat. Go out and buy some delicious, premium quality, grass-fed, beyond-organic steaks from your local butcher. Or get some really good prosciutto from the Italian shop and do something with that. Decide to spend some real money on meat, ignore the feedlot stuff, and watch as your financial commitment forces you to slow down and really enjoy the meat you’re eating.
Create Your Own Junk Food.
This is one of Michael Pollan’s new Food Rules, and it’s perfect, really. There’s no question that people following the Mediterranean diet eat what we might call “junk” food — you’ve got your potato chips, your french fries, your varieties of donuts.
Seriously, every European culture basically has a version of deep-fried dough with sugar on it that they trot out for the dozens of festivals celebrated each year, and these things all taste a bit different and are called a billion different things and are fundamentally bad for you in terms of the amount of fat & sugar in them, but hey — they’re homemade, they actually spoil, and they take work to prepare, so you can’t just sit there, sucking them back on a daily basis.
Make a Pledge to the Good Fats
North Americans eat way too much “vegetable oil”. Most of it is inserted/injected into products and we don’t really find out what kind of vegetable is providing this oil. Could be corn, could be something else. Lord knows it’s not extra virgin olive-oil, as anyone using that on the label will trumpet it loud and clear, and it’ll be reflected in the price.
But here’s the thing: good quality olive oil isn’t that much more expensive outside of Italy or elsewhere. So much of it is exported that the prices are down, and it’s not hard to find it at a slight premium. Take a little vow — if you’re going to eat “vegetable oil”, make sure it’s only olive oil.
Why These Little Restrictions Are Easier to Do
It’s a lot easier to explain to someone that you’ve “decided to cut out X” or “are eliminating Y” from your diet, than to announce a whole-scale change in every last thing you eat. We try and cut out fats or cut down on carbs all the time — why not pick an ingredient or two instead? It’s kinda fun, restricting yourself like this, and watching the changes that result.
Pick a “meat night”, announce you only eat junk food you make from scratch, or skip 100% of the foods that have just “vegetable oil” on them. With little steps like these, you’ll be on your way to eating better in no time.
Mediterranean Readers — Over to You!
We’ve got a lot of readers from all around the Mediterranean and beyond — so tell us: what are your favorite things about your own diet? Or if you’ve visited or stayed in Spain, Italy, Greece, and so on — what did you notice the most about eating habits there?
In some mediterranean cultures we drink tea. Mostly Black tea in the mornings and mid-afternoon. I myself put a little bit of sugar in it but some don’t. Do you think drinking tea is good while trying to lose weiht and burn fat? Or does it depend on the type of tea?
Tea is a fantastic substitution for other beverages, as long as you’re not just drinking black tea, switch it up a bit.
I usually make pitchers of iced fruit tea (all natural freeze dried fruit and herb mixtures) or rooibush teas which are very high in antioxidants.
These teas are more similar to drinking water but you don’t flush out all of the electrolytes in you’re body, and they are not diuretics like black, oolong or green teas.
Plus they have all sorts of chocolate, marzipan and amaretto flavored teas that may curb some cravings in a completely healthy, sugar free (assuming you don’t add any), calorie free manner.
this is another great post n im learning a lot from ppl’s comments…its awesome.
one suggestion (more like a huge request) you guys should really make a post about what people do to avoid cravings or what healthier options they pick over a bowl of ice cream or something. i would LOVE to hear all the different ways ppl use to stay on track. u should REALLY REALLY REALLY PLZZZZZ consider this topic
thanks in advance ;)
I totally agree, a list of things people do to curb cravings with healthy alternatives would be great.
Be careful with Black Tea. Recent research (that our research team presented at a cancer research conference in 2009) suggests that tea may be more harmful than previously thought, ie, it may influence cancer growth. It has its benefits, but is no better for you than eating fresh fruits and vegetables.
On that note, eating fresh grapes is just as good as drinking red wine–so eating grapes instead of drinking wine is a good way to get the antioxidant benefits from the grape without drinking the harmful alcohol.
Since I have not visited the Mediterranean area, I would like to know what are a few of the staple dishes in that area?
When I visited Spain I noticed that salad was served with every lunch and dinner. It was always composed of the same ingredients: iceberg lettuce, tomatoes, salt, and a vinegar and olive oil dressing. Also, my house mother always offered fruit or yogurt instead of dessert.
I’m French – sorry for my bad English by the way – and my mother is from the South of France.
The staples of Mediterranean food? Totally ok with Tia. = Olives, tomatoes, salad, soup, fine ham, rice/pasta/baked potatoes, “tartes salées” (= pies with vegetables… I don’t know how to translate it), fruits like apricots/peaches/cherries/strawberries, fish…
I tend to eat salad every day in the summer, soup in the winter – it is really good and healthy, and you get quickly used to it ^^
Hi, I live in France but was recently in the U.S for just two weeks. I ate breakfast,lunch and dinner out. I am a healthy eater and would always opt for the “healthy” option on the menu, yet i still managed to put on over half a stone, probably about 10 lbs! I would put it down to the amount of salt and sugar that is in the american food….sugar in coldslaw, i was shocked!! Make your food and snacks from scratch and eat raw fruit and veg! Biggest tip….salt causes your body to retain water and bloat…so dont add buckets of it to your food.
I am sorry to say but it was the worst food i have ever tasted. (and i was eating at top restraunts!)
I know, and I’ve been eating that bad stuff since I was a kid! No wonder I’m fat now as an adult! Nowadays, I just cook at home. At least then I can watch what I put in it and control what I eat.
i live in the u.s and people are always eatin gout its horrible. i try to avoid all these fast food places its hard but now im just going ot try one of these diets from the website. hope it works any advice on any other diets anyone?????
Try the once at a time drop out strategy mentioned in the main article. After reading different diet books and facing my reality, I decided to start, first, by supressing all salt from my food. It worked, but it took some weeks or months to get acquainted, but then I got rid of the silent killer (hypertension). Then I moved to sugar, bread (this one was hard to beat), and red meats. I also started cooking exclusively with good quality olive oil. I a few months I noticed changes and now, after years, I indulge myself, sometimes, into eating some of the now forbidden meals. However, I can´t eat much of them now. Goods luck.
I live in the US and while I think there are various misconceptions/exaggerations throughout the world regarding the US citizen, I have to say that our food habits and offerings are truly as bad as the stereotype. However, that’s not to say that we don’t have the same healthy choices as the rest of the world … it’s just that our accessibility to non-healthy foods is much greater and our culture does not value its diet in the way it should. Additionally, there are a variety of socio-economic factors that come into play such as income, education and population density that limit the availability/awareness of healthy options/habits.
As an example, I once worked in a very rural area with about 2000 people where the ONLY food options where Burger King, Arby’s, four truck stop diners and two gas stations. The nearest grocery store was about half an hour away… but to get here you ended up passing another dozen fast food restaurants. What’s worse, while there where many small farms in this area, they didn’t really sell their goods to the locals! The farmers knew that they could pack up their produce, drive 2 hours to the nearest urban farmers market and sell their goods at 5 times the price they could have gotten in their own area!
When I quit that job and moved out of that environment, I lost 30 pounds within 6 months without modifying my activity level at all! When I started actively paying attention to my diet and exercise, I lost another 20 pounds.
Now that’s just one small example and not necessarily the norm, but I would say that 50% of US citizens are in a situation where their healthy options are outnumbered fifteen to one and their exposure to healthy habits in their community may be non-existent.
Wow!
Thank you for sharing. I couldn’t agree with you more on the overabundance of fast food chains and options that are on every corner block in the US. Kindof like SBUX, ha. :)
The more you can eat whole the better you will feel with energy and the more nutrients you will give to your body.
I truly believe exercise is the easy part. (yea, yeah, don’t get me wrong, it takes effort) Nutrition is the hardest. The good news is that once you find out what healthy foods work for you and your body, maintaining a healthy lifestyle of eating will be a breeze.
Best!
Crystal
Hello all, first time poster here. I live in Spain, am a 25 years old male.
The common people here eat pretty bad, as in everywhere else! There are some strong and weak points on our diet. But basically a lot of carbohydrates, and an abusing of pork meat. Fats are OK, olive oil is much extended but a large part of people cook with sunflower oil which is considerably cheaper…
Bread, eggs, pork, rice, potatoes, legumes and cow milk are probably the most eaten meals around here. Some fruits like bananas, apples and oranges too. Oh, and wine!
Spain is famous for its outstanding gastronomy and as a Spaniard I agree but you can find lots of people eating junk too. So it’s up to anyone to get good or bad quality food, here you have great options for nutritive and tasteful food.
If you ever visit Spain I suggest you search for ‘Mercadona’ stores, they are known as the best choice for quality/price alimentation and related products.
My beliefs are somewhat contrary to those who continue to, wholely, label “Americans” as bad eaters. I experienced what it was to commit to making healthful decisions which led to a total of 50 lbs in one full year. It was the most liberating moment of my life. Over the course of that year, I simply committed to making the best decision about foods that I bought and literally put in my mouth. That simple concept held me accountable to myself. I didn’t eliminate everything at once, but made more of a gradual progression towards stocking my pantry with healthier options. Skim to soy, vegetable to evoo, sugar to splenda, chocolate to fruit and dark chocolate, and etc. Making these substitutions became easier from week to week with my husband being away in S. Korea for a year. This meant my children and I weren’t forced to consume meat filled menus everyday of the week. Compliments came pouring in from friends and church members who would ask what made the difference, but really doubted. They considered the stress of being separated from my spouse, or that I suffered from an illness that I was really trying to hide. They didn’t believe because I didn’t workout at all. I hardly believe that a country should take the blame for the lifestyles that it’s people choose to live. I chose not to be a statistic and I’m healthier for.
Hello everyone and kudos for doing what most people talk about…I know it is a challenge but on this site we have the most beautifully ethereal human being one can hope to lay eyes on to inspire us…anyhoo here is my deal…
I recently started my first 21 day detox which was very expensive ($200.00) by a company called Standard Process I highly recommend it. I am the kinda person that will make you sick I can eat literally anything and not gain a pound…but my dentist is not too happy about that LOL
Anyway I quit half way through and am very guilty…I take shakes three times a day and herbs three times a day (i.e SP Cleanse, Gastro fiber and Green Food) it has been about a week since I have really taken anything consistently…
Should I:
a. Replenish the one bottle that is almost empty and the half of container of shake I have used mind you I have 1/2 tubs of the shake still left…and start over completely or…
b. Pick myself up and dust myself off and keep going where I left off?
I have been eating fast food and chocolate at the same time when I should only eat fish, chicken, veggies and lentils it is so hard for me to stop eating junk…any advice you can give me on finishing what I start that has been my problem throughout well throughout, throughout…
Hey Britney,
I’m in my 4th and final year of naturopathic school, and I guide patients through detoxification programs all the time. I am familiar with standard process and they have great products. Congratulations on finishing half of a detox. It’s a hard thing to do! First of all, don’t beat yourself up. Give yourself credit for the hard work you DID. Secondly, you need to assess why you stopped the program. A big reason why people fail to complete detox programs is that they don’t do adequate preparation beforehand. They jump right into it without being realistic about how feasible it is to finish. My suggestion to patients is to take a week BEFORE starting the detox to prepare. Don’t implement any changes during this time. Just prepare your schedule, and get organized on HOW you’re going to complete the program once you start it. You need to be realistic about get togethers, social events, etc. Chances are you’ll have to prepare your meals for the entire duration of the cleanse. That is the only way you can be 100% sure that you know what is going into your body.
Also, set boundaries for yourself. Use the “NO” button. If friends invite you out, be up front and say you are in the process of a cleanse and you’ll have to pass. Don’t put yourself in situations where you’ll fail.
The last thing is – the hardest part of the cleanse is the refeeding period. .. the time where you re-introduce foods back into your diet. Make sure you have it figured out what you’re going to have each day, otherwise you will eat everything around you like a crazy person.
Good luck.
Lauren Noel
Naturopathic Student – Portland, OR
Hi Zuzana! I find your workouts really informative and useful, although I’m a little lost about the food part… Can you post some information about how to cook/choose healthy meals and snacks? Because what’s happens often is that people do exercise but eat wrongly! I would really apreciate your help because I want to do everything right.
Thank you so much!
I am a 37 year old American that made a lifestyle choice when I was 23 years old. I was just out of college and not happy with my body, not overweight but limited muscle with a little stomach bulge. I ate as much as I wanted and didn’t work out but I had a high metabolism thanks to my family genetics. My lifestyle choice of learning about diet and exercise has given me sooo much motivation, energy and self confidence. I made the right choice because I look and feel much better now than when I was 23.
It’s good to surround yourself with people that make healthy choices.
Hi,
I just started following your workouts, so I can get to have a perfect 6 pack without giving up to the widow soup, and the local cheese in pepers in the bread with olive oil and stuff.
Zuzana and Frederick,
Your workouts are very motivational and i am so glad that i found your website! However, i am confused about what you mean by keeping meat scarce if both protein and carbs need to be eaten together at each meal? Please correct me if i misunderstood your articles. I have a big problem with my diet as i am used to overeating and i want to understand how to eat properly 5-6 times daily.
Thank you!!!
I’m originally from the Med area of Europe but have been living in North America for many years now. The difficulty in the US is that local produce is hard to get and if it is available it is ridiculously expensive, as opposed to the stuff available in regular supermarkets. In Italy for example, (I’m sure it is true in many other parts of EU) local produce is sold in your neighborhood markets and the price is much lower than of its equivalent in supermarkets.
When I’m in the US I’m paranoid about almost everything I put into my body. Even the stuff that is labeled organic here makes me really wonder since the “green” industry is now mostly about making huge profit. This doesn’t make for a pleasant eating experience.
I completely agree with you. Buying food here is scary and local produce is too much money, but I stick to supporting local farmers anyway. The more the Americans stick with local the cheaper it will be in time.
Girl, I hope you’re right about that. Produce is so expensive out here. I’m in the suburbs of Chicago, and the reason it’s so easy for us to get off track and eat such unhealthy foods is because the cost of eating healthy and perishable foods is too high for even middle class to afford to eat on a regular basis without going broke. Plus, the quality of fresh produce out here isn’t all that great either. I would have to shop at a Fresh Market grocery store to get any type of quality fresh produce, and it’s almost double what I’d pay at the local Jewel-Osco. Let’s face it, it all comes down to money. I’ve even tried budgeting more and more produce into my diet, and it’s still too expensive and perishes too quickly for it to be a good investment. Plus figuring in the cost of gas for the constant trips to and from the market. It’s just too much money.
Hi Zuzana and Frederick,
I have just discovered your site and love all the healthy eating tips and recipes. Unfortunately i cannot do your workouts as i have spinal damage and need low impact workouts. If you post some low impact fat burning videos i would be absolutely wrapped :O) let me know if you do so i remember to pop back and get into them.
I am active in that i teach belly dancing 3 x per week or more … so although i have spinal damage i can move freely with the style of dancing that i do which builds the muscles to support the spine and the moves are actually really helpful when i am in pain to relieve it. So i am dance fit but need to do something else to jump start my metabolism which has slowed to a drip. I am copying your recipes and looking forward to trying them they sound fantastic and look so yummy.
(The damage to my spine is cervical 3, 4 and 5, thoracic on the right side under the right breast and lumbar 5. Movements that kick start my pain are slight bends, lifting weights higher than 5kg, walking up or down hills/slants, standing still too long, or sitting on hard surfaces; plus my knees are no good from 12 years of martial arts prior to my back injury). Fingers crossed you can come up with some workout ideas for me xxxx
Hey there everyone!I think this is a great post, it´s crucial for everybody to become aware of the importance of a healthy diet and lifestyle. I´ve lived in the U.S before but I´m actually spanish and I currently live in Spain. I LOVE the mediterranean diet and love cooking also :-). I can´t even explain the difference between this diet and the american way of eating…
I just wanted to share with you what I´m cooking today just to give you ideas…(I´m not an expert but I love nutrition and fitness)
Thanks Zuzana for your great workouts, ideas, motivation and support!
What I´m cooking today>>> Lentils potage!!! for 2 people:
Ingredients:
- 250 (more or less)gr. of lentils
- 1 tomato
- 1 big green pepper
- 6/7 cloves of garlic
- 1 onion
- a bit of sea salt
- fresh water
- 100 ml (more or less) of Extra Virgin Olive Olive.
NOTE. much more benefits if all these ingredients are organic!!!
The night before, pour 250 gr of lentils in a bowl of water, leave them there until the next day.
The next day: whash them a little bit with fresh water and put them in a big pot. Add a full tomato, a full pealed garlic (if it´s small), a whole pealed onion, a big green pepper (washed and taking off the top), a bit of sea salt and 100 ml of EXTRA VIRGIN OLIVE OIL.
Add fresh water until it covers up all these ingredients and put it to cook. You can really heat it up until the water boils, but then lower down the heat so it boils really slowly.
It´s normally ready in between half an hour or 45 min.But you don´t have to watch them all the time, just every 15 min or so.
Then, you can take all these whole ingredients I just said (the onion, tomato..) grind them up and add them again afterwards so it´s smoother.
This is it! I really enjoy this meal and hope you like it too if you have the chance to try it!
xoxo from Spain
The very latest research is saying that the “6 small meals a day” paradigm was flawed. Google “Leptin” or the “Leptin Diet”. Apparently, new research is showing that to lose weight, you need to put many hours between eating. Eating even one tiny thing between meals causes Leptin to be released and a cascade of things happen, including that insulin is released also. You then don’t utilize sugars as you should. Completely opposite what we have been taught for years. Also, it’s supposed to be better for diabetics too, who have been told that eating small meals is better for them. Do the research, its very enlightening.
I have looked at the leptin diet and looks like another FAD diet (no offense).
Eating 5-6 small meals is, for me, the best choice. I have been researching nutrition rabidly for the last 6 months. this started when my wife was told she had high cholesterol and we were sent to a nutritionist who taught us the basics.
One of the keys to eating 6 times a day, is eating the correct foods. especially before and after work outs. understanding what causes insulin spikes and using the knowledge of how your body works to your advantage.
Zuzana, I enjoy your site because your exercises work just as well for men as for women. You prove that you don’t have to shell out hard earned money for a gym membership to get awesome results.
I was born and live in Spain, certainly since you were small you purchase food habits you see at home. At every meal the salad always comes first (always with olive oil). You here the “junk food” is not much room at the table, perhaps from time to time, but nothing more. Most of our traditional dishes always include vegetables, grains, vegetables and of course, olive oil. I love the Spanish gastronomy not exchange or fast food throughout the world;) Bess from Spain. I love your page and your workouts (sorry for my English lol)