Very Nice.

Did you hear the good news??

The Mediterranean Diet has unanimously been voted the #1 diet for 2021 by Yahoo, Insider, CNN, Good Morning America, Chicago Sun-Ties, NDTV Food……you get the point.

The Mediterranean Diet is worth following. 

 

 

Photo by Backstreet Boys

 

 

Because time and time again, it has been shown to reduce your risk of cardiovascular disease,  several types of cancer,  diabetes, stroke and alzheimer’s disease. And because it’s full of delicious food.  Maybe more importantly, it involves an appreciation for the flavors, the atmosphere and the company that you enjoy while eating. The Mediterranean Diet turns food into an event, and that’s something I can get behind.

So after almost two weeks, how do I feel about the Mediterranean Diet?

 

 

What we have been doing:

 

 

*Eating more beans and nuts. If you don’t love the texture of beans, try bean noodles. Here is spaghetti I made the other night but used edamame noodles in place of regular noodles. Topped it with homemade spaghetti sauce, sautéed zucchini and onions and fresh basil. Ahhh-mazing!

 

 

*Adding in more fish. I don’t particularly love fish, so I always make sure to take a quality omega-3 fish oil. If you don’t want to take a fish oil, please at least take a vegan omega-3 supplement. Remember it’s the algae that produces these healthy fats – not necessarily the fish themselves! Here’s our salmon dinner, complete with roasted beets and radishes.

 

 

*Turning salads into a work of art. Not to be cheesy, but look at the colors on that salad!! That alone makes it more appealing. And don’t even get me started on the amount of good nutrition in this one little bowl.

 

 

*Eating less dairy products.  My lunch usually consists of a fruit/veggie smoothie made with plain greek yogurt, and a string cheese (as well as other things, don’t worry!). That has now been replaced with an Ezekiel english muffin with avocado and hummus and almonds instead of string cheese.

 

Changing your eating habits doesn’t have to be hard if you do it a little at a time. Start out by focusing on one area of your diet and build from there. For example, we seemed to be eating a lot of venison (which is probably one of the healthiest meats). BUT….I wanted to include more plant-based foods. So I’ve focused on ways to replace some meats with beans. On tap tonight…..black bean tacos with avocado sauce 🙂

 

Until next time…

…eat food, not food products!