Do's And Dont's Of Mediterranean Diet You Must Know

The Mediterranean diet is mostly popular for its benefits on heart health. The basics of Mediterranean diet include eating healthy plant-based foods like fruits, vegetables, legumes, nuts and whole grains. The diet talks about replacing butter with healthy fats like olive oil and canola oil. As part of the diet, you need to limit consumption of red meat. The diet also includes eating fish and poultry at least twice a week. Red wine can be included in Mediterranean diet in moderation. Exercising regularly is an inevitable prerequisite of it.

The Mediterranean diet is mostly popular for its benefits on heart health.
Photo Credit: iStock

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Here's how you can start following a Mediterranean diet:

Switch to whole grains, eat veggies and fruits

When you are following this diet, you need to make plant-based foods a majority part of your meals. Around 7 to 10 servings of veggies and fruits are allowed as part of this diet. Include more whole grains in your diet like barley, brown rice, millets, oatmeal, popcorn, buckwheat and whole wheat bread or pasta.

Low-fat dairy

High fat dairy products need to be avoided in this diet. You can opt or low-fat milk, cheese and ice cream. Skimmed milk, low-fat cheese and fat-free yogurt can also be included.

Eat fish once or twice a week

Eating fish once or twice a week is a part of Mediterranean diet. Fatty fish like salmon, tuna and mackerel are a rich source of omega-3 fatty acid which are great for healthy heart. Avoid fried fish. You can opt for sauteed fish in canola oil or olive oil.

Ditch the butter

Basically, you need to find a healthy alternative to butter. You can opt for olive oil or canola oil. These oils should be your preferred choice for cooking and for bread spread as well.

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Add more nuts in your diet

Mediterranean diet promotes eating nuts. Walnuts, cashews, pistachios and almonds need to be kept handy for a quick snack. Nut butters can also be included in this diet, which is followed by celebrity fitness trainer Kayla Itsines.

Mediterranean diet promotes eating nuts.
Photo Credit: iStock

Avoid red meat

You need to opt for poultry and fish over red meat as part of Mediterranean diet. You can opt for lean meat like chicken or turkey.

You can have red wine

This is not to say that you should drink red wine as part of Mediterranean diet if you don't drink it. Alcohol is best if avoided, for your overall health. However, you can sip over a glass of red wine as part of this diet. You can also drink purple grape juice as an alternative to red wine in Mediterranean diet.

Healthy spices

Adding herbs and spices to your diet makes it tastier and even healthier. Spices like ginger, garlic, cinnamon, cardamom, mint, etc are all great for giving a boost to your digestion. In the Mediterranean diet, idea is to add less salt and use these seasoning for flavour.

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Disclaimer: This content including advice provides generic information only. It is in no way a substitute for qualified medical opinion. Always consult a specialist or your own doctor for more information. NDTV does not claim responsibility for this information.