Make Eating Healthy the Mediterranean Way Your New Daily Habit!
By Cindy Crowninshield, RDN, LDN, HHC
As we kick-off the New Year, now is the time to refocus and reset and think about organizing yourself consistently with healthy eating. If you have chosen “make eating healthy daily” as one of your top three habits for 2021, this is great! Level up and change this to “make eating healthy the Mediterranean way” your new daily habit for 2021!
A Way of Eating for Life
You will notice that I didn’t write “Mediterranean Diet” as you typically hear this way of eating called. Eating the Mediterranean way is more than a diet. It’s a sustainable lifestyle approach to healthy eating that has been shown to promote good health and decrease chronic disease risk (e.g., diabetes, heart disease, hypertension, stroke, cancer, and neurological disorders).
Most likely you are eating many of the powerhouse foods that form the foundation of eating the Mediterranean way. Some of these foods are fruit, avocados, fish, tomatoes, Greek yogurt, whole grains, legumes (beans, nuts, seeds), and olive oil.
Frequency and Portions
The biggest difference between the Mediterranean way and the typical American diet is the frequency certain foods are eaten. Olive oil and plant-based foods – fruits, vegetables, grains, beans, and nuts – are the core of eating the Mediterranean way on a daily basis. Foods like meats and sweets are eaten less and in smaller amounts.
Keeping it Simple
A good first step in “make eating healthy the Mediterranean way” your new daily habit for 2021 is to keep it simple.
Do you eat vegetables? Fresh fish? Fresh fruit? Whole grains? Legumes? Olive oil? If your daily eating doesn’t contain any of these items, pick one and experiment with it. Keep adding new items in small quantities until you establish good habits and routines around food choices.
If you like to spend time in the kitchen, there are plenty of online resources you can visit to give you recipe ideas. You can also get help by working with a registered dietitian to co-create a tailored plan and inventory of recipes just for you.
Farm Grill Staples for Better Health
Another good step is checking out a local restaurant’s menu like Farm Grill & Rotisserie, where you can order many dishes that incorporate Mediterranean foods and ingredients!
Farm Grill has been serving authentic Greek cuisine for over 20 years. You can discover new worlds of flavor and unique ways to prepare and serve ingredients by trying some of their popular dishes.
The Power of Avocado
Some of these dishes may become a permanent part of your meal planning. For example, avocado and fish are powerhouse ingredients of the Mediterranean way of eating. Avocado is a healthy monounsaturated fat that is high in fiber. Fish is a great source of heart healthy omega-3 fatty acid.
Farm Grill offers an Avocado Salad or Greek or Garden Salad with 4 Grilled Shrimp & Avocado Salad.
Tomatoes to Fight Disease
Another example is tomatoes. Tomatoes stimulate the immune function and help fight chronic disease. Tomatoes are a great source of Vitamin C and lycopene, a potent antioxidant. Farm Grill includes tomatoes in many of their dishes including Greek Salad, Mediterranean Salad, Lima Beans, and Tabouleh.
Grains, Grains, Grains
A third example is whole grains. Whole grains are packed with protein, fiber, and nutrients. Some of the popular Mediterranean whole grains are barley, brown rice, bulgur, whole wheat couscous, and farro.
Farm Grill’s menu offers many dishes that include whole grains including Cous-Cous Salad, Tabouleh, and Grape Leaves.
Olive Oil Everywhere
The last example is olive oil. Olive oil is the hallmark of the healthy Mediterranean way of eating for over 2,500 years. It is high in healthy, monounsaturated fats along with antioxidants. Olive oil adds vibrant flavor and texture to Mediterranean foods and dishes.
Farm Grill’s menu features olive oil in so many of their dishes like Homus, Tzatziki, Tabouleh, Grilled Mixed Vegetables, Eggplant Salad, and Grape Leaves. To check out more of Farm Grill’s menu, please visit here.
A lot of research has been done to prove the Mediterranean diet is incredibly healthy and key to staying healthy. Farm Grill & Rotisserie’s Mediterranean menu can help empower you on your journey towards better health plus help you establish consistent eating habits!
Many people I know who adopt the Mediterranean style of eating start seeing health benefits immediately. They also see how easy it is to incorporate the powerhouse foods that form the foundation of eating the Mediterranean way.
Wishing you a great start to 2021 as you bring the gold-standard Mediterranean way of eating into your life…daily and consistently!
Cindy Crowninshield, RDN, LDN, HHC is a licensed registered dietitian and nutrition educator in private practice. Her office is located in Ashland, Massachusetts and she sees patients from the Metrowest area including Newton and Needham. Cindy empowers patients of all ages to organize themselves in health and wellness through a whole foods approach and making healthy lifestyle changes. Visit CindyCrowninshield.com for more information.