- The Mediterranean diet is one of the healthiest ways to eat.
- Dietitian nutritionist Elena Paravantes has followed it all her life.
Eating the Mediterranean way involves limiting processed foods, red meats, and added sugars in favor of a mostly plant-based diet with natural ingredients and seasonal produce, to mimic traditional ways of eating from the region where the diet gets its name.
The Mediterranean diet is hugely popular, with celebrities such as John Goodman and Penelope Cruz following it, while US News and World Report has named it the healthiest way to eat six years in a row.
Elena Paravantes, a registered dietitian nutritionist who grew up in Greece, said that you shouldn't "feel like you're going on a diet" when following the Mediterranean diet.
Paravantes also pointed out that the traditional Mediterranean diet was based on foods that could be locally sourced, and so was sustainable. To preserve this ethos, she stressed that you shouldn't eat foods that negatively impact the environment just because people traditionally ate them in the Mediterranean.
"Don't eat imported artichokes if you're from the US Midwest," she said "but if salmon is accessible and sustainable near you, go for it — even though it wasn't traditionally available in the Mediterranean."
She shared her advice for making the Mediterranean diet easy to follow with Insider.
Eat dessert (sometimes)
Paravantes says that desserts are absolutely part of the Mediterranean diet. "This is a diet that came from real people who used to have sweet treats at holidays when they could afford them. So desserts with white flour and sugar are perfectly fine once in a while," she said.
Eat bread and cheese with vegetable dishes to feel full
Paravantes said that the traditional Mediterranean diet puts vegetables at the center of meals, and so "if you're going to eat a vegetable dish, accompany it with a bit of bread and cheese so that it's a complete and filling meal."
You shouldn't feel like you're restricting your diet on the Mediterranean diet, just making healthier choices.
If you drink alcohol, have it with meals
If you don't drink alcohol, don't start now, Paravantes said, but if you do, drink it with meals. Wine contains antioxidants, which have been linked to heart health, according to the Mayo Clinic.
It's worth noting that the World Health Organization states there is no safe amount of alcohol that doesn't affect health, but if you are going to drink, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends doing so in moderation, at two drinks or less in a day for men and one drink or less in a day for women.
Eat savory breakfasts
"I try to have a savory breakfast because it's more filling and it doesn't raise your blood sugar too high," Paravantes said. Keeping your blood sugar levels stable is important to avoid energy crashes.
Paravantes suggests a slice of whole grain bread with cheese or tahini, a piece of spinach pie, or toast with tomatoes and olive oil.
Avoid ultra-processed foods
One of the biggest changes people make when first following the Mediterranean diet is cutting out processed foods. Paravantes acknowledged that this can be hard, especially because sometimes you can't tell if something is processed or not.
Her advice for this? "If it doesn't look like its main ingredient, it's ultra-processed."
Make gradual changes
If you try to change your whole diet at once, it won't work, Paravantes said.
"If you eat meat every day, try to have one day a week when you eat no meat, then start incorporating more recipes that are mainly vegetables" into your weekly meal plan, she said.