I know, I Know, yet again stuff on the Mediterranean Diet. I just can’t seem to help it. The more I try to stay on the basics of this plan, the better I feel! I am doing the 5 servings of fruits/veggies per day and once you start to count, it is pretty simple. (I almost said it is “A piece of cake!”) Since a serving is only 1/2 cup, keeping track is simple too. You quickly get a feel for amounts. The three servings per week of fatty fish is pretty easy too. I love salmon and I make salmon patties, have cold salmon salad, and fool around with different sauces, within reason of course. Best of all? Put a piece of salmon on the grill!

I love tuna too. (BTW, Herring not so much.) Tuna is probably the most versatile fish in the world. A tuna sandwich is super. Tuna salad can’t be beat. Tuna and whole wheat noodles with a 1/2 can of lite cream of mushroom soup is a variation of the dish I lived on in college.

This small and simple little guide to the Med. Healthy Eating Plan should be of help. I will continue to feature items of interest on an on-going basis!

BTW-Please notice I said Healthy Eating Plan/Not Diet!

Yes, ET/NT stands for Eat This/Not That and I would like to share just a bit about different protein sources. Nuts are a really great source of protein and that is a given. It is also a given that nuts are very high in fat. When you are recommended to snack on protein, the amount given in 1/4 of a cup and that is not much.

A better source, in my opinion, is protein powder. You can buy it anywhere and there are many different brands. You can add it to a smoothy, pretty much any food you choose, or most beverages. It comes in different flavors too. I personally like “Garden Of Life Organic Vanilla” in the tall white plastic can. I actually get it at Walmart! One serving (125 calories) is your protein for the day. Try protein powder for something different as a source. This is especially important for vegetarians too.

Mediterranean Diet Alert!

I know that the Med. Diet is all the rage now and for parts of it I think that is a good thing. Olive oil, fatty fish, lean protein and so forth are super healthy and we all know that. One of the easiest parts of this healthy eating plan to me is the rule that you should eat 5 1/2 servings per day of fruits and vegetables. A serving is 1/2 cup so when you think about it this is pretty easy. If you make a smoothie with three 1/2 cups of fruit and eat a small salad, say two cups of lettuce and vegetables, you are done. All the rest is bonus.

Try this easy way to be a part of a really great healthy eating plan.

OK, so the spelling of apparently was not correct, but when something is apparent, it is eye catching, right? So I have used the pears as an example. I have recently been discussing and sharing recipes from the Mediterranean Diet and I wanted to pass on what is probably the biggest “To Do” of the whole food prep and consumption parts of the plan. Eat 5 Servings of Fruits and or Vegetables Every Day.

When I first read this it seemed like a whole lot, but it isn’t really. A serving is 1/2 cup and if you eat a big salad with lettuce, tomato, and a bit of celery or a bit of green onion that is about 3 servings. I make a salad with butter lettuce, ice berg lettuce, bagged chopped cabbage, cold green beans or corn and any other leftover veg I have in the fridge.

If you are not in to so much green salad, try a fruit salad. You will be surprised how quickly you can get to three or four servings. Chop an apple, slice a banana, add a few grapes, and put in a small can of pineapple chunks and there you are. Add lean meat, chicken or tofu or my favorite which is salmon or tuna and life if good. The Mediterranean Diet is not nearly so challenging as I thought it would be. It is also very easy to modify. I am a pescaterian and I have no problem at all. MMMM, fish and shellfish!