Foods for a weekly rotation for a Mediterranean

You need this list of Mediterranean diet foods to eat weekly if you’re new to this way of eating and in general, if you’re trying to improve your overall health!

What Is The Mediterranean Diet

We used to think the Mediterranean diet was creamy pasta with shrimp and feta cheese spread over SOMETHING. Anything. Crumble some feta cheese. And just like that, we can feel the Mediterranean wind blowing through our hair. Like we're in a movie. Not Titanic. We want to eat that feta cheese.

Turns out it’s a whole thing. Like a whole study.

The Mediterranean diet is actually a dietary pattern discovered by Ancel Keys a LONG time ago. Like before the 2000’s.

Before the guy from Blue Zones came up, that guy – Ancel, actually did a WHOLE project called The 7 Countries Study. He traveled around the world, taking notes about people’s diets and lifestyles.

We know. Sounds like a dream job. Sometimes we wonder why nobody sends us on projects like this one. Instead, we always end up on the couch writing about food. Maybe that’s why.

So, Ancel went to seven different countries – the US, Finland, Japan, former Yugoslavia, Greece, Italy and the Netherlands. He specifically studied the impact of lifestyle and diet on several risk factors for cardiovascular disease (like cholesterol, diabetes and blood pressure). Long story short, they found out that the Greek and the Southern Italian diet showed the most promising results. Japan also stood out with its low-fat diet and longevity, but it didn’t get much attention back then due to a higher incidence of stroke.

Well, that project laid the foundation for the Mediterranean diet pattern, which is now known as one of the healthiest diets in the world.

So it’s not what people all over the Mediterranean eat in general; it’s a specific way of eating discovered 70-80 years ago in Greece, specifically Crete, as well as Southern Italy.

Below you’ll find Mediterranean diet foods to prioritize on a weekly basis. Keyword: Prioritize! Nothing is “forbidden”, but these foods are at the core of the Mediterranean diet.

Mediterranean Diet Foods To Eat Every Week

Vegetables. The most important and the base of every meal is vegetables. Lots and different kinds, depending on the season. Leafy greens, cruciferous vegetables, peppers, tomatoes, pumpkin, eggplants – all kinds of vegetables!
Herbs. These are a big part of the Mediterranean diet and are also used to make infusions or tea. Think oregano, parsley, thyme, basil, and rosemary.
Fruit. Seasonal fruit is also something to enjoy daily on the Mediterranean diet. Here choose what is available – pears, apples, berries, peaches, figs, oranges or even dried fruit.
Olive oil is the main source of fats on the Mediterranean diet and you can consume it with every meal.
Spices. Add whichever spice you like to your meals!
Whole Grains like barley, quinoa, oats, farro or whole wheat pasta are some options here and can be a part of every meal.
Beans, Lentils and Chickpeas are also a part of the Mediterranean diet and you can enjoy them three times a week.
Fish and seafood like salmon, sardines, tuna, shrimp or even sea bass are part of the Mediterranean diet 2-3 times a week.
Olives, nuts and seeds are also among the things you can enjoy when you eat the Mediterranean way. It’s best to have them raw, as they provide fat-soluble antioxidants like vitamin E and it’s harder to overeat on them. Here we’ve got almonds, hazelnuts, walnuts, pumpkin seeds, chia seeds, flaxseeds and sesame seeds.

Other than that, make sure to drink water, herbal teas or herbal infusions that you enjoy.

What About Everything Else?

Other foods like eggs, dairy, poultry, red meat and even desserts aren’t forbidden (nothing is), but they’re just not the priority here. You can include them a few times a week, whenever you want to supplement a meal.

And you can even have some red wine in moderation.

Mediterranean Diet Recipes and Meal Plan

We hope this list was helpful for you! In case you need some ideas, we have many, many Mediterranean diet friendly recipes and even two different meal plans. You can check them out:

Foods for a weekly rotation for a Mediterranean diet