On our website you’ll find Mediterranean diet recipes which are based on authentic cooking traditions followed by Mediterranean people, but adjusted to eating and living habits of North America.

The Mediterranean diet is so healthy that even some governments recommend it as a official weight loss solution with health benefits. Mediterranean diet is what we Mediterraneans eat, every day.

The Mediterranean people known how to enjoy life, and enjoying the Mediterranean recipes is a very important aspect of our way of life. To me, it is much more fun, and health giving, than worrying about the exact amount of antioxidants in vegetables. This is how I would like you to perceive Mediterranean diet, which will help you lose weight and be healthier.

Key components of Mediterranean diet recipes include healthy olive oil, vegetables and fruits, protein rich legumes, whole grain and seafood, but moderate amounts of red meat and wine.

Mediterranean diet is rich in flavors, and the health benefits of Mediterranean diet are hard to ignore – Mediterranean cuisine is quite easy to master, and offers nourishing as well as delicious recipes that will help you work your way toward optimal health.

Once again, the Mediterranean diet is growing in popularity all around the world, and particularly in the US, as a instrument of health and well-being.

The new Mediterranean diet has some peculiar features which are absent among other popular diets. For example, part of energy obtained from this diet comes from fat. How can that be, that a diet which consist of fats can help you lose weight?

The answer to this question is very simple, yet not obvious to all: it’s not the amount of fat consumed, but the quality of it!

A major proportion of the fat consumed in Mediterranean diet comes from olive oil. In fact, the first step in following Mediterranean diet menu patterns is to replace all classes of cooking oil with olive oil, preferably virgin. This oil, although fat, is very healthy and rich in Omega 3 so instead of making you gain weight it actually works in reverse direction. Olive oil speeds up your metabolism and make you lose weight.

Tasty foods – that’s the basis of all Mediterranean diet meal plans and recipes. Despite common misconception, many Mediterranean diet recipes are very easy to prepare and cooking Mediterranean diet meals is not much of a hassle. There are Mediterranean diet cookbooks available in all bookshops and online book stores. Just buy a Mediterranean Diet cook book and you’re set for life.

In short, just make sure there as as little as possible “bad” fats in your diet : avoid butter or margarine, cut down on red meat. If you moderate the amount of “good” fats you consume you will, slowly but permanently, lose weight in a healthy manner.

The key to success is determination and moderation. If you follow new Mediterranean diet it can take a little time for results to start showing, but you will lose weight, and you will lose weight in a healthy, steady and permanent way.

If that’s your goal, then Mediterranean diet meal plan is four you!

In the new study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, researches who tracked 14,800 Greek women for a hole decade, found that the women who held to the Mediterranean diet eating pattern were less likely to be diagnosed with breast cancer, than those who didn’t follow Mediterranean eating style.

This further evidence of the Mediterranean Diet anti-cancer effects came as no surprise to those of us who believe that this particular style of eating is one of the best – if not the best – forms of dietary cancer prevention available.

Best of all, you don’t have to live in a Mediterranean country to reap the benefits of the new Mediterranean diet. Mediterranean diet menus follow a simple pattern of eating meals that are rich in fruits, vegetables, olive oil, fish, seeds, garlic, herbs and spices, but relatively low in dairy products and especially low in red meat.

It’s this wide variety of fresh and unprocessed foods which characterize this diet that provides an array of cancer-fighting compounds.

Unfortunately, most modern western diets are comprised of highly processed foods rich in bleached flour, sugar and refined vegetable oils.

A large body of different research and studies ranging from the 1950s all the way to this day, suggest without a doubt that Mediterranean diet offers substantial protection against many illnesses. And if paired with other healthy lifestyle habits like adequate rest and regular physical activity the protective effects of Mediterranean diet are even greater.

Although it sometimes seems that new and “better” diets are coming out almost daily (and sometimes they are), the Mediterranean diet is a true and tried way to lose weight.

In this article we are going through some tips about Mediterranean diet weight loss which will help you gain results so good, you’ll wish you started the diet sooner!

Choosing the right kinds of foods is one of the most important ways to use Mediterranean diet as a weight loss solution. Mediterranean diet menus are composed of foods such as poultry, sea foods, olive oil, and lost of fruits and vegetables.

This large consumption of vegetables leads to a higher consumption of dietary fibers which are essential for people who are trying to lose weight, and people who are eager to maintain their current weight. Dietary fibers are bulky, which means they take up a lot of room in the stomach and keep you feeling full for a longer period of time. Also, these fibers are slow digesting, which keeps you feeling full.

Mediterranean diet weight loss is possible because of the recommended protein sources. Grilled or baked sea foods are sources of high amounts of protein and make an optimal foods for dieters. Just don’t fry your sea food and certainly stay away from heavy creamy sauces.

When trying to lose weight you need to set a goal and reward yourself when that goal is reached. To simply say “I want to lose weight” is not a good goal because it’s to broad, so you should come up with a more narrow goal like “I want to lose 10 pounds in three months”. This is your ultimate goal, which should be broken into smaller, easily obtainable goals. When you reach one of these smaller goals, you reward yourself to keep yourself motivated.

When losing wait it’s always a good idea to keep track of your progress. Write a journal and keep records of your current weight, but also include what you had for breakfast, lunch and dinner every day, how did you feel and your activity level. This weight loss journal is a great source of information which you can use to go back and determinate if you changed something in your dietary habits.

Lunch:
Radish Salad with Tuna
Ingredients:
1 teaspoon salt
Juice of 1 lemon
1 pound radishes, thinly sliced or grated
2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley
¼ cup diced celery
¼ cup minced scallion
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 3.75 ounce can tuna, in water, drained and flaked
12 small black olives, pitted
Directions
In small bowl, dissolve salt in lemon juice. Add radish slices, parsley, celery, and scallions; mix well. Let set for 5 minutes. After 5 minutes, drain out any water from salad. Add olive oil, tuna, and olives. Serve piled on bed of greens.
Servings and Nutritional Information
Makes 6 servings at ½ cup each.
102 Calories, 4 g Carbohydrate, 4 g Protein, 8 g Total Fat, 1 g Saturated Fat, 6 mg Cholesterol, 370 mg Sodium

Dinner:
Stewed Green Beans Recipe
Ingredients:
1 pound green beans, ends trimmed off
¼ cup olive oil
2 cloves minced fresh garlic
¾ cup water
1 teaspoon sea salt
¼ cup chopped fresh mint leaves
¼ cup chopped flat leaf parsley
Directions
Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add the olive oil. Toss the beans in the oil and stir as they cook for five minutes. Add the minced garlic and cook three to four minutes longer, stirring often. Add the water, salt, mint and parsley, stir, cover and let simmer for 30 minutes. Enjoy as a tasty side dish.

If you want more Mediterranean Diet Menus, download our FREE Mediterranean Diet Menu Plan!

Mediterranean Diet Menu Basics:
The traditional Mediterranean diet meal plan originated in countries which border the Mediterranean Sea. These countries offer a host of cultural dishes and a healthy lifestyle that provide the foundation for a wholesome and nourishing diet.
When you make up your grocery list to buy items to make meals on the Mediterranean diet menu, you’ll have a list loaded with foods from the plant world. That’s right. Less animal products and more vegetables and fruits. Your list will include things like:

• fruits – Fresh fruit is eaten as a daily dessert, rather than sweets containing sugars and honey
• vegetables
• whole grains
• nuts
• legumes

Healthy Mediterranean Diet Menu Tips:
As you put together a Mediterranean Diet Menu, follow these tips:

1. Choose olive oil for your main fat source
2. Choose whole grains rather than grains which have been refined or processed
3. Limit unhealthy saturated and trans fats
4. Fill your plate and your belly with veggies
5. Eat fresh fruit for dessert.
6. Eat fish and poultry as your main sources of protein
7. Limit red meat
8. Add small amounts of yogurt and cheese to your diet as toppings or side dishes

Despite some articles you may have read on the Internet, there is no one Mediterranean Diet, old or new! The origins of Mediterranean Diet are from Mediterranean, a region of some 20 countries that share the Mediterranean Sea. Local population in these countries, dependent of local natural resources, agricultural customs and availability of certain food groups, always tended to consume the foods that was available to them. For example, population living near the sea shores, always has more fish and other seafood in their diets, than inland population. Although the distance between these population is sometimes very small (couple of miles), their diets can be significantly different.

The fine tuning of the Mediterranean Diet happened over the last decade, mostly thanks to scientific breakthroughs. So, what are the main differences between the Traditional Mediterranean Diet and the New Mediterranean Diet? There are two main differences: first, New Mediterranean Diet is geared toward weight loss, not just health and longevity. Second difference is that New Mediterranean Diet is more specific in comparison to the general guidelines of the Traditional Mediterranean Diet.

If you follow the New Mediterranean Diet your body will receive the optimal amount of various nutrients and foods that have been clearly associated by the medical researches with improved longevity and lower risks of diseases.
Physical active lifestyle is another very important aspect of the Mediterranean Diet associated with lower rates of hearth diseases and longer life spans. Thirty minutes of fast walking daily, would do you much benefits!

Even without the physical activity (vigorous or light) Mediterranean Diet will improve your significantly; changing your diet you will start to feel better, have more strength and energy! Undoubtedly, if you make some changes in your diet and your lifestyle you can save your health and prolong your life span! It’s your choice!

When you where younger, implementing these habits certainly took much effort. But you decided that they are the right think to do, you practiced them for a while and made a conscious effort to perform them when needed. And made them a priority and you repeated them. Didn’t you? This is called discipline. Discipline is how good habits become a part of our lives, change our lifestyle and become part of us, eventually. Now probably all these habits require much less effort than they used to, and you hardy even think about them. You just get up and do them.

The decision to lose fat permanently with the help of Mediterranean Diet is discipline also. It means that you will, with our help, establish some new good habits, and some restrictions. Don’t worry, it does not hurt! You have already demonstrated that you have enough self discipline. Now we need to teach you to apply this discipline to new behaviors which will help you achieve your goal of losing weight (and keep it down!)

Part 1: Motivate yourself
Part 2: Free Will
Part 3: Motivate yourself! (Yes, we know is as same as Part 1!)
Part 4: New habits and how to start them

And will you be able to make these necessary changes in your life is based mostly on your free will and your motivation! You must realize that you have a power of making free choices that are unconditional of external circumstances that will help you lose weight! Free will and motivation are mental faculty by which you can choose a desired course of action that will result in your final goal, lose of weight!

If you don’t have proper motivation you are wasting your time trying to lose weight by dieting. There is no magic diet and nothing (in itself) can get your weight under control. Only you can do this! No agency, no pill no other person can help you lose weight and keep it down. The only long lasting way is thru cutting back on calories and increasing physical activities. Many of our students did it. They did it. So can you.

Part 1: Motivate yourself
Part 2: Free Will
Part 3: Motivate yourself! (Yes, we know is as same as Part 1!)
Part 4: New habits and how to start them

The energy you eat (food intake) – the energy you burn (metabolism and activity) = changes in your body fat

Energy is measured in calories; for example if you eat 3000 calories of energy a day and you burn 3300 calories you will have a negative energy balance and your fat will melt! In other words, you will lose weight! Obesity and overweight are the result of an imbalance between the energy expenditure and energy intake!

It really is that simple! Although we can’t control metabolic energy requirements of our bodies (roughly about 1300-1500 calories daily), we can adjust food intake and activity levels (workouts) to achieve a happy balance which will minimize the unwanted fat.

Right now, your balance is probably leaning toward excess energy stores (fat), but It will soon be tipped in the other directions, we promise! Once you achieve your goal weight, you will need to balance your energy equation once more, to keep it that way!

And don’t worry about all those stories from people who swear that they can not lose weight even when they are on a diet! On appropriate calorie-restricted diets like Mediterranean Diet, everyone loses weight. Some sooner, some later, but everyone lose weight! We have the whole region around Mediterranean Sea and Millions of people to prove it! Of course, if you exercise you will lose weight even easier!

Part 1: Motivate yourself
Part 2: Free Will
Part 3: Motivate yourself! (Yes, we know is as same as Part 1!)
Part 4: New habits and how to start them