The Mediterranean diet has long been rumored to be among the healthiest, balanced diets available and summer is the perfect season to incorporate Mediterranean dishes in your diet at home.

Why it might be right for your health.

The Mayo Clinic has endorsed the Mediterranean diet as a “heart-healthy eating plan.”  The diet has been shown to reduce the risk of heart disease, lower cholesterol, and lower the risks of Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s diseases.  Because the diet consists mostly of plant-based foods, healthy fats, and lean proteins, it boasts a high nutritional value with a lower calorie content. Researchers have also recently found that the Mediterranean diet may decrease the likelihood of developing depression and symptoms of depression.  The health benefits exist not only for what is in the diet, but also what is not, including white bread, red meat, and processed or fried foods.

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How to make the Mediterranean diet work for you.

Generally when a diet sounds this healthy it’s also complicated to implement in your own busy life.  That’s not true with regard to the Mediterranean diet.  Everything you need to get started is readily available at your favorite grocery store and meal prep is no more extensive or time consuming than any other meal you might prepare at home.  FitClub has four easy tips to introduce the Mediterranean diet into your household this summer.

• Add more fruits and vegetables to your diet. Like all healthy diets, the Mediterranean diet is heavy on fresh fruits and vegetables.  Adding more vegetables to your salads, serving fruit as a dessert, or enjoying a healthy snack between meals is an easy way to transition your current diet towards the Mediterranean diet.


• Experiment with herbs and olive oil. Whether you need salad dressing with fewer calories or a healthier way to flavor your lean meats, the Mediterranean diet encourages flavor through spices and olive oil, rather than calorie or sugar laden sauces and dressings. There’s really no limit to experimentation when you’re learning how to incorporate the flavor that works best for your tastes.  Adding a tablespoon of olive oil to herbs is also a healthy way to add more good fat to your diet while improving the flavor of your favorite dish.


• Lemon everything! Whether you’re grilling fish or chicken, the Mediterranean flavors generally include lemon juice.  A healthy squeeze or two of lemon juice can go a long way toward making food taste better and adding a little summer flavor to your healthy dishes.


• Lean meat, less red meat. It may very well be the limit on red meat and the emphasis of lean proteins that earned the Mediterranean diet the Mayo Clinic heart-healthy endorsement. Grilled fish and chicken are central components to the Mediterranean lifestyle and the portions are generally relatively small (think a deck of playing cards rather than the bulk of your plate).  When you add herbs, lemon and olive oil, you won’t even miss the fatty red meat while you’re improving your cardiovascular health.