According to many diet experts, the
Mediterranean diet is one of the healthiest diets you can consume.
The specifics of the diet vary, but broadly, it seems to feature:
* Vegetables & fruit - nutrient-dense, anti-inflamatory, whole plants
* Whole grains - seeds, wholegrain wheat, wholegrain rice, etc
* Legumes - nuts, beans
* Optionally some lean, non-red meats and dairy - fish, chicken, fetta cheese, low-fat yogurt, etc
* Unsaturated, healthy fats - avocado, nuts, fish, etc.
* Avoidance/minimisation of sugar, saturated and trans fats, red meat, salt and highly processed foods
I'm slowly crafting a Mediterranean diet of my own, customised to be cheap, fast, convenient and easy to travel with. I'm choosing ingredients that are easy to prepare and that are common enough to be found in all major cities and most parts of the (civilised) world.
I thought I'd post a breakdown of where my diet is at these days.
Here are the basic ingredients I rely pretty much entirely on:
* Oats - very cheap almost anywhere, especially no-frills brands
* Seasonings/toppings - sugar-free powdered cinnamon, cocoa, ginger, chilli, etc., usually cheap, healthy and last for ages
* Coffee - plain black coffee is calorie-free and generally healthy (according to experts)
* Whole-grain seeded bread - either sliced, tortilla, wrap or pita, sugar and preservative free, keep it in a fridge to last longer
* Peanuts / peanut butter - usually pretty cheap, and you can get salt-free versions
* Dried fruit - cheap packs of dates, raisins, etc
* Lemon/lime juice - cheap, healthy, sugar-free way of adding some tang to just about anything
* Sardines - very cheap almost everywhere, very rich in protein, calcium, vit D and good fats
* Tomato paste - cheap, flavourful
* Parmesan cheese - cheap, flavourful, not unhealthy in small portions
* Veggies - I typically go for broccoli, cauliflower, red onions, red cabbage and mushrooms, which are easy and quick to prepare by steaming and very nutrient-dense
* Yogurt - fairly cheap, low-fat, sugarfree options are easy to come by, great for healthy desserts
* Frozen berries - usually cheap frozen 1kg packs, great for all kinds of healthy desserts
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These ingredient are carefully selected to satisfy multiple criteria.
1. Pretty much all of these ingredients are whole foods, nutrient-dense, sugar-free, low in salt, contain zero saturated or trans fats, so basically tick all the 'Mediterranean' boxes.
2. They also happen to be low-calorie, or if they're high-calorie, then they're filling/satiating and nutritionally worth their weight in calories (e.g. peanut butter).
3. Further, pretty much all of them are portable and easy to transport and can be made into a simple meal within 20 minutes.
4. Finally, they're all pretty cheap, or at least, there are cheap versions of them (the cheaper brands are pretty much the same quality as the expensive brands, because they're just whole foods which don't vary in terms of quality).
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The following are a few examples of meals I create with these.
Sardine "pizza" - 1) grab a piece of wholegrain pita bread, 2) spread tomato paste on, 3) open a can of sardines, drain the brine and pour in some lime juice, let it sit for a couple of minutes, then put it on the pita bread, 4) finally top with basil and parmesan cheese, 5) chuck it in the microwave, grill, oven or sandwich press (or just eat as-is).
A delicious 20 grams of clean protein, along with healthy fish fats, calcium, vit D, carbs.
Cost: $3-5.
Calories: 320 (approx).
Cheesy cauliflower - 1) dice half a head of cauliflower and throw it in a pot on the stove with an inch of water, 2) wait until it's cooked, 3) top with parmesan cheese and serve.
A delicious, filling, nutritious hot dinner that gives you your full daily serving of veggies.
Cost: $3-5.
Calories: 150 (approx).
Berry & oats "cake" - 1) mix oats, cinnamon, cocoa power together in a big bowl, then add boiling water, then let it sit and soak up the water, 2) spread a layer of peanut butter over the top of the mixture, then speckle dates or raisins on top and some more cocoa powder, 3) put a layer of frozen berries on top of the whole thing, 4) put the whole thing in a microwave oven for 5 minutes, so that the berries heat up and the oats cook nicely, 5) serve with sugar-free vanilla yogurt.
A delicious, nutritious, tasty dessert, that tastes as sweet as cake! The vanilla-flavoured yogurt cools it down, and tastes similar to ice-cream, with zero of the nasty additives of ice-cream.
Cost: $3-5.
Calories: 500-750.
(Ok, a lot of calories, but this meal is seriously filling! I usually save it for the last meal of the day, so I never go to bed feeling hungry!)
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Keen to hear from any other Mediterranean Mustachians!
How do you eat healthy while saving money and/or on the move?
