If you want to get on board with a diet that tastes good and has bona fide health benefits, then you’ve found your match in the Mediterranean diet.
Not only did U.S. News and World Report rank it as the best diet overall in 2023 for being sensible and encouraging good-for-you foods without restriction, it’s a traditional diet that’s been around for centuries — and it’s delicious, too. “We can all learn lessons about health and longevity from the Mediterranean diet approach because it’s about taking the time to prepare and savor the flavors of whole, real foods, as well as enjoying the company of others in a peaceful, stress-free environment,” says Victoria Shanta Retelny, RDN, of Chicago, the author of the Total Body Diet for Dummies and host of Nourishing Notes podcast. “It’s about slowing down and enjoying the natural rhythms of life, too.”
The Mediterranean diet is an approach that people in many countries around the Mediterranean Sea have followed for centuries. Of the original blue zones — home to the greatest percentage of people who live to 100 — two are located in the Mediterranean — Sardinia, Italy, and Ikaria, Greece.
The Mediterranean diet is a mostly plant-based eating style that emphasizes pulses like beans and lentils, vegetables (particularly dark leafy greens), fruits, nuts, seeds, and olive oil, along with fish and a little meat and dairy, explains Elena Paravantes-Hargitt, RD, a nutritionist in Greece who specializes in the Mediterranean diet and is the founder of OliveTomato and the author of The Mediterranean Diet Cookbook for Beginners. “Research shows that it’s not only a heart-healthy diet and associated with longevity, but it’s protective from certain cancers, as well as cognitive disorders like Alzheimer’s disease,” she says. One study found that a Mediterranean diet may help protect against memory decline and atrophy in the brain. The foods incorporated into the eating plan are rich in anti-inflammatory substances, which play a role in decreasing your risk of disease, she adds.
Other research found that men who were diagnosed with prostate cancer and somewhat closely followed the principles of the Mediterranean diet had a slower progression of the disease than men who didn’t closely follow the diet.
But it can be tough to start eating this way — especially if you don’t consider yourself a wiz in the kitchen. Luckily, probably the hardest thing you’ll have to do is soak beans in water overnight.
Here are 11 beginner Mediterranean diet recipes to add to your repertoire.