What is the Mediterranean diet?

The Diet

Demonstrated through research, the Mediterranean diet has been noted as one of the healthiest diets in the world. The basic form of this diet, the “mediterranean triad,” is based on three core foods:

1. Olives – eaten whole and pressed for their oil.
2. Grains –  for breads, pasta, and rice.
3. Grapes – for wine and  fruit.

Over time the Mediterranean diet expanded from these original foods to include other whole foods such as vegetables, fruits, fish, nuts and legumes,  herbs and spices, and diary. Eating well is more than just an arbitrary diet though, it encompasses the joy of preparing good food, taking care of yourself, and enjoying your meals. As the saying goes “you can’t exercise past a poor diet”, which is why we are starting with it here.

Quality Ingredients

When it comes to this diet there is so much flexibility to what you can eat, it’s amazing! All you really need are simple ingredients that are fresh, preferably in season. The fresher the ingredients, the better the food will be for you, as well as taste. Many top-rated restaurants have this same perspective. They offer few options, but their ingredients are fresh and the food tastes out of this world. Obviously, growing your own food or shopping at a farm would be ideal for finding the optimal ingredients, but this isn’t realistic for most people, including us. Even if you were able to just buy fresh ingredients at a local market, and avoid processed food, your meals will be so much better for you.

Portion Size

We often serve ourselves more that we might actually need. We see a bigger plate so we think that we need to fill it. In the Mediterranean, the portion sizes are significantly smaller for most people. The fact is that, most of the time, we don’t need all the calories on the plate. We are serving ourselves with bigger portions, not knowing the true number of calories, and eating too fast to enjoy it. If you struggle with this, using a smaller plate for a short time and forcing yourself to slow down may help.

Water, Wine, and Alcohol

For the most part, water, wine, and alcohol are the drinks of choice in the Mediterranean. Wine is common to have during some meals, but water is the beverage of choice. Soda isn’t common in the Mediterranean, and contains a significant amount of sugar among other things. Alcohol is consumed in moderation, sometimes to aid in digestion after meals.

A Healthy Diet is the Core to Living a Mediterranean Lifestyle

It can be difficult to completely recreate the taste of food due to things like climate and  volcanic soil in some areas. However, by using a few simple fresh ingredients anyone can make healthy meals similar to those eaten in the Mediterranean. As a means to help with this, there will be come great recipes in future posts. You don’t need expensive equipment. You can often find decent quality products, at reasonable prices.

Doheny, K. (2025, January 6). Best Diets 2025: Mediterranean Diet Still Tops the Rankings. WebMD. https://www.webmd.com/diet/news/20250106/best-diets-2025-mediterranean-still-tops-rankings

Pratt, C. (2023, January). Oil, Wine, and People: A Mediterranean Triad. American Society of Overseas Research. Vol. 11.1. https://anetoday.org/pratt-oil-wine-people/

Stone, A. (2025, January 15) The Mediterranean Diet Has Ranked #1 For Seven Years In a Row—What Makes It So Effective? GQ. https://www.gq.com/story/what-is-mediterranean-diet-1

Image: Mediterranean Diet Pyramid. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mediterranean_Diet_Pyramid