5 foods you need on the Mediterranean Diet! #mediterraneandiet

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Not sure where to start with the Mediterranean diet? This expert Mediterranean diet food list is your answer! This list of 5 essential foods comes from Director of Nutrition at Oldways, Kelly Toups, MLA, RD, LDN. It’s so simple to follow! #mediterraneandiet #mediterraneanfood #mediterraneandietrecipes Aside from the fact that it’s the easiest diet to follow, the main reason the Mediterranean diet is ranked the #1 overall healthy diet is because it is the most sensible, wholesome and nutritionally sound diet you’ll find. Mediterranean Diet Food List: 5 Essential Foods You Need: Extra virgin olive oil: Olive oil is the primary cooking fat in the Mediterranean diet. Seafood: Experts say, the Mediterranean diet includes at least two servings of seafood per week, which comes from a variety of sources, including small fish, like sardines. Eating fish regularly is linked with numerous benefits, including a 40% lower risk of heart disease, as well as a lower risk of depression. Legumes: Legumes–also known as pulses like lentils, peas, beans, chickpeas and the like– are a reliable and affordable source of shelf stable protein in the traditional Mediterranean diet Nuts and Seeds: Nuts are eaten daily or nearly daily in the Mediterranean diet, simply as snacks or incorporated into dips or pestos, sprinkled on salads and vegetable dishes, folded into pasta meals…etc. Leafy Greens: The Mediterranean diet focuses heavily on vegetables, but one important element is leafy vegetables. Green leafy vegetables are basically any vegetable that has leaves you can eat like kale, collard, spinach, and arugula. But they also encompass the entire lettuce family and a variety of herbs, like parsley and cilantro!