Doing the Mediterranean diet? Dietitians reveal the 70 essential items you need to get all the cholesterol-lowering benefits

The Mediterranean diet has been the darling of the nutrition world for the past 30 years.

The eating style common in regions such as Greece, Italy and Spain typically consists of fresh produce, lean meats such as fish and chicken, and whole grains, while eating less red meat and sweets.

Research consistently shows that eating a Mediterranean diet reduces the risk of heart disease by 25 percent, and premature death by 23 percent.

It has also been helpful for people trying to lose weight. A 2015 Harvard study found that obese people lost between 9 and 22 pounds while following a Mediterranean diet for a year.

Dietitians say the Mediterranean diet is especially easy to stick to because it’s flexible, allowing you to eat foods that are off-limits on other diets, such as cheese, says Emily Kyle, a registered dietitian nutritionist based in New York.

But the loose guidelines can make grocery shopping confusing. Fortunately, nutritionists have drawn up a perfect shopping list.

Three experts – Ms. Kyle, registered dietitian from Kansas Cara Harbstraatand Morgan Porpora, a registered dietitian based in New York Women’s health of their ultimate shopping list for the Mediterranean diet.

Choose light vegetables… and frozen is also fine

The shopping list includes: apples, berries, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, cucumber, dates, figs, grapefruit, grapes, kale, cantaloupe, mushrooms, onions, oranges, parsnips, peaches, pears, peppers, spinach, summer squash, sweet potatoes, tomatoes and turnips.

While it’s best if you can eat these foods fresh, dietitians say you can also enjoy them frozen.

These foods are especially rich in fiber and water, which allows your intestines to digest them slowly. “Especially compared to a standard Western diet, the composition of the meals in a Mediterranean diet is so much better for our gut,” Porpora told Womens Health.

In addition, fresh produce contains many antioxidants, which can help protect your body against stress Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health.

Lots of legumes, nuts and seeds to keep cholesterol under control

In the legumes, seeds and nuts camp, dietitians recommend the following: almonds, barley, black beans, brown rice, cashews, chickpeas, broad beans, flax seeds, hazelnuts, kidney beans, lentils, oats, peas, pinto beans, pistachios, pumpkin seeds, quinoa , rye, sesame seeds, sunflower seeds and walnuts.

This colorful food class is packed with dietary fiber and protein and has been shown to help lower cholesterol.

Because they are plant-based products, they also contain many nutrients such as B vitamins, magnesium and copper, according to Dr. Rani Polak, physical medicine and rehabilitation specialist at Harvard Medical School.

Still, he wrote, relatively few Americans include this food group in their weekly diet. “Although research supports the benefits of legume consumption, only 8 percent of American adults report eating legumes on any given day,” Polak wrote.

On a Mediterranean diet, experts recommend eating at least three servings of legumes per week. The New York Times reports this.

The superfood quinoa also falls into this group, which you may be surprised to learn is actually a seed and not a grain.

Fat galore! But the healthy kind…

In this category, dietitians recommend getting the following: avocado oil, avocados, basil, cinnamon, extra virgin olive oil, garlic, mint, olives, oregano, nutmeg, rosemary, sage, thyme and walnut oil.

Fat is an essential part of any diet. The USDA advises adults should have 20 to 35 percent of their daily calories from fat — so on a 2,000-calorie diet, that’s somewhere between 44 and 78 grams per day.

By comparison, the Mediterranean diet contains slightly more fat than the average American diet. Fat in the Mediterranean diet should be approx 30 to 40 percent of your daily calories, which is about 67 to 88 grams of fat per day.

But the types of fats found in the Mediterranean diet are different than those found in the average American diet.

Crucially, the majority of fats in the Mediterranean are unsaturated fats, such as olive oil, avocado and salmon. These are colloquially known as ‘healthy fats’ because they can help improve cholesterol and in turn prevent cardiovascular disease, according to the American Heart Association (AHA).

But saturated fats, found in butter, pork and palm oil, are the type with the strongest link to heart disease.

Before 2009, the official recommendations for the Mediterranean diet did not include herbs and spices, but this was later updated.

Choose feta and mozzarella… but not too much

When it comes to dairy, dietitians recommend buying cheese, Greek yogurt and milk. Although dairy is part of the Mediterranean diet, you should eat less of it than in an American diet. Julia Zumpanosaid a registered dietitian at the Cleveland Clinic.

This is because countries bordering the Mediterranean Sea traditionally do not drink cow’s milk and do not use highly processed dairy products such as American cheese.

For the few servings you might have a week, Ms. Zumpano recommends unprocessed cheeses, such as mozzarella, feta and parmesan.

She also says that you can eat ice cream every now and then. “A little goes a long way,” she wrote.

Swap some beef for mackerel

If you go to the butcher’s counter in the supermarket, dietitians recommend that you pay attention to: beef, pork, poultry, mussels, mackerel, salmon, sardines, shrimp, trout and tuna.

This diet assumes that meat is consumed in moderation. The guidelines say you should aim for 3-ounce servings a few times a week. Harvard Health Publishers.

In contrast, the average American ate about 500 grams of meat per week, according to 2022 research from the University of North Carolina.

The health benefits of cutting back on meat are supported by a growing body of research.

Lower meat consumption has been shown to increase your life expectancy by 9 months and reduce your carbon footprint by 25 percent. in a 2023 study from McGill University.

A 2022 study from the University of Oxford found that participants who didn’t eat meat on the weekend reduced their risk of developing colon cancer by nine percent.

If you fancy a little animal protein (according to dietitians you should), choose lean meat with less saturated fats, such as fish instead of beef.