Mediterranean Diet: A Practical Beginner's Guide

Mediterranean-style eating is a flexible pattern rather than a single prescribed menu.

The basic pattern

Build most meals around vegetables, fruit, whole grains, beans and legumes, nuts and seeds, with olive oil as a primary fat. Fish and poultry commonly appear more often than red meat, while highly processed foods and added sugars are limited.

A simple way to begin

Start with repeatable changes: make plants prominent at meals, use whole grains and legumes regularly, choose olive oil in place of many solid fats, and plan fish or other suitable protein sources across the week.

Next steps

Build your food list, then turn it into a 7-day meal plan.