Adopted by the inhabitants of Crete, this mode of food appeals to its health benefits and slimming efficiency. Fresh products, good fats, simple and tasty dishes: the Mediterranean diet has everything. Here’s how to adopt it easily, with our recipes and advice.
Praised for decades by researchers, the Mediterranean regime is today one of the most effective to live for a long time and in good health. As proof, he was elected best diet of the year several times by the American magazine US News & World Report: In 2021, he obtained this distinction for the fourth consecutive year, then in 2024, it was appointed best regime for the seventh consecutive year.
At a time when express regimes show their limits, this diet inspired by the way of life of the inhabitants around the Mediterranean – especially in Crete – continues to prove itself. Rich in fruits, vegetables, fish and olive oil, it combines the pleasure of eating, prevention of diseases and lasting weight loss.
How does the Mediterranean diet work?
It all started with a study carried out in the 1950s by an American nutritionist who notes that life expectancy is longer among Cretan than in the rest of Europeans. This thanks to eating habits that reduce cardiovascular accidents and cholesterol. By adopting the food of a Cretan, you can lose up to one kilo per week thanks to a low consumption of calories estimated at around 1,900 per day. But that without starving to you. Indeed, The Cretan or Mediterranean regime Mixes both, fish, cereals, vegetables, lean meats and eggs. Moreover, fats and salt are replaced by lemon and herbs to give the dishes. Olive oil is of course, an integral part of this balanced diet. Cooking is also fundamental. Prefer cooked dishes with muffled or oven.
“”When you eat Cretois, it is necessary to consume three to four times a week of fish “. Side seasoning, olive oil, lemon and spices are constantly used And do not lack flavors. They cheerfully replace fat and excessive salt use, which promote water retention. Cooking is also one of the founding pillars of the diet: stifled or oven, food is not attacked by saturated fats and thus release all their flavors. Take a market basket under your arm and go without waiting to discover the light flavors of the Mediterranean.
What are the foods of the Mediterranean diet?
The fish
When we follow the Cretan diet, it is necessary to consume three to four times a week of fish (cod, swordfish, salmon, sardine, mackerel, etc.), seafood or molluscs (octopus, cuttlefish, calmars …). Provided in omega 3, They contain fats that are excellent for the heart and bones.
Meat: poultry and eggs
Meat consumption two to three times a week is necessary. However, do not hear chops, cold meats, roast, duck and other saturated rejoicing in bad fats. Only poultry is advised, such as turkey, chicken, rabbit, etc. Regarding eggs, they can replace the daily intake of meat or fish.
Fruits and vegetables
Consumed in large quantities by Cretan, Fruits and vegetables are sources of vitamins, fibers and antioxidants. They can be cooked or raw and are to be consumed according to the seasons. In the list of vegetables to accommodate on its plate, there are artichokes, tomatoes, salad, garlic, cucumber, eggplant and all vegetables rich in vitamins. For fruits, we find apricots, dates, figs or citrus fruits … which can be consumed in dessert or outside meals.
Almonds, cashews and hazelnuts are mineral treasures and offer the advantage, consumed in small quantities, to provide the body with essential omega 3 fatty acids.
Cereals, breads and starchy foods
Contrary to popular belief, starchy foods are not prohibited if they remain consumed as part of a monitored diet. B9 magnesiums and vitamins are present in cereals, breads and starchy foods that make up the Cretan regime. Indispensable for the proper functioning of muscles, organs and brain, they are rich in protective nutrients.
Vegetable oils
Used for both cooking and seasoning, Olive oil is rich in vitamins E and in unsaturated fatty acids. The Cretan regime favors olive, peanut or rapeseed oils, because they are provided with mono-insaturated fatty acids like oils of nuts, soy or rapeseed rich in omega 3. Be careful all the same.
My shopping list
- Grocery store : Green tea, coffee, eggs, fresh goat cheese, 0 % fatty yogurt, honey, fig jam, aromatic herbs, boulghour, coriander, olive oil, feta, pistachios, quinoa
- Fruits and vegetables : banana, apricot, tomato, cucumber, cherry, avocado, fennel, kiwi, endive, fig, pineapple, mango, lemon, anise, peach, pitch, rhubarb, mint, eggplant, nuts, onion, artichoke, black grape, pamplemousse, pepper
- Meats: A slice of chicken, a strap of turkey, a rabbit thigh, a coast of lamb
- Fish: 150 g of prawns, 100 g of red mullet, 300 g of pink shrimp, a sea bream, a salmon fillet, a sardine net, 2 fillets of smoked herring
- Bakery : Cereal bread, gingerbread
- Drinks: flat water, 1 to 2 glasses of red wine per day
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Duration : It takes a few months to get used to this food mode. Benefits : The Cretan regime is healthy and balanced. Disadvantages: It can be frustrating. |
What menus to follow the Cretan regime?
Breakfast is essential, it is a question of guaranteeing a maximum of slow sugars, but also vitamins. The ideal is to combine cereal bread, rich in fiber and energetic, and the vitamins present in the fruits.
Monday
Breakfast: tea or coffee, 2 slices of cereal bread, a lean yogurt, a banana
Lunch: a tomato tartare, 4 prawns, portion of cucumber, a handful of cherries
Dinner: a crab avocado, a chicken slice, a portion of steam fennel, a kiwi
Tuesday
Breakfast: Green tea or coffee, a slice of cereal bread, a lean yogurt, a half-fat
Lunch: a walnut endive salad, a red mullet with aromatic herbs, 2 honey figs
Dinner: a coriander boulghour, a lukewarm tomato with goat cheese, a pineapple salad
“The meal is the moment of conviviality par excellence,” said Doctor Jacques Fricker. The pleasure of cooking good things is essential to feel in harmony with this new mode of food.
Wednesday
Breakfast: green or coffee tea, honeyed yogurt with nuts, a slice of cereal bread, 2 apricots
Lunch: a cucumber and mango salad, a lemon chicken slice, 2 olive buns, a fishing granite
Dinner: an eggplant stuffed with tomatoes and onions, a portion of fresh goat cheese, a watermelon slice
The texture of the foods present in the Cretan cuisine alternates the crunchy (raw or slightly cooked) and firmness like bread, nuts, cooked pasta al dente … which promotes taste pleasure!
THURSDAY
Breakfast: green or coffee tea, a grapefruit juice, a slice of cereal bread, a banana
Lunch: a tomato-téta salad, an eggplant gratin, a portion of shrimp, a rhubarb compote
Dinner: a cucumber soup with a mint, a strap of turkey, a lean yogurt with nuts
Fruits and vegetables are essential in the Cretan diet. They bring fibers and vitamins and are excellent for health. They must be consumed very regularly, with each meal. Jacques Fricker thus specifies that it is important to consume at least one vegetable at each of the two main meals.
Friday
Breakfast: Green tea or coffee, a slice of cereal bread, a lean yogurt fig, citrus juice
Lunch: a purslash salad, a rabbit paupiet with goat and mint, pistachios fisheries
Dinner: an artichoke, a sea bream, an eggplant puree, a cluster of black grapes
The meal preparation is simple. The pleasure of tasting lies in fresh products associations, and not in sauces or cooking mode.
SATURDAY
Breakfast: green or coffee tea, a grapefruit, 2 slices of spice of spice, a lean yogurt
Lunch: a papillote salmon, a tomato gratin.
Dinner: Fettucines with peppers, hard egg, a citrus carpaccio
Fish is one of the pillars of Cretan food. It is often prepared in papillote or steam, cooked with the skin and withdrawn after cooking. Olive oil added later.
Sunday
Breakfast: Green tea or coffee, 2 grain rolls, a portion of fig jam, a grapefruit juice
Lunch: a quinoa salad, a portion of beef, a portion of eggplant caviar, a kiwi
Dinner: a portion of ratatouille, a grilled sardine, a lemon granite
Seasonal fruit is to be preferred at least twice a day, for an impromptu snack or as a dessert.
Sources: Jacques Fricker is a nutritionist at Bichat Hospital and he is the author of numerous works on food, dietetics and form. He co -written with Dominique Laty Cretan regime, benefits and delights at Hachette editions (2000) and Losing weight fast and well Au editions Odile Jacob (2010).
