I used to have a terrible diet, high in processed foods, red meat and sugar, and very few vegetables and grains. Worse, I grazed and ate all day instead of sitting down to eat.
But then I made a huge change, cutting out meat (except fish) and eating a Mediterranean diet with colorful fruits and vegetables, whole grains, healthy fats, seafood, and occasional dairy.
Here's what surprised me the most after more than a year of dieting.
The variety is endless, so it didn't feel limiting
I never thought I'd be someone who found vegetables exciting, but now I do. I have so much energy to plan, cook and eat meals.
There's nothing boring or restrictive about eating this way: you never feel deprived.
I found all these wonderful and delicious flavor combinations. For example, I'm obsessed with gold and beetroot feta, spinach and quinoa.
It's a constant learning process and I've never been a more enthusiastic student, experimenting with different herbs and spices for fish and vegetables to see what works best. Last week I found that the pink harissa almost made the zucchini explode in my mouth.
Also, my meals are much more balanced so I don't need as many snacks as I used to.
I don't miss red meat at all
I also loved steaks, cheeseburgers, ham and raw red meat - one of my favorite dishes at the restaurant was the steak tartare.
I thought I would really struggle without him, but surprisingly, I don't miss him at all. I also realized that my body wasn't designed for red meat and that every meal I ate didn't have to be full of bloating and severe stomach cramps.
This is one of the almost immediate benefits I noticed when I started the Mediterranean diet. I no longer had stomach pains after every meal and the bands did not cause much discomfort.
But I really had to increase my intake of legumes like lentils and chickpeas, as well as eat fish and eggs a few times a week, to make sure I had enough protein in my diet.
This can be a cheap alternative
Seafood, fish, avocados and some types of olive oil can be expensive. Fortunately, it's very easy to make financial compromises while sticking to the Mediterranean diet.
Canned tuna, beans, vegetables and frozen fish are cheaper alternatives. Plus, making dips like hummus is easier and tastier than most supermarket alternatives.
Plus, you can prepare and freeze meals in multiple portions to save money and make them last longer.
Ordering or preparing food at home is easy
It's true that preparing a dish, even a salad, requires more effort than opening a bag of chips. But I was able to find great, easy foods in the Mediterranean diet.
I grew up in New York, so takeout is pretty much in my DNA, and I'm happy to report that even when I'm feeling lazy or in the mood for delivery, it's easy to order a Mediterranean diet ready-to-eat, be it. he eats hamburgers or pizza.
Vegetarian moussaka is the most comforting meal on a cold winter day.
You can also find cooked (or frozen) quinoa, lentils, and brown rice. So, if you're in a hurry, you can make a healthy meal by mixing a few ingredients in a few minutes and reheating.
You can also spend a lot on this food, especially if you choose local food.
One of the reasons the Mediterranean diet is easy to stick to is because it is so widely available today.
There are two food cafes a few blocks from my house, with everything from ganoush and homemade hummus to cupboard and fridge items like quinoa, feta, fresh fish and halloumi. They also sell prepared salads, stir-fries, soups and more.
Everything is very sweet, but also expensive.
Cooking your own meals is infinitely cheaper, but it's nice to know that you can get all the essentials at the right time or when you don't have time to cook a healthy meal.
I discovered many new ways to make vegetables exciting
I never imagined how beautiful it could be to eat a rainbow dish, but now I know. Every meal I prepare is full of yellows, oranges, reds, greens and purples.
One of the reasons I never realized the full potential of vegetables is that I didn't know how versatile they were. I usually ate them raw, chopped them up and added them to a salad or baked them. And I often had leftovers from my weekly vegetable box that I didn't know what to do with.
Now I spend my days doing all kinds of exciting things with vegetables: stir-frying, pureeing, roasting, pureeing, making soups, stuffing, steaming, using vegetables as a side dish.
Instead of chopping potatoes, I now mash butter or cannellini beans. Looking for an alternative to hummus, shredded beets have become a favorite. And green pepper - which I don't like raw - was my first choice for the tortilla.
There is no single Mediterranean diet
I think one of the biggest misconceptions I had about the Mediterranean diet before I started following it was that it was quite restrictive.
I didn't really like the wide geographic variety of foods that were available, they were very easy to prepare, great tasting and everything that falls under the "Mediterranean" umbrella.
While the Mediterranean diet may be Greek, French, Spanish, and Italian, it is also found in Turkish, Lebanese, Israeli, and Moroccan cuisine. Chef Yotam Ottolenghi's cookbooks, for example, are a delightful introduction to the diversity of Mediterranean cuisine.
I discovered many new ingredients and herbs that helped me expand my cooking repertoire and add a lot of flavor to dishes without too much salt.
You might be sick of fish, of course
If you're following a Mediterranean diet, you can expect to eat a few servings of poultry or fish per week, which, along with eggs, are a great way to add protein to your diet.
I stopped eating meat, but I like fish, eggs and seafood.
Some parts of fish such as tuna, salmon, mackerel or sardines are recommended in the Mediterranean diet, but after I started eating salmon with vegetables last summer - because it is very easy to cook - I definitely hit a wall.
I was bored and uninspired by the fish. There really is a lot of salmon.
I have tried to cook fish in different ways: steamed, grilled, fried, poached. It helped, but I ended up having to take a few weeks off and get my protein from eggs, chickpeas, and lentils.
My kids and husband love this diet too
One of the biggest benefits of this diet is how much my family enjoys it.
My husband was a die-hard carnivore, but he didn't complain when I treated him to portobello steak and butterbean puree the other evening. In fact, he loved it.
My children, aged 10 and up, already know more about fruits, vegetables and grains than I did at 20, and have tried everything from golden beets to passion fruit.
They also look forward to cooking with me so they can learn about the cooking process and where that food comes from.
Olive oil is now my favorite ingredient
Thick salads full of cream, mayonnaise, salt and artificial ingredients were a must if I wanted to eat lettuce or spinach.
Now I'm totally obsessed with olive oil and I like to make different dressings with it: I add apple cider vinegar, a spoonful of mustard, I add sage leaves.
I use the cheapest variety for cooking and extra virgin olive oil for salad dressing and fish marinade.
I also have garlic and chili varieties that are perfect for stuffing eggs or roasted vegetables.
My skin has improved since starting the diet
My skin was angry, inflamed and sore.
I have rosacea, redness, dryness and acne, an ugly combination, to hide my red cheeks and repeated breakouts from taking pictures and holding my baby in front of my face.
The Mediterranean diet is full of anti-inflammatory foods—omega-3 rich fish, green vegetables, nuts, fruits, and olive oil—and while I didn't start eating skin, I did. from the results
My skin has improved significantly over the past year and a half. It's really relaxing and sometimes, very occasionally, there's even a hint of a healthy glow from within.
It helped me discover my love for cooking
I now have a healthier and happier relationship with food. I love knowing what I'm feeding me and my family and I love cooking like never before.
Since I didn't learn to cook as a child, I never imagined that chopping vegetables or tossing herbs in a pan would be among the activities I enjoyed with my family.
This lifestyle change not only expanded my repertoire of ingredients and dishes, but also helped me discover the simple joys that cooking and good food can bring.
This story was published on February 8, 2021 and last updated on January 5, 2024.
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