Ultimate Mediterranean Shopping Guide

Everything you need to begin incorporating Mediterranean style eating habits is included in here. We know it can be overwhelming when at the grocery store faced with hundreds of product choices. So, we’ve simplified things by making a list of foods that suit the Mediterranean diet, and support your health and fitness goals.  

What is the Mediterranean diet?

The Mediterranean diet is the traditional eating pattern of people from countries bordering the Mediterranean Sea including Greece, Italy and Spain. This diet is based on healthy whole foods and includes few processed foods.

Key foods in a Mediterranean diet are:

• A diverse range of vegetables and fruits
• Wholegrains
• Legumes or beans
• Extra virgin olive oil and nuts
• Yoghurt and cheese
• Fish and seafood
• Lean protein sources such as chicken or eggs.
• Red and processed meats and sweets are only eaten in small amounts.

What to add to your trolley:

Vegetables and Fruit

• Choose a wide variety of colorful vegetables and fruit for your meals.
• Aim to include green, orange/yellow and red vegetables/fruit each day.
• Introduce more tomato based sauces to your diet – this could be to flavour fish/seafood or with legumes and vegetables. Tinned tomatoes are great for this.
• Try adding a new vegetable/fruit to your trolley each week to experiment with and diversify your intake

Vegetable inspiration – Spinach, Silverbeet, Zucchini, Carrot, Broccoli, Cauliflower, Beans, Eggplant, Pumpkin, Mushrooms, Snow peas, Sprouts, Tomatoes, Capsicum, Cucumber, Celery, Onions, Garlic.

Fruit Inspiration – Apples, Pears, Oranges, Lemons, Peaches, Nectarines, Berries, Passionfruit, Kiwi, Melons, Cherries, Bananas, Avocado, Figs, Pomegranate.

Product tip: Frozen vegetables/fruit are still great sources of nutrients. Frozen berries for smoothies and mixed frozen veg to add to meals are all good freezer staples.

Prep tip: Try roasting a large tray of mixed vegetables at the start of the week. They can be used in salads, on wraps and as part of your meals. Cauliflower, capsicum, zucchini, eggplant, red onion and carrot all taste delicious roasted with olive oil and seasoned with dried herbs like rosemary and oregano.

Cooking tip: Add spinach/silverbeet or kale  (fresh or frozen) to sauces, curries and stirfries to boost leafy green intake.

Legumes

Tinned or dried options are both good choices:

• Lentils
• Chickpeas
• Kidney beans
• Borlotti beans
• Cannellini beans
• Butter beans
• Broad beans

Product tip: Check out the canned bean aisle for legumes that have been marinated and flavoured. They are a great addition to salads or eaten as their own as a snack

Cooking tip: Add tinned lentils to mince dishes like bolognaise or savoury mince to get a fibre boost.

Fats

• Extra virgin olive oil & Olives
• Avocado
• Nuts (almonds, walnuts, brazil nuts etc.)
• Seeds (sunflower, pumpkin etc.)

Cooking tip: you can heat extra virgin olive oil to high temperatures. It can be used in roasting and pan frying. It’s a great flavour booster drizzled over salads and steamed vegetables along with lemon juice or balsamic vinegar. For baked goods, choose a light flavoured olive oil – great in muffins and cakes.

Wholegrains

• Oats
• Barley
• Brown rice
• Bulgur
• Wholemeal couscous
• Quinoa
• Wholegrain bread and pasta

Product tip: Using precooked microwave rice/grain mixes can save time when you are after a quick meal addition.

Prep tip: Most grains like rice and pasta can only be cooked and stored in the fridge for up to 48 hours to reduce the risk of food poisoning. So, it’s best to cook smaller amounts more often rather than a large bulk amount for the week ahead.

Fish and Seafood

• Salmon
• Tuna
• Sardines
• White fish
• Prawns
• Squid
• Mussels
• Crab

Product tip: Canned and frozen fish and seafood are both great choices.

Other Proteins

• Eggs
• Lean skinless chicken

Dairy

• Strained Greek yoghurt – aim for unsweetened yoghurt with at least 8g protein per 100g
• Milk
• Feta
• Ricotta
• Mozzarella
• Cottage cheese

Herbs, Spices and Flavours

Dried or fresh herbs:

• Oregano
• Rosemary
• Thyme
• Parsely
• Basil
• Bay Leaves

Ground spices:

• Cumin
• Coriander
• Sumac
• Cinnamon
• Nutmeg

Flavours:

• Balsamic vinegar
• Lemon juice
• Garlic/onion
• Hummus
• Pesto
• Tahini
• Honey

Prep tip: Avoid waste by chopping and freezing fresh herbs to be added to dishes like soup, sauces and curries.

What to avoid:

• Large amounts of red meat – aim for a maximum intake of 300g cooked red meat/week.
• Processed meat like bacon, salami and ham
• Processed snacks like sweet or savoury biscuits and chips
• Sugar free items that are heavily sweetened with artificial sweeteners

Author

Liz Borgo – Dietitian and Nutritionist

@lizthedietitian