Expectations and Preparation

Welcome everybody! Thank you for joining me. I am happy to start this together! I think we all are in need of a restart right now.

Before we start it is important to know what you want to accomplish. The ultimate goal for this challenge is to feel good about yourself and your choices and supporting your body and your mind to be its best!

Each day for 21 days I’ll give you mini challenge to help you feel better the Mediterranean way and establish habits that will benefit your body and mind.

Expectations

Yes, the Mediterranean diet is the healthiest eating pattern that exists. Hundreds of studies have shown that it can be beneficial for most chronic diseases but also for our mental health. It is important to note that the Mediterranean diet is a diet that naturally appeared in certain parts of world and that is what I will be guiding you through; the authentic Mediterranean diet. It is a bit different from what you might expect. What does that look like?

1. There will be generous amounts of extra virgin olive oil. Apart from the numerous benefits, olive oil is what makes everything taste so good. And you will be cooking with it.

2.  There will be many vegetables. Mediterraneans are known to consume large amounts of vegetables as a side and main course.

3.  There will be no complex recipes with numerous exotic ingredients. Food and meals are characterized by their simplicity.

4.  It is not an expensive diet; this diet is in fact based on the diet of people living rural areas and villages.

5. You will not be expected to spend hours in the kitchen, but you will be expected to make simple meals and dishes.

6. We are here to establish feel-good habits not to follow a strict diet plan.

7. You are expected to honor your hunger. You should be eating when you are hungry, but also honoring your fullness. In other words, according to Mediterranean tradition, food is consumed 3 times a day (not every 2 hours). Main meals are consumed when you reach a point where you have a healthy hunger and can enjoy your food.

Preparation

As I mentioned, this is not about difficult to find ingredients, but here is a basic list of foods to have on hand:

• Vegetables (seasonal is best)-Make sure you also include leafy greens
• Extra Virgin Olive oil
• Beans (dry and canned)
• Crushed Tomatoes and Tomato Paste
• Fruit
• Whole grain bread
• Plain Greek Yogurt
• Feta Cheese, Parmesan, Ricotta
• Eggs

For a comprehensive shopping list:

>> Click here for Mediterranean shopping list 

See you tomorrow!