healthy mediterranean diet meal plan #14
There’s just somethin’ about springtime that makes me want to throw back the covers, pack away the sweaters, and clean out the fridge. Replacing all the warm, rich and cozy flavors that got me through the dreary dark days of winter with bright, light and springy stuff. I want to play with an entirely different palate. A splash of neon pink, a rainbow of reds and every shade of green I can find at the market.
So get out your box of kitchen crayons because everything in today’s menu begins and ends with COLOR. A “shake you into waking up” shockingly pink breakfast, a salmon-colored lunch and a pretty pasta primavera salad perfect for a springtime dinner.
Most importantly to help us reach our healthy eating goal, each and every color of the rainbow signals different nutrients important to a healthy diet. Here’s a quick snapshot of why these colorful foods should be a big part of our everyday diet.
Red: Contain powerful antioxidants and inflammation-fighting phytochemicals. Rich in the carotenoid lycopene to protect against cancer, heart and lung disease.
Orange and yellow: Another source of immune-boosting antioxidants like Vitamin C and cartenoids and flavonoids to provide Vitamin A, so important to eye health.
Green: Rich in cancer-blocking chemicals, phytonutrients and antioxidants essential for blood and bone health.
Blue and purple: Have powerful antioxidants called anthocyanins known for longevity and anti-aging effects and help the heart by blocking the formation of blood clots.
White and brown: Excellent for providing cancer-fighting properties, as well as anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial and immune-boosting effects.
There’s one more lesson to take away from today’s menu. Even though I’m pretty careful about coming up with combinations that deliver the Mediterranean diet balance of macros over the course of the day (i.e. 15-20% protein, 25-30% healthy fats, 50-55% fiber-rich carbohydrates), there are still all sorts of ways to tweak it. Just use the macro charts in the PDF to make healthy swaps.
With today’s salad for example, you can create a canvas with purely vegetarian fare or do as I did and reach into the freezer for one of those pre-marinated packs of chicken breasts (remember when we fixed these a few months ago? If you don’t, you can head over to my YouTube channel to watch me prepare a few flavor variations in person). Just remember if you don’t add the chicken, add the equivalent protein to another meal during the day. Increase the salmon portion at lunch or add a hard-boiled egg to snacktime.
As always, you’ll find a few extra treats in the menu PDF besides the meal plan I promised you (mostly because I just can’t help myself). When I can, I’ll reach into the archive so that you don’t have to go hunting around. And this week, I’ve included my recipe for that classic healthy tzatiki, which you can also watch me make over on my YouTube channel.
So it’s time to pull up a chair, grab a cup or a glass and join me in my Mediterranean kitchen while we work our way from one flavor-packed meal to another.
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