Sample Menu
Here’s a day of typical meals on a 1,500-calorie Mediterranean diet from Oldways, the Boston-based nonprofit that cocreated a Mediterranean diet pyramid.
Breakfast
6 oz. Greek yogurt topped with ½ cup strawberries and 1 tsp. honey
1 slice whole-grain toast with half mashed avocado
Lunch
1 whole-grain pita with 2 tbsp. hummus and stuffed with 1 cup fresh greens and 2 slices tomatoes
1 cup minestrone soup
1 medium orange
Water with 1 lemon wedge
Snack
1/8 cup sliced almonds
1/8 cup peanuts
Dinner
3 oz. salmon topped with 1 tsp. tarragon and 1 tsp. mustard over
½ cup couscous, ½ cup zucchini, and 4 spears asparagus
Salad—
½ cup arugula
½ cup baby spinach
1 tbsp. shaved parmesan cheese
1 tbsp. vinaigrette dressing
5 oz. red wine (optional)
Dessert
Small bunch grapes
½ cup lemon sorbet
Nutrition
Here’s a breakdown of the nutritional content of a day’s meals on a typical Mediterranean diet, alongside recommendations from the government’s 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans.
Because this diet is highly individualized, your actual intake will vary. Diet figures were supplied by Oldways.
| Mediterranean Diet | Recommended | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Calories | 1,527 | Women | Men |
|
21-25: 2,000 26-50: 1,800 51+: 1,600 |
21-40: 2,400 41-60: 2,200 61+: 2,000 |
||
| Total Fat | 29% | 20%-35% | |
| Saturated | 5% | Less than 10% | |
| Trans | 0% | N/A | |
| Total Carbohydrates | 50% | 45%-65% | |
|
Sugars (total except as noted) |
20% | N/A | |
| Fiber | 32 g. | Women | Men |
|
19-30: 28 g. 31-50: 25 g. 51+: 22 g. |
19-30: 34 g. 31-50: 31 g. 51+: 28 g. |
||
| Protein | 18% | 10%-35% | |
| Sodium | 1,368 mg. | Under 2,300 mg., under 1,500 mg. for 51+ | |
| Potassium | 3,351 mg. | At least 4,700 mg. | |
| Calcium | 418 mg. |
19-50: 1,000 mg. 51+: 1,200 mg. |
|
| Vitamin B-12 | 2.8 mcg. | 2.4 mcg. | |
| Vitamin D | N/A | 15 mcg. | |
Recommendations apply to adults 19 and older except as noted. Recommended calories assume a sedentary lifestyle. g.: grams. mg.: milligrams. mcg.: micrograms. Because of rounding, protein, fat, and carbohydrate content may not add up to 100 percent.
Last updated by Kurtis Hiatt | January 04, 2013
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