• I've been following the Mediterranean diet for years, and I've learned a lot of simple recipes. 
• Lamb souvlaki, baked salmon, and creamy chicken pasta are all in my dinner rotation. 
• For breakfast, I love shakshuka, and orange, avocado, and shrimp salad is a great lighter meal.

I learned to cook for the Mediterranean diet at university over five years ago. Since then, I've tried various recipes and even developed some of my own.

I take a minimalist approach to my diet and often only use a few ingredients in my meals. I bulk out the more expensive ingredients, like fresh fish and poultry, with whole grains, mixed beans, and vegetables.

My favorite recipes take about 10 to 30 minutes to prepare and don't require any specialist equipment. 

I've discovered a love for orange, avocado, and shrimp salad

I wasn't initially convinced that orange, mustard, and shrimp went together. It felt unnatural to make a salad without traditional ingredients like cucumber and tomato.

However, the sweetness of the orange sharpens the buttery avocado and perfectly complements the shrimp. 

Start by tearing half of an orange into segments. Squeeze the juice from the other half and put it to the side. Dice an avocado, slice half a red onion, and rip up some romaine lettuce. Add all of the components to a bowl with a few pieces of shrimp on top — I like to buy the precooked kind for convenience.

To make the dressing, combine the orange juice with a splash of olive oil, a teaspoon of wholegrain mustard, and a little salt and pepper.

Zucchini fritters with tzatziki make a wonderful lunch

Vegetable fritters are one of my favorite snack foods to batch-cook and freeze for busy weekday lunches. 

Grate one zucchini and half an onion into a sieve. Add a little salt and squeeze out the excess water with a spoon.

Then, grate a handful of Parmesan into a bowl with a cup of all-purpose flour, a splash of milk, and one egg. Combine the grated vegetables and batter. 

Add a generous amount of olive oil to a pan and fry small dollops of batter until golden. Press the fritters flat to make sure they're cooked all the way through.

For the tzatziki dip, mix Greek yogurt, two crushed garlic cloves, a sprig of fresh mint, and a dash of olive oil. 

Smoked mackerel pâté is an indulgent treat

Instead of sweets and chocolate, I like to indulge in cheeses, smoked meats, and pâtés. 

To make that fit into my Mediterranean diet, I combine precooked and shredded smoked mackerel, light cream cheese, and a squeeze of lemon juice.

Season the pâté with salt and pepper, and serve it spread on sourdough toast. 

Shakshuka is the ultimate weekend brunch dish

If I fancy a Mediterranean breakfast on the weekend, I go for shakshuka.

Sauté diced red pepper, green pepper, and onion with two crushed garlic cloves. Add a sprinkle of cumin, paprika, coriander, and red-chili flakes before pouring in some chopped tomatoes.

Place three eggs in the mixture, cover the pan, and let them simmer on low heat.

Remove from the heat once your eggs are cooked to your liking and finish with fresh chopped parsley and mint. 

On special occasions, I'll whip up a lamb souvlaki

As a young journalist, lamb is a little out of my price range, so I reserve it for special occasions.

I opt for a good-quality lamb shoulder and season it with garlic, oregano, lemon juice, and olive oil for a few hours.

Add chunks of lamb to a wooden skewer and throw them on the grill. I often bulk out my kebabs with bell peppers and onions.

Finish the meal with tzatziki and Greek potatoes. 

Salmon with veggies is an easy weeknight meal

If I've spent my evening at a spin class or late-night meeting, salmon is my go-to dish.

Season some fillets with garlic and herbs and wrap them in aluminum foil. Cook them in the oven for about 15 minutes and pair them with roasted asparagus and broccoli. 

I've concocted a Mediterranean version of a make-your-own pizza 

If you have an at-home dinner date coming up, make some puff-pastry pizza together.

Roll out a premade puff-pastry sheet, add pesto and tomato paste for the base, and cook for five minutes. 

Once it's out, top with crumbled feta, spinach, and onions for a veggie-style pizza. You could also use some shredded salmon for a little extra protein.

Put it back in the oven until the cheese starts to brown and melt.

To balance out my lighter meals, I like to make a 1-pot creamy-chicken pasta 

We all need cheesy carb-filled dinners from time to time — the Mediterranean diet is all about balance and moderation. 

Chop up a few chicken breasts, fry them in a pan until golden, and remove.

Sauté a few cloves of garlic and combine with chicken stock, heavy cream, and fettuccine pasta in the pan. The measurements will depend on how much you like garlic and cream. 

Once the sauce has thickened, sprinkle in some Parmesan, olives, and lemon slices and pop the cooked chicken back in.

Chorizo and butter-bean stew is a cozy meal 

On colder days, I like to cozy up with a stew.

Slice up some chorizo and fry in a pan for a few minutes. Crank your extractor fan onto its highest setting to avoid the smoke alarm going off — I speak from experience. 

Toss in cans of butter beans and chopped tomatoes and let everything sizzle.

Add a big spoonful of pesto for a garlicky twist and serve.

I like to make frittata when it's time to clean out the fridge

When I don't know what to make, eggs are always a great option.

Mix a few eggs, a handful of sun-dried tomatoes, and some crumbled feta cheese together.

Finely dice half an onion and fry with crushed garlic for a few minutes. Sauté some spinach in the onion mixture and pour the egg concoction on top.

Bake in the oven until the egg is fully cooked and garnish with fresh parsley and your seasonings of choice. 

Whenever I need a little extra protein, I turn to tofu 

If I find myself in a bit of a food rut, I mix things up with meat alternatives.

I've only recently discovered tofu, and I've been enjoying adding it to salads and grain bowls for a protein boost.

I marinate the tofu cubes in lemon, garlic, and rosemary overnight and then fry them in olive oil for a crispy texture.

This story was originally published on May 17, 2022, and most recently updated on January 10, 2025. 

• In 2015, Mina Grace Ward, 60, was diagnosed with Graves' disease, an autoimmune disorder.
• In hopes of improving symptoms like hair loss and fatigue, she went sober and changed her diet.
• She's been in remission since 2018, regrowing her hair and no longer having panic attacks.

Editor's note: Business Insider has verified all medical records mentioned in this article.

When I was 50, I was diagnosed with Graves' disease, a common autoimmune disorder that causes an overactive thyroid.

I was a textbook case. I experienced the main symptoms — rapid weight loss, high blood pressure, hair loss, fatigue, inflammation, anxiety, depression — all at the same time. I lost 15 pounds in two weeks and was completely debilitated. I couldn't get out of bed.

There is no cure for Graves' disease. Some people can go into remission after undergoing a thyroidectomy or taking short-term medication, though success rates aren't high. A year into treatment, my endocrinologist didn't give me much hope for getting better; she was throwing different prescriptions at me and they weren't leading to much improvement in my health.

She told me that my diet, which I considered balanced, wouldn't cure me. I wasn't convinced. Because I was sick and tired of feeling sick and tired, I decided it couldn't hurt to cut a few things out.

While I never drank heavily, I was used to having wine with dinner or grabbing a few cocktails at a concert. I knew alcohol is a toxin and that no amount is safe to consume, so I stopped drinking.

Between going sober and cutting out some inflammatory foods like red meat, I started to feel better. My thyroid tests gradually yielded normal levels, and have stayed that way since 2018.

I've also grown my hair back, stopped experiencing panic attacks, and feel happier than ever.

I became more mindful of what I consume

Even before my Graves' diagnosis, I thought about going sober; I knew how a few drinks could add up.

I also gave up foods that could make my symptoms worse, like seafood, which is high in iodine and can trigger hyperthyroidism. I essentially followed a more plant-based version of the Mediterranean diet.

About six months after making these changes, I saw my endocrinologist again. She said my thyroid levels were getting better. By 2017, they were normal.

Since then, I've loosened up my diet a little — I eat cheese in moderation, for example. I fluctuate, listening to how my body feels.

Still, I haven't given up sobriety.

Going sober fixed my worst symptoms

One of my most distressing Graves symptoms was hair loss. I was losing so much that I was actually balding on the top of my head. Since changing my diet, I fully changed course: my hair feels fuller and healthier.

My moods were also impacted by Graves' — anxiety and depression are common symptoms, and I experienced both.

I realized that I felt worse when I drank. I cried all the time. Since quitting, I stopped feeling the sadness I used to. I also no longer have panic attacks. At my worst, I had them three or four times a day.

The biggest change was in my energy levels. Fatigue is a major symptom of Graves' — I was always exhausted. Going booze-free improved my sleep; I started getting a full eight hours and waking up more rested and refreshed. My energy came back.

Even though I didn't have Graves' in my 20s and 30s, I know drinking eventually catches up to you as you age. While I had fun when I was younger, I now want to focus on living longer and maintaining the highest quality of life I can.

I am still in remission

To be considered in remission from Graves' disease, you have to have normal thyroid levels for two years without medication.

At first, I was close to hitting remission. My doctor weaned me off hyperthyroidism medication and I reached a year and 10 months with good test results. Because I underwent a very stressful time in my life, my symptoms were triggered again. I was put back on medication, and this time, I made sure to follow my new diet as closely as possible and try stress-relieving exercises. Within three months, my numbers went back to normal.

I've now been in remission for seven years, since 2018. I try to use my experience to make a difference: I wrote a cookbook of recipes that helped me reduce my symptoms. My four sons, who work at an Italian restaurant I started with my ex-husband, recently included more vegetarian, vegan, and gluten-free options on the menu after seeing how much they helped me.

I turned 60 this year. I know I'm so much happier because I chose to go sober and change my diet. I absolutely love life; I've never felt this healthy and this alive, all because I started taking care of my body.

• Fiber is essential for a healthy gut, and boosts your natural energy levels.
• Federica Amati is the head nutritionist for nutrition app ZOE.
• Amati shared her favorites gut health recipes with probiotics and omega-3 fatty acids.

Eating more gut-healthy foods like beans and nuts not only nurtures your digestive system, it can help you ditch the afternoon slump.

"We know a high fiber diet helps with energy levels," Federica Amati, medical scientist and head nutritionist at the nutrition app ZOE, told Business Insider.

If you often feel a drowsiness or brain fog after eating, you may not be getting the right balance of nutrients like fiber, probiotics, and healthy fats.

For a lasting boost, Amati recommends loading up on complex carbs like beans and veggies, fermented foods, and healthy fats, and swapping other drinks for alcohol, which can be hard on the gut.

Here are her favorite ways to eat for better gut health.

Make crispy potatoes healthier with olive oil and chickpea flour

Potatoes are a starchy staple to round out a meal, but instead of reaching for fries or chips, trying roasting potatoes in the oven for a healthier choice.

Amati makes her roasted potatoes with heart-healthy olive oil and coats them in chickpea flour for extra fiber while making them crispy.

"You're adding a layer of better fat, the taste is delicious, but it's just slightly more nutritious," she said.

Eat more beans

Beans have been called a longevity superfood because they're a good source of fiber as well as protein for healthy, filling side dishes, soups and stews.

In fact, this may soon be a federal recommendation. A recent report from USDA advisors said new dietary guidelines should encourage Americans to eat more beans to reduce the risk of chronic disease.

Amati said she likes to make a side of homemade Boston baked beans for dinner gatherings. Ingredients like apple cider vinegar bring tangy, savory notes to a pot of beans along with a little bit of probiotics — good bacteria that support healthy digestion.

Try fish with olive oil, veggies, and fresh herbs for a high-protein meal

For dinner, Amati said fish is a good protein source that also provides healthy fats like omega-3 fatty acids, which support gut health.

She said she makes fish drizzled with olive oil and seasoned with a handful of fresh parsley, a generous portion of lemon juice, and a sprinkle of lemon zest.

This approach is in line with the Mediterranean diet which has been ranked one of the healthiest for the gut and for overall wellness.

Fresh, zesty ingredients like citrus, rosemary, parsley, garlic, and other seasonings can support your metabolism by making you more likely to slow down and appreciate your food and avoid overeating.

"Herbs and spices can be quite revitalizing," Amati said. "You're less likely to just continue to eat mindlessly because it helps you to connect with the food more when it's a good, varied flavor experience."

For fiber at dinner, fill a big portion of your plate with produce. One of Amati's go-to veggie recipes in the winter is cauliflower with a cheese sauce made using milk, Parmesan and chickpea flour, instead of a store-bought sauce which is an ultra-processed food.

"It doesn't have to be high lift, but it reduces the amount of additives that I use," she said.

Sip on sparkling water or kombucha to cut back on alcohol

Drinking to wind down in the evening can be tempting, but there's growing evidence that alcohol can derail gut health and may increase the risk of cancer. The safest approach is to practice drinking in moderation (if at all), such having a glass of wine with dinner.

Amati said refreshing alcohol-free drinks can make it easier to cut back, such as sparkling water flavored with fruit or cucumber.

Kombucha is another healthy alternative with some probiotic benefits — Amati recommends looking for low-sugar varieties.

Snack on olives, nuts, and fermented foods

Between meals, Amati said she often has olives and nuts, both a good source of healthy fats and some fiber.

You don't have to completely give up on your favorite snacks like chips, but mixing in nutritious snacks can help you enjoy them in moderation and improve your gut health at the same time.

"It's more flavor, which is nice, and it means that you have an option to add some foods to your plate that are actually really great for you," Amati said.

Adding in fermented foods like kimchi or sauerkraut to a snack plate or cheese board offer more flavorful choices as well as probiotics for a healthy gut, she said.

Don't restrict your diet — add more gut-healthy foods instead

Amati's overall approach to healthier eating focuses on positive nutrition, or eating more nutrient-dense foods instead of restricting.

"It's much more about the food you do eat than the food that you avoid," Amati said.

Including more gut-friendly foods like beans to your diet can help you manage your appetite and reduce the amount of room on your plate for less nutritious options like processed foods.

As you work to include more fiber and probiotics in your diet, it's also helpful to be patient and make slow, sustainable changes over time instead of trying to overhaul your diet all at once.

"One of the biggest takeaways is consistency over perfection," Amati said.

• I've followed the Mediterranean diet for over 2 years, and I buy a lot of staples at the store.
• I regularly stock up on olive oil, Greek yogurt, whole grains, and peanut butter.
• Other essentials in the Mediterranean diet include foods high in healthy fats and protein. 

My grocery haul used to be filled with processed junk and sugary snacks, but once I switched to the Mediterranean diet, it looked more like a vegetable patch filled with color and lots of leaves. 

The Mediterranean diet, which has been considered one of the healthiest ways to eat, emphasizes whole grains, vegetables, fruit, legumes, and healthy fats. Fish, seafood, and eggs are my primary sources of protein (although you can also have white meat like chicken). Dairy, in the form of yogurt or cheese, appears on the menu a few times a week.

In the years I've followed the Mediterranean diet, I've cut out red and white meat (I still eat fish) and swapped the processed buys for fresh food.

Here's what I tend to buy whenever I go to the grocery store for all of my Med-diet needs.

Olive oil is a staple in nearly every dish

Olive oil is the staple ingredient in everything I eat on the Mediterranean diet. I use the most affordable cooking oil I can find, whether I'm frying fish, blitzing together a vegetable soup, or baking. 

I'll also splash out on the fanciest olive oils (ideally when they're on sale) and use them to drizzle on leaves, whole-grain salads, pasta dishes, seafood, and grilled vegetables.

I typically buy the biggest size I can find for the best value because I use so much olive oil. 

Greek yogurt adds the perfect amount of protein

Although plain yogurt is not as exciting as its flavored counterpart, the low-sugar, high-protein Greek-style version is always my grocery store pick.

I love to top the yogurt with fruit like blueberries and pomegranate seeds, sometimes with a drizzle of honey as a breakfast staple or dessert.

Greek yogurt is also great as a dip for savory dishes and can add creaminess to dressings. It's delicious mixed with olive oil, lemon, white-wine vinegar, garlic, and some herbs, like cilantro. I've recently discovered that you can add Greek yogurt to soups for extra creaminess.

Now that I've been eating Greek yogurt for so long, I no longer miss the fruity, ultra-sugary kind. 

Canned tuna is an affordable alternative to fresh fish

Fish is a big part of the Med diet that's delicious and nutritious, but it can be pricey. Fresh fish is my indulgence, but with the right herbs, frozen or canned tuna does the trick just as well at a fraction of the cost.

I'll have tuna for lunch a couple of times a week. I'll make a Nicoise salad with spinach leaves, a couple of hard-boiled eggs, tomatoes, a few potatoes, and a dressing made with olive oil, lemon juice, and mustard. It's so easy to throw together and tastes just like those Nicoise salads I used to gobble up in French bistros.

I always stock up on canned sardines, too. They're perfect when grilled with lemon juice and served on whole-wheat bread.

Onions and garlic are my favorite ways to add flavor

My cupboards are always bursting with red and white onions and shallots. I also keep scallions in the fridge.

I use onions in most meals I make: soups, stews, pasta, protein dishes, omelets, the list goes on.

Garlic is another essential ingredient. I've found if you add more garlic to a dish, you need less salt. Also, this is purely anecdotal, but I'm pretty sure the more garlic I eat, the less sugar I crave. 

I elevate my dishes with fresh and dried herbs

I'm often trying to save money on food by seeking out frozen or canned alternatives, or in the case of herbs, dry ones instead of fresh.

I use plenty of dry herbs in my cooking, but I'll always buy some fresh, too. My taste buds have started getting used to that extra kick of fresh dill in an omelet or a sprinkle of cilantro in a salad. My new favorite side dish combines cilantro, olive oil, lime juice, and chickpeas.

The diet has exposed me to many herbs I've never had before, which is one of my favorite things about it. For example, I dusted sumac, a tart, purple-colored spice, on homemade french fries the other day, which was delicious. 

Peanut butter is a delicious way to add healthy fats to smoothies and soups

One of the best things about the Med diet is that all of those "high-fat" foods, like peanut butter, you dream of but aren't supposed to eat are encouraged in this one.

Peanut butter is one of my favorite snacks — I'll eat it off the spoon, mix it into smoothies, smear it on celery or apples, or spread it on whole wheat pita bread. It's delicious, and I always buy the biggest tub I can find.

Peanut butter adds great texture and flavor to savory recipes, too. English chef Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall has a great recipe for butternut squash soup with peanut butter. I use olive oil instead of butter to make it Med diet-friendly.

Tahini is a versatile essential

Similar to yogurt, tahini, a sesame paste, has become a staple cupboard ingredient for me.

I add tahini to homemade hummus, blend it into soups, use it as a sauce, and spread it on whole-wheat pita with some falafel.

You can add some lemon juice and honey to turn tahini into a dressing or use it for baking. 

Pre-cooked whole grains like rice and quinoa save a lot of time in the kitchen

No trip to the grocery store is complete without some whole grains.

I tend to buy a mix of pre-cooked packs so that if I have a busy work week, I can still manage to eat a healthy lunch simply by combining a couple of packs.

I also make sure I have the cheaper versions that require cooking. I've found that adding whole grains to salads makes them much more filling.

If you need inspiration beyond brown rice and couscous, try freekeh, an ancient grain high in fiber and protein. I'll mix it with halloumi cheese and tomatoes or serve it alongside roasted eggplant.

Canned legumes are great for hearty, filling dinners

Before starting the Med diet, I used to have canned beans sitting in my cupboard for months at a time.

I'd buy them because I thought they represented what I should be eating, but I'd never had any idea what to do with them. Now, I'm happy to say I mix chickpeas, kidney beans, black beans, and other legumes into my diet daily.

I always buy extras because I know they'll go quickly — if I'm hungrier one day, adding chickpeas to a salad takes it from a light lunch to a filling one. I love making stews with beans and Med-diet-friendly chili dishes. I also buy canned tomatoes in bulk because I use them in everything from soups and pasta to sauces and stews. 

My family loves to snack on and cook with a rainbow of fruits and vegetables

Vegetables are a huge part of my diet.

I always have peas and spinach in the freezer for a quick side with any meal, but I like to get fresh vegetables whenever I head to the store because they're my family's go-to snack. We eat veggies and hummus, salads, and raw carrots all day long.

No trip to the grocery store is complete without purchasing some combination of peppers, carrots, tomatoes, and cucumbers.

After being home 24/7 throughout the COVID-19 pandemic and incorporating fruit and vegetables into most meals, I now buy a weekly produce box of misshapen vegetables and fruit that would otherwise go to waste.

This story was originally published on January 13, 2022, and most recently updated on January 8, 2025.

• The DASH diet promotes low-sodium meals with fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and lean proteins. 
• Eggs, oats, whole-wheat toast, and yogurt with fruits or veggies make up a DASH-approved breakfast.
• Wraps, smoothies, overnight oats, and parfaits are great to-go options for a healthy morning meal.

Dietitians have called the DASH, or dietary approaches to stop hypertension, diet one of the healthiest ways to eat. 

It emphasizes foods that are rich in potassium, magnesium, and calcium, and studies have shown that the eating plan may help followers lower their sodium to better regulate their blood pressure. It also emphasizes vegetables, fruits, and whole grains with small portions of low-fat dairy, fish, and poultry. 

Business Insider consulted nutritionists and dietitians to come up with a list of DASH-friendly breakfast ideas packed with protein, vitamins, and healthy fats. 

Avocado toast with salmon and arugula is a protein-packed breakfast idea.

Registered dietitian Rima Kleiner of Dish on Fish shared an elevated twist on classic avocado toast.

She recommended smashing avocado onto a slice or two of whole-wheat toast and topping it with arugula, smoked salmon, and a light drizzle of olive oil.

"This easy bistro-style breakfast provides one to two servings of whole grains and a serving of vegetables, which are both rich in dietary fiber to help lower blood cholesterol levels and provide important nutrients and phytochemicals," she told BI.

Overnight oats are filling and simple to prepare.

Registered dietitian and nutritionist Shena Jaramillo told BI that overnight oats are an easy way to start off a DASH-friendly day of eating. 

"This is a high-fiber food that will help to keep cholesterol in check and provide you with plenty of vitamins and minerals," she said. "Best of all, it's ready when you wake up, and it can be prepared in advance."

Overnight oats can be made with low-fat dairy or nondairy milk, your favorite fruit, and a sprinkle of coconut or chocolate chips. Simply mix uncooked oats with your choice of milk and let the mixture sit in the fridge until the oats are tender.

Clean out your fridge and boost your protein intake with a vegetable omelet.

Whipping up a veggie omelet is a sneaky way to use up leftover produce and start your day with some protein. 

"For this dish, throw in all the leftovers from the fridge. Spinach, onions, bell peppers, and jalapeños are some of my favorites," Jaramillo told BI. "This is a higher-protein food to help keep you full throughout the day."

Along with the protein punch from the eggs, the vegetables in this dish deliver some fiber and micronutrients. 

Start your day on a lighter note with a juicy mango bowl.

Certified nutritionist and skin-health specialist Ann Ramark told BI that a mango bowl may be the perfect breakfast for those who have a sweet tooth. 

She suggested topping thawed-out frozen mango chunks with fresh berries, a scoop of pea protein powder, and a handful of chopped almonds. 

"With this sweet breakfast alternative, you get an extra boost of antioxidants from the fruit and protein from the powder," she said. "The healthy fats from the nuts will also increase the uptake of the antioxidants from the fruit and berries."

Try a Mediterranean sandwich for a grab-and-go DASH breakfast.

If you don't usually have time for a sit-down breakfast, Ramark suggested making a Mediterranean-inspired sandwich with sourdough bread, hummus, bell pepper, tomato, and a few slices of avocado. 

"By choosing a whole-grain bread like sourdough, you're avoiding added sugar and sodium," she told BI. "Hummus is also a great spread with lots of extra fiber, protein, healthy fats, and even extra antioxidants from the chickpeas."

This breakfast can also be cobbled together the night before to keep your morning routine as streamlined as possible. 

A carrot and ginger smoothie is packed with vitamins and flavor.

Carrot and ginger may sound like an odd breakfast combo, but Ramark told BI that the smoothie blend is a great way to load up on fruits and veggies.

To make the smoothie, blend a handful of kale with some chopped carrot, a knob of fresh ginger, some mango chunks, a scoop of protein powder, and a squeeze of lime. Serve it up with a handful of nuts or seeds on top. 

"This is a powerful smoothie with tons of fiber, antioxidants, protein, and healthy fats from the nuts to make sure you get a great nutrient uptake," she said.

Peanut-butter toast topped with berries can keep you full for hours.

Registered nutritionist and dietitian Erica Ingraham told BI that peanut-butter toast made with whole-wheat bread and topped with berries is a fantastic DASH option that's both sweet and savory. 

"This breakfast has all the macronutrients: carbs, protein, and fat," she said. "Nuts contain monounsaturated fats, which are heart-healthy. Fruit is also a good source of fiber. Fiber may also help lower blood pressure and inflammatory markers in some individuals, contributing to a healthy heart."

Vegans may be delighted by this DASH-friendly tofu scramble.

The DASH diet recommends reducing animal products such as meats, cheeses, and butter, and adding in more plant-based foods.

Ingraham told BI she recommends trying a tofu scramble to boost your protein and fiber intake sans animal products.

"Sauté tofu with onions, peppers, greens, mushrooms, or whatever vegetables you have left in your fridge," she said. "This tofu scramble is a great way to get some plant-based protein and an extra few servings of veggies into your day."

Try an egg-white "tortilla" with vegetables for a low-carb morning snack.

Registered dietitian Melissa Nieves told BI that whipping up an egg-white "tortilla" and packing it with veggies is a hearty, low-sodium breakfast option. 

"Eggs are a great source of high-quality protein, which can make for a filling breakfast," she said.

Adding potassium-rich vegetables such as spinach, mushrooms, and broccoli will further help increase your overall daily vegetable intake.

To make the "tortilla," simply separate the yolks from the whites of two to three eggs and allow the whisked whites to cook in a non-stick pan until they are solid enough to flip. Then ladle in as many veggies as you like. 

A granola-and-nut parfait is a healthy and spoonable breakfast treat.

For a heart-healthy meal that comes together in seconds, Nieves recommended loading a cup or so of Greek yogurt with a spoonful of unsweetened granola, chopped fruit, and a handful of nuts such as walnuts or almonds. 

"I like to recommend Greek yogurt over regular yogurt since it's much higher in protein and therefore keeps you fuller for longer," she told BI. "Also, yogurt is full of potassium and calcium, minerals which are necessary for healthy blood pressure and which the DASH diet emphasizes."

A nut butter and yogurt smoothie can keep you full until lunchtime.

Nieves suggested blending up a smoothie that uses a base of low-fat yogurt with a dollop of nut butter and a handful of frozen fruit. 

"Adding nut butter to your smoothie increases the protein content and provides heart-healthy plant-based fats," she said. "Nuts may also help reduce the tightness in blood vessels, which contributes to high blood pressure."

Smoothies have the added bonus of being super easy to make, and you can even batch-prepare the ingredients and freeze until ready to use.

Mix chia seeds with dairy or plant milk for a satisfying morning pudding.

Registered dietitian Madeline McDonough told BI that chia pudding is a surprisingly easy and filling DASH-approved breakfast.

"Chia seeds are rich in anti-inflammatory omega-3 fats as well as insoluble fiber," she said. "If you're making your own at home, you can opt for a low-fat milk or milk alternative as the base and top with your favorite fruit or nut butter for the perfect DASH breakfast."

Add cinnamon to your chia pudding for some sugar-free sweetness, or sprinkle on some fruit for an additional boost of vitamins.

This story was originally published in January 2020 and most recently updated on January 8, 2025.

Read More:

• I followed the Mediterranean diet for a week, and I get why it's so popular
• 5 of the biggest drawbacks of the Whole30 diet
• 8 of the best ways to eat eggs on the go
• I always skip breakfast, but eating it for a week changed my snacking habits for the better

• Dietitians and nutritionists shared the best things to eat for lunch on the Mediterranean diet.
• A chicken wrap with apples and nuts can be a filling Mediterranean-inspired lunch.
• Try almond-stuffed dates or apple slices with almond butter for a light meal or snack. 

For the eighth year in a row, doctors and dietitians have named the Mediterranean diet the healthiest eating style. 

It emphasizes the consumption of fresh produce, legumes, whole grains, olive oil, and fatty fish. Those who follow the Mediterranean diet also seek to limit their intake of red meat and heavily processed foods.

With so much variety, it's hard for this diet to be boring. If you've found yourself in a rut, though, we've asked dietitians and nutritionists to share their favorite easy lunch ideas for anyone trying to eat a Mediterranean-style diet.

Make a Mediterranean-style chicken wrap packed with protein and fiber.

Registered dietitian and nutritionist Jill Weisenberger told Business Insider that one of her favorite Mediterranean-diet lunches is a simple chicken wrap. 

"Mix diced chicken with chopped walnuts, apples, and celery," Weisenberger said. "Hold everything together with Greek yogurt and add some greens before wrapping it up."

Add a squeeze of lemon or lime for extra flavor and vitamin C. 

A lentil-filled salad can be a filling lunch.

Lentils are legumes that are packed with protein and vitamins. 

"Lentil salad is a filling dish full of delicious Mediterranean ingredients that are sure to keep you full with a ton of fiber and great texture," Weisenberger told BI.

To make a simple lentil salad, mix prepared lentils with chopped scallion and torn spinach or arugula. Add a few jarred artichoke hearts and dress with lemon and olive oil. 

Make a bowl with farro, eggplant, and white beans.

Stephanie Nelson, registered dietitian and lead nutritition scientist for MyFitnessPal, told BI that a bowl with white beans and farro (a nutty grain common in Italian cooking) is a quick and satisfying lunch option.

"This recipe packs in the protein," Nelson said. "The Mediterranean diet should be primarily plant-based, so a farro and bean salad fits the mold exactly." 

To make this dish, chop and sauté an eggplant with garlic in olive oil, then add cooked farro, white beans, a small amount of tomato sauce, and a sprinkle of thyme and oregano. Top with feta cheese, if desired.

For a sweet and light lunch, have some almond-stuffed dates.

Registered dietitian Marisa Moore told BI that one of her favorite sweet treats to enjoy while following the Mediterranean diet is a serving of almond-stuffed dates. 

"The crunchy almonds deliver a dose of good fats and plant protein, and there's plenty of fiber in the dates to keep you energized and full," Moore said. 

If you don't like almonds, you can swap out chopped walnuts, hazelnuts, or pistachios. For a more substantial meal, pair the stuffed dates with Greek yogurt or a small lentil salad.

Try making a homemade chicken pita with fresh herbs.

For a filling and portable lunch, Nelson recommended putting vegetables and chicken breast seasoned with garlic and rosemary in a whole-wheat pita.

"Packed with vegetables and whole grains, an herbed chicken pita is also high in the types of protein encouraged by the Mediterranean diet," Nelson said. 

For the vegetables, try adding carrots, cucumber, lettuce, and tomato. You can also add a dollop of Greek yogurt mixed with dill to prevent the pita from being too dry. 

Whip up a satisfying tuna sandwich with a twist.

For an easy Mediterranean-inspired lunch, opt for a tuna sandwich made with Greek yogurt instead of mayo. Nelson told BI that this results in a lighter version of a classic.

To make this sandwich, mix canned or fresh tuna with Greek yogurt, chopped celery, and a sprinkle of salt. Serve on whole-grain bread, and add tomato, arugula, or spinach for extra flavor and vitamins. 

Assemble a snack board for a lunch with a lot of variety.

Snack boards are a fun way to keep lunchtime interesting by incorporating many different flavors and nutrients into one meal. 

"Create a Mediterranean-inspired snack board with hummus, olives, fresh-cut vegetables, dried fruit, and a handful of spiced almonds," Moore said.

The protein and monounsaturated fats in this spread can help keep hunger at bay for longer.

Roasted chickpeas can be the star of a savory meal.

Chickpeas, also known as garbanzo beans, are one of the staples of the Mediterranean diet.

"I love transforming chickpeas into an easy lunch by tossing them with olive oil and spices and roasting for a crunchy, savory meal," Moore told BI. 

Serve the roasted chickpeas over fresh spinach or kale with a squeeze of lemon and a drizzle of tahini. You can also pair them with a serving of roasted chicken for extra protein or roasted eggplant for more fiber. 

Apples and almond butter can make for a light plant-based lunch.

Moore suggested a simple plate of apples and nut butter for days when a heavy lunch doesn't sound appealing

"Pair fresh apple slices with a spoonful of nutrient-rich almond butter for a dose of good fats, protein, and fiber," Moore said. 

Also consider keeping preportioned servings of chopped apples and almond butter in the fridge for a grab-and-go option. 

Try a salmon Niçoise salad for a generous serving of vegetables and protein.

Niçoise salad is a French dish traditionally made with boiled eggs, tomatoes, olives, and tuna or anchovies. 

"I recommend a Niçoise salad made with salmon for a tasty twist on a classic," Weisenberger said. "You can also include extras like boiled potatoes, steamed green beans, or other vegetables."

All of the ingredients in this salad are usually served cold, though the salmon may be eaten hot.

This story was originally published on January 1, 2021, and most recently updated on January 8, 2025.

• Hanna Kim tried to lose weight by cutting out what she viewed as unhealthy foods, but it wasn't sustainable.
• She educated herself on fat loss and instead tried to cultivate healthy habits.
• Tracking her calories helped her make more intentional choices.

Before losing 22 pounds in a sustainable way, Hanna Kim tried many diets but ended up putting the weight back on because she hated the process.

"My perception of weight loss was just so negative," Kim, a 24-year-old YouTuber based in Sydney, told Business Insider. In the past, she would cut out all the foods she considered "bad" and force herself to do workouts she didn't enjoy.

As a teenager, Kim, who is Korean, was also heavily influenced by K-pop — whose stars are often put on strict diets and exercise regimes — and the Korean principle of "ppali ppali," or doing everything as quickly as possible.

Kim wanted to lose fat, and fast. When she didn't, she felt deflated and quit. "It was just a cycle of trying weight loss and then failing at it. Then hating the journey and really being negative on myself. Then wanting to try again and just this endless negative loop," she said.

Things shifted in 2021 when Kim looked into the science behind losing fat safely, and realized it couldn't be achieved quickly but should be part of a bigger goal of developing healthier habits.

"That gave me a lot of, I guess, courage to be more patient with the journey and to realize it's not a short sprint, it's a marathon," she said.

She started to make small changes to her lifestyle and lost 22 pounds in a year. She has kept the weight off for three years and now finds it easy to maintain.

Here are the two simple changes Kim made.

Going on 10-minute walks

In the past, Kim had joined a gym three times but quit after six months because her motivation to look a certain while would eventually wane.

When she started thinking of weight loss as a long-term investment in 2021, she was leading a fairly sedentary lifestyle: eating whatever she felt like, often including takeout, and didn't exercise regularly.

She knew that even a small change would ultimately make a difference, so she started by going on a walk. "I realized, 'OK, if I choose today to go outside for a 10-minute walk, that's still a win in my book,'" she said.

She set herself the goal of moving every day and found workouts online that aligned with her non-perfectionist approach and matched her mood, which helped her develop a love for exercise.

"If I was in a mood to just dance for a bit, I'd search up dance workout," she said.

Sticking to her daily calorie budget

Before 2021, Kim ate a lot of ultra-processed foods, including chocolate and cake, Korean fried chicken, and fast food. At the time, she had no idea how many calories they contained or that to lose weight, a person needs to be in a calorie deficit, meaning they burn more calories than they consume.

When she started her weight loss journey, she tracked her calories with an app to calculate her daily budget, or how many calories she needed to eat to lose weight. The "eye-opening" process enabled her to make more intentional choices.

"If I had 100 calories left, what's going to make me feel good? What's going to give me more energy?" she said.

At the start, she gave herself a leeway of around 120 calories but she mainly stuck to her budget. She also made sure to not demonize or cut out any foods, but tried to opt for lower-calorie versions of her favorite, less nutritious foods.

"It was definitely enjoyable. I wasn't just cutting things out straight away," she said.

Over time, she naturally started to focus not just on how many calories she consumed but the nutritional value of food. She reframed whole foods and fresh produce as treats because of how they made her feel.

"Now that I know the whys behind, 'why do you have to exercise?' 'Why do you have to eat well?' And it's ultimately so that your body can function the best it can," Kim said.

• My husband and I do our best to follow the Mediterranean diet on a budget, so we shop at Costco.
• We've found Costco is a good spot for Mediterranean-diet staples such as dried fruit and olive oil.
• When shopping there, we buy a lot of bulk fresh produce, including lemons and avocados.

My husband and I started following the Mediterranean diet years ago to keep healthy.

So far, we've enjoyed it — and dietitians and doctors even recently named the Mediterranean diet the healthiest way to eat for the eighth year in a row.

Those following the Mediterranean diet limit processed foods and red meat while focusing on seafood, healthy fats, and fresh produce.

While trying to follow it, we mostly buy groceries at Costco to save money. We love the wholesale chain's meat and produce sections and the many other deals it offers.

Here's what we buy at Costco while following the Mediterranean diet.

We use a ton of olive oil, which comes in large containers at Costco.

A great way to start following the Mediterranean diet at home is to replace the butter you use when cooking with olive oil.

We use olive oil in almost everything we make, whether we're cooking eggs, creating a light salad dressing, or baking chicken.

Although Costco sells various types, I usually prefer the Kirkland 100% Italian extra-virgin olive oil.

I help our olive oil last longer by storing it in a smaller dispenser in the kitchen, which keeps us from pouring with a heavy hand.

We snack on a lot of dried fruit.

We no longer eat potato chips or sweets when we're hungry. Instead, we use dried fruits, such as dried plums, to satisfy our snack cravings between meals.

On this shopping trip, I opted for the ones from Kirkland Signature Sunsweet.

Many folks in Blue Zones drink red wine, so we often pick some up.

After seeing research about wine drinkers in Blue Zones, areas with lots of centenarians, we try to use red wine in our cooking when we aren't just drinking it.

Being in California, I often opt for locally produced wine during weekly grocery runs. Still, I occasionally take home one of Costco's French or Italian wine offerings.

Garlic makes everything taste better.

We do our best to follow a diet high in garlic, which is said to be great for the immune system. We dice garlic when cooking fish or chicken in olive oil, and it's a great flavor enhancer for pasta and soup.

In my opinion, the Christopher Ranch garlic at Costco typically tastes fresher than bulbs from other commercially farmed brands.

We always keep plenty of lemons on hand.

We're lucky to have a lemon tree in our backyard, but it produces Meyer Lemons, which are a bit sweeter with more of a mandarin taste.

Since we love the taste of citrus lemons, we usually buy them in bulk from Costco.

I don't have brand loyalty for lemons at Costco — I just get what's in stock. If organic lemons are available, I'll buy those.

Blueberries are a great ingredient rich in polyphenol.

Fresh blueberries from Costco are a great addition to my typical breakfast of low-fat Greek yogurt. However, the bulk size isn't always the best option when I'm only shopping for two.

Instead, I sometimes pick up dried blueberries. They're rich in polyphenols, which may improve cognitive functioning.

Dried blueberries pair well with mixed nuts for snacking and are also great in yogurt or oatmeal.

Avocados are especially nice in meals that don't have meat or carbs.

The Mediterranean diet is heavy on fruits and vegetables, and avocados seem to be the most adaptable to various recipes.

A Mediterranean-style way to eat them is by mashing them and adding onion, tomato, and garlic to make fresh guacamole.

To dip in it, we swap out fried tortilla chips for thin pita chips.

Tomatoes are a go-to for every dinner.

We never leave Costco without picking up organic grape tomatoes.

They're great for a snack — especially when paired with fresh mozzarella and basil — or as a side dish or tossed in salads.

Fish is a Mediterranean staple, and we especially love fresh tilapia.

Fresh fish is the staple of a Mediterranean-inspired diet, so I always check out Costco's seafood section. Often, we find fresh tilapia.

Although I've found making baked whole tilapia requires more advanced cooking skills, other fish, such as cod, can be much easier to prepare.

For beginner cooks, fresh tuna steaks can also be a great place to start.

Salmon is great for dinner — or breakfast.

Our local Costco has salmon in both the meat aisle and in the prepared-foods section, where a version already seasoned with garlic butter is ready to be put in the oven.

Since I prefer to avoid butter as often as possible, I typically prepare salmon myself. A pan-seared salmon dinner only requires a few ingredients, many of which are often part of the Mediterranean diet, including lemon, olive oil, salt, pepper, and garlic.

We also use salmon in other meals, like breakfast. We'll pick up smoked salmon at Costco and pair it with eggs.

The Kirkland Signature prepackaged quinoa is a fantastic side that requires little prep.

Since I work full-time, it can be difficult to cook every meal entirely from scratch. On busy days, I reach for Costco's prepared foods.

The chain's rotisserie chicken might be a fan favorite, but I love its delicious quinoa salad, which is a great light side for dinner or lunch.

I'm not sure if it's a seasonal or limited-edition item, but I always keep an eye out for it. One container is large enough to last us a few meals.

We skip premade salads and get a spring mix instead.

In my experience, premade salads with "Mediterranean" in the title often have dressing ingredients that aren't up to snuff for me.

Instead, I make my own, using olive oil and lemon juice as the dressing. I like to pick up an organic spring mix from Costco to use as a base.

By chopping up some vegetables — carrots, cucumber, or whatever else I like — I can quickly make my ideal salad with the freshest available ingredients.

Click to keep reading Costco diaries like this one.

This story was originally published on October 24, 2023, and most recently updated on January 6, 2025.

• Growing evidence has linked alcohol to a higher risk of cancer. Can it be part of a healthy diet?
• The Mediterranean diet and Blue Zones diet, linked to longevity, both include wine in moderation.
• Wine's role in a healthy diet may be related to factors like stress relief and social connection.

Doctors, including the US Surgeon General, are sounding the alarm that drinking alcohol is linked to cancer — but some of the longest-living people in the world enjoy a glass of wine with dinner.

The Mediterranean diet, based on eating traditions in countries like Spain, Italy, and Turkey, is widely acknowledged as the healthiest way to eat.

Along with olive oil and whole grains, it includes wine in moderation — typically defined as one daily drink or less for women, two or less for men.

We want to hear from you about your drinking habits. If you're comfortable sharing with a reporter, please fill out this form. Note: We won't publish any part of your submission unless we contact you first.

Longevity "Blue Zones," areas of the world where people reportedly live longer, healthier lives, are home to rich wine-drinking cultures like Ikaria, Greece and Sardinia, Italy.

While some researchers say there are clear benefits of drinking wine — including a social outlet and a boost of antioxidants — others say there's no safe amount of alcohol.

So how come wine features in the healthiest diet? Here's what we know.

Can wine be good for you?

Some people live into their 90s or past 100 while enjoying wine, beer, or even whiskey.

One clear benefit is socializing.

Blue Zones are known for being hubs of community and support, and research suggests those strong social bonds contribute to longevity.

Drinking wine brings people together, which can relieve stress, reduce loneliness, and positively stimulate the nervous system. Plus, people who eat with friends and family tend to eat more moderately and mindfully.

The second factor is sustainability.

The healthiest diet is one you'll follow, and dietitians routinely emphasize that an all-or-nothing approach to eating (and drinking) can lead to cycles of restriction and binging, which damages your metabolism.

While that's no reason to start drinking, if you don't already, flexible habits make it easier to stick to a healthier lifestyle overall with a little indulgence in things you enjoy.

Several studies over the years have found some benefit to drinking in moderation such as lower risk of heart disease and dying early.

A 2023 study found light drinking was linked to lower risk of heart attack, especially in people with anxiety, suggesting it may have a benefit for reducing stress.

The risks of drinking wine, even in moderation

Alcohol is a known carcinogen (cancer-causing substance).

International agencies like the World Health Organization have warned that any alcohol consumption can increase cancer risk.

Heavy drinking — more than four drinks per session for women and five for men, or more than eight to 15 drinks per week — can lead to high blood pressure, liver disease, and higher risk of stroke, according to the CDC.

Cardiologists, oncologists, and gastroenterologists generally agree that drinking less is one of the biggest ways to reduce your risk of illnesses like heart disease and cancer.

Is natural wine better for you?

Natural wines are popular in the Mediterranean and Blue Zones like Sardinia, Italy, said researcher Dan Buettner in a 2023 docuseries on longevity.

Natural wines carry the same health risks as any alcohol, but they tend to have less sugar, fewer additives, and lower alcohol content.

As a result, natural wines may be a healthier drink option, helping to lower the risks associated with too much alcohol and sugar, and may offer more antioxidants than conventional wines.

Polyphenols, plant-based compounds found in berries, grapes, and wine, offer benefits such as improved gut health, research suggests.

However, wine by itself doesn't contain high enough amounts to back up the benefits seen from some polyphenols like resveratrol in health and longevity studies.

How to get the benefits of alcohol without drinking

If you're interested in cutting down your drinking, it's a good idea to talk to a doctor.

You can cut back on drinking by limiting the number of drinks you have per day or week and planning alcohol-free days.

You could also harness the social benefits of alcohol while drinking alcohol-free alternatives like kombucha or non-alcoholic beer.

• I'm on a budget and enjoy following a Mediterranean diet using ingredients from Trader Joe's. 
• Trader Joe's is my go-to place to buy olive oil and some affordable seasonal veggies. 
• I try to keep my kitchen stocked with Mediterranean classics like beans and fresh tomatoes. 

Each time I travel to the Mediterranean, I find myself falling in love with the food over and over again at every meal.

Many of the dishes are wildly fresh, and the Mediterranean diet emphasizes foods like fresh produce, whole grains, olive oil, fish, legumes, and eggs.

When I return to the US after a trip, I combat post-travel blues by enjoying many of the same foods at home. Fortunately, I've found that I can get many Mediterranean-inspired staples at Trader Joe's at a reasonable price.

Here are some of my favorite buys.

Olive oil is a staple in Mediterranean cooking for a good reason — it's simple and delicious.

I pick up Italian extra-virgin olive oil at Trader Joe's.

The best quality olive oil is extra virgin, meaning the oil is extracted the first time the olives are pressed for their liquid.

My favorite part about olive oil is its versatility. I use it as a nonstick agent on my pans, a base for sautéeing veggies, and a topper for added garnish and flavor.

Trader Joe's often has a large variety of fresh herbs.

When creating my shopping list, I prioritize what I can purchase fresh — especially when it comes to herbs.

After all, any dish can be elevated with fresh herbs.

If I know I need to use my herbs over an extended period, I put them in a resealable bag with a damp paper towel in the fridge to help extend their freshness.

A freshly sliced tomato adds the perfect crunch to a sandwich.

Trader Joe's has several tomato varieties, from cherry tomatoes for easy snacking to Roma tomatoes for making sauces.

I prefer to purchase tomatoes on the vine because I find they have a longer shelf life. Longevity is a priority because I'm only meal-prepping for one.

I know I can find fresh, in-season produce at my local Trader Joe's.

An essential part of the Mediterranean diet is eating whatever fruits and vegetables are in season.

So, I stock up on seasonal vegetables at Trader Joe's, where I find produce in season is often centerstage and reasonably priced.

I also like to check Trader Joe's website for recipe inspiration for my seasonal veggies.

Most of my dishes use onions and garlic.

There's a reason garlic and onion are classics in Mediterranean cooking: Both are delicious and high in natural antioxidants.

My Trader Joe's carries a wide selection of onions, so I always know it will almost always have the variety I want. However, I also love swapping basic white onions for the more delicately flavored shallot.

I like to dice onion and garlic, sauté them in olive oil, and store them in an airtight container in my fridge to use throughout the week for omelets, veggies, and pasta.

I make sure I'm always stocked up on canned beans.

I've found that beans are a popular source of protein for the Mediterranean diet.

I use canned beans to whip up quick dips and salads that pair perfectly with fresh sliced bread. Sometimes, I blend them with fresh herbs, pasta water, and lemon juice to make a creamy protein-packed sauce.

Pasta is my favorite comfort food, and Trader Joe's has plenty of varieties of it.

Although not necessarily a crucial part of the Mediterranean diet, pasta is a great base if you want to consume more legumes and veggies. Sometimes, I also top my pasta with a white-bean sauce to create a high-protein dish.

I like to stock up on several different pasta shapes so I never get bored mixing and matching them with new sauces.

Click to keep reading Trader Joe's diaries like this one.

This story was originally published on January 2, 2024, and most recently updated on January 3, 2025.

• I try to follow the Mediterranean diet and shop at Aldi for tasty, affordable groceries.
• I pick up my staples like lemons, balsamic vinegar, marinated artichokes, and raw honey.
• Aldi has quick meals like frozen seafood paella and gyros that also suit my nutrition goals. 

I'm a home cook and I enjoy making Mediterranean-diet-inspired dishes with a twist.

The Mediterranean diet is a flexible eating style that focuses on fresh produce, healthy fats, legumes, and whole grains — it also limits the intake of processed foods, red meat, and refined sugars. Doctors and dietitians have now voted it the healthiest diet for eight years in a row. 

Fortunately, the budget grocer Aldi has a lot of ingredients and freezer staples that make it easier to eat this way. Here are my favorite things to buy at Aldi when I'm trying to follow the Mediterranean diet.

Lemons are prominent in Mediterranean cuisines, and I use every part of the fruit.

Lemons are a grocery staple for me, as they're often the star ingredient in Mediterranean-inspired meals and drinks.

In addition to using it in recipes, I squeeze lemon juice in my water or tea every morning and put the zest in my nondairy yogurt as a midday snack.

Grapes are naturally sweet and make an excellent addition to charcuterie boards.

I love that grapes satisfy my sweet tooth without also giving me a sugar high.

Sometimes, I'll put Specially Selected grapes on charcuterie boards alongside manchego cheese, goat cheese, roasted almonds, toasted baguette slices, pine nuts, cucumber slices, bell peppers, and roasted-garlic hummus. 

I also like to slice grapes in half, freeze them, and drop them in my drinks like ice cubes to sweeten them without using sugar. 

Tomatoes are almost always on my grocery list.

Tomatoes are a hit in marinara sauces and Greek salads, but I think the fruits' true magic is their ability to maintain their flavor and texture in pretty much any dish. 

Roma tomatoes are always on my grocery list, whether I use them for minestrone soup or bake them into a puff pastry topped with feta cheese.

They also give me a dose of vitamin C, potassium, and lycopene, a plant nutrient in tomatoes that researchers have linked to several health benefits.

South Mill Champs' stuffed mushrooms stuffed are delicious and light.

I didn't always enjoy eating mushrooms, but incorporating more Mediterranean-inspired ingredients into my diet has inspired me to try more foods I thought I'd never like.

Now, I love making mushrooms at home. One of my favorite buys is the South Mill Champs mushrooms stuffed with spinach-and-artichoke filling. Since they're premade, I don't have to worry about following a recipe.

The mushrooms are small enough to serve as a side dish or to eat as a light snack.

A little bit of goat cheese goes a long way.

Even if I only add a small dollop of goat cheese to my salads and charcuterie boards, I still get a punch of tangy flavor. 

Aldi carries a range of goat cheeses, though I particularly love the Emporium Selection garlic-and-herb variety. It's great to spread on toasted crostini, and I recommend topping it with chopped tomatoes and avocado.

Park Street Deli's chickpea salad is packed with fiber and flavor.

There are so many things you can do with chickpeas, from putting them in salads and stews to making them into hummus and falafel. 

One of my favorite ways to enjoy them is in the Park Street Deli chickpea salad, which has edamame, cranberries, carrots, and bell peppers. The cranberries' sweetness cuts through the vinegar dressing's acidity, and the crisp bell peppers complement the edamame.

The Specially Selected oven-baked flatbread takes very little time to prepare and tastes excellent.

I like picking up Specially Selected flatbreads at Aldi, which tend to be large and full of flavor. They're also easy to customize. 

I love topping them with different Mediterranean flavors, like grilled chicken with feta, artichoke, spinach, roasted chickpeas, mushrooms, shallots, and goat cheese with pesto. I usually drizzle balsamic vinegar on top to finish it off.

 

Pestos pair well with flatbreads, pasta, hummus, and so much more.

Pesto makes a great base in so many recipes, and Priano often has different varieties of the sauce.

Its alla Genovese pesto is green, nutty, and garlicky. Its red rosso pesto is more tomato-forward and equally delicious.

I toss warm linguine in the green, basil-based pesto and spread the red, tomato-based pesto on flatbread. Sometimes I mix either into hummus to add some flavor or use them to season chicken, beef, veal, and seafood.

I keep Tuscan Garden marinated artichoke hearts in my pantry to dress up salads and pizzas.

Artichoke hearts and leaves have so many vitamins and minerals. 

Some people eat the Tuscan Garden marinated artichoke hearts straight out of the jar, but I like to experiment with them, whether I'm adding zest to simple salads or using them as a pizza topping. 

Savoritz Parmesan crisps are a high-protein, low-carb alternative to potato chips.

I don't focus on limiting or cutting out carbs, but I care about finding delicious alternatives that are better for my health.

Savoritz Parmesan crisps have 13 grams of protein and 1 gram of carbs per serving, which aligns with my nutrition goals. I like to crunch Savoritz Parmesan crisps over a Caesar salad or use them as crackers on a charcuterie board.

Priano balsamic vinegar adds a nice acidity to salad, pizza, and meat.

I use Priano's balsamic vinegar to make a Mediterranean-inspired salad dressing, combining high-quality olive oil, freshly squeezed lemon juice, garlic, and Italian herbs and spices.

I pour this mixture over romaine lettuce, tomato wedges, thinly sliced red onions, cucumber slices, and a chunk of Greek feta. Sometimes, I add a roasted marinated lamb leg or chicken breast to the salad for extra flavor and protein. 

When I can't decide which hummus I want, I choose Park Street Deli's pack of four.

Hummus is such a large part of Mediterranean cuisine that it needs no introduction. However, it can be hard to choose which flavor I want to have in my refrigerator until my next grocery run.

Park Street Deli's hummus quartet solves that problem by offering four flavors in one container: classic, roasted red pepper, roasted garlic, and cilantro jalapeño. I try to buy this variety pack whenever I can find it. 

Although I'm not a huge fan of jalapeño, I've spread this hummus on turkey wraps and avocado toast, and it isn't the worst combination I've ever tried.

 

Aldi's Mediterranean-herb salmon is an easy-to-prepare, delicious entrée.

Aldi's delicious Atlantic salmon tends to be affordable and it's the star of many of my meals. I especially like the one seasoned with Mediterranean herbs — they give the fish so much flavor.

I like to pair it with a vegetable medley that includes broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, carrots, and green beans.

The Mediterranean-herb salmon also goes well with Greek lemon potatoes or pasta in a light sauce with lemon and garlic butter.

The Bremer gyro-sandwich kit is a top-notch lunch option.

As a freelancer running my own business, it can be hard to pull myself away from work. 

Luckily, Bremer's gyro kit has everything I need for a quick lunch, including 16 ounces of fully cooked gyro meat, 8 ounces of tzatziki sauce, and five pieces of pita bread. 

The gyro meat can be warmed in the microwave or on a skillet for a quick, delicious lunch or dinner. 

 

When I can't make paella from scratch, I look for this Specially Selected frozen meal.

Spanish paella is typically made using a saffron-and-seafood broth, which gets absorbed into the rice during the cooking process. Then, seafood — like fish, shrimp, clams, squids, and mussels — adds the flavors of the Mediterranean Sea.

Whenever I can find it, I like to pick up Specially Selected's frozen Spanish seafood paella. It's a great meal for busy nights with pollock, shrimp, and calamari. 

I use raw honey in many Mediterranean-inspired recipes.

When I visited Spain and Greece in 2022, I liked seeing locals use honey to sweeten their meals and desserts. It's a smart, obvious, and natural way to enhance the flavors of Mediterranean cuisine.

I like to drizzle Specially Selected raw honey over rich Italian pizza to create a contrast between sweet and savory flavors or dip Greek doughnuts in a honey-and-cinnamon mixture. 

No matter how I use it, raw honey is a delicious way to add sweetness to a dish.

Click to keep reading Aldi diaries like this one.

This story was originally published on March 6, 2023, and most recently updated on January 3, 2025.

• The Mediterranean diet holds an eight-year streak of being the healthiest diet per doctors and dietitians.
• Along with similar diets like DASH, it's rich in whole, plant-based foods like legumes and veggies.
• Weight loss drugs have shaken up the diet industry, but healthy eating is still key for longevity.

The Mediterranean diet has been named the healthiest way to eat for the eighth year in a row.

Based on traditions in countries like Italy, Greece, and Turkey, the eating style swept the top spot in 12 categories (out of 21 total) for healthy eating in 2025, including Best Diet Overall, according to annual rankings from US News & World Report.

The Mediterranean diet earned a 4.8 rating out of 5 in the rankings.

It's rich in foods like whole grains, legumes, and leafy greens with fewer processed foods and refined sugars and a flexible approach to eating.

Rounding out the top four, the DASH diet, flexitarian diet, and MIND diet offer a similarly relaxed approach to eating nutrient-dense whole foods. They also align with simple, affordable ways to eat for a longer life, research suggests.

While it's not news that eating more veggies is good for us, the new insights offer a road map on using the latest research to find the diet that might work best for you — and how to avoid pitfalls in the diet industry, even as popular meds like Ozempic have shaken up how we think about eating and weight loss.

Healthy diets that are easy to follow

The top diets for healthy eating focus on whole, unprocessed foods, typically plenty of plant-based foods like fruits, vegetables, and grains, along with some seafood and lean proteins. They also don't follow a strict meal plan or rules, offering a lot of options and flexibility, although they discourage generally ultra-processed foods with a lot of added sugar, salt, and fat.

These were the top picks from the experts, listed in order from highest-rated to fourth place overall:

1. The Mediterranean diet is known for flavorful dishes full of herbs and olive oil, along with whole grains like farro, lots of legumes like chickpeas and beans, and fatty fish such as salmon and sardines. It's similar to eating habits in Blue Zones where people live longer, healthier lives on average.
2. The DASH diet is short for "dietary approaches to stop hypertension" and ranked number one for heart health. It's designed to reduce blood pressure and lower heart disease risk through eating more produce, whole grains, and lean proteins, and less saturated fat, salt, sugar, and alcohol without cutting out foods completely.
3. The Flexitarian diet is mostly plant-based with room for some lean meats, low-fat dairy, and eggs in moderation. It aims to make whole foods like veggies, grains, beans, nuts, and seeds the main focus of meals and snacks.
4. The MIND diet was developed with the help of Harvard researchers to incorporate elements of Mediterranean and DASH eating specifically for brain health. It focuses on incorporating more servings of berries, nuts, and whole grains to your diet while cutting back on red meat, fried food, and sweets.

Diets to avoid

While there was no single worst diet across all categories, short-term or quick-fix plans ranked lower along with more restrictive eating plans that eliminate many food options, as did plans with big claims not backed by strong scientific evidence.

Diets that ranked low on the list were:

• The Body Reset diet is a 15-day plan from a celebrity trainer. It includes three phases, a lot of smoothies, and major calorie restriction.
• The Autoimmune Protocol diet is an elimination plan that involves avoiding foods that might cause irritation. However, it can be tough to follow because of the long list of foods to restrict, which includes cutting out tomatoes, beans, potatoes, grains, nuts, seeds, dairy, eggs, and caffeine.
• The SlimFast diet is a weight loss program based on meal-replacement shakes and bars, which can be expensive, restrictive, and difficult to maintain.
• The Optavia diet is a low-carbohydrate weight loss program based on pre-packaged foods, which may be helpful short-term but can be hard to follow over time since it relies on specific products and cuts out many foods.

How to find the best diet for you

To compile the rankings, a panel of medical doctors, registered dietitians, and researchers evaluated 38 diets on factors like sustainability, nutritional completeness, and potential health benefits and risks.

This year's report rated each diet from 0 (worst) to 5 (best) across a range of categories, from overall best diet to best diets for gut health or mental health, and for managing specific conditions such as menopause, inflammation, high cholesterol, and IBS.

A key point is that none of the diets achieved a perfect score — not even the Mediterranean diet.

That's because personal details play a huge role in how well a diet can work, Gretel Schueller, managing editor of health at U.S. News, previously told Business Insider.

"There's no one-size-fits-all," she said. "You have to consider lifestyle and preferences."

Factors to consider include:

• which grocery staples you can reliably access on your budget
• how much time you have to cook
• which cooking skills you can realistically use on a regular basis
• foods that you and your family enjoy eating

"At the end of the day, it's about 'can I do this in the long term,'" Schueller said.

• Jennifer Aniston, 55, exercises regularly and keeps her diet in check with the 80/20 rule.
• The 80/20 rule involves eating healthily 80% of the time and being more lenient during the other 20%.
• "I give myself days where I can have whatever I want. I don't deprive myself," Aniston told Today.

Jennifer Aniston, 55, maintains a well-rounded health and wellness regimen.

In an interview with Today, the "Friends" star spoke about her workout routine and diet.

"I do 80/20. I give myself days where I can have whatever I want. I don't deprive myself," Aniston told Today. The 80/20 rule involves eating healthily 80% of the time and being more flexible for the remaining 20%.

She tries to have nutrient-dense meals 80% of the time, which involves eating lots of protein and salad and drinking "tons of water," she said.

Aniston also avoids extra salt or salad dressing and instead uses ingredients like vinegar to season her dishes.

"Stuff like that will create a taste that that is so delicious, where you're not just dousing everything with salt and butter or olive oil to make it taste good," she said.

Aniston said she's more lenient with what she eats the other 20% of the time: "It would be a cheeseburger and fries or Mexican food, pasta, pizza — all the stuff that's savory," she said.

Aniston also aims to exercise at least three to four times a week.

Aniston isn't the only celebrity who has spoken about using a version of the 80/20 rule to guide their diet.

Former NFL player Tom Brady also follows a variation of the 80/20 rule: He fills 80% of his plate with plant-based foods while the other 20% is lean protein.

The 80/20 rule can make it easier to stick to a healthy diet, since restrictive eating can sometimes result in obsessiveness and bingeing, Nichola Ludlam-Raine, a dietician, previously told Business Insider.

She added that no food's inherently "good" or "bad," and having a healthy diet also involves factors such as portion size and how often you eat certain foods.

"I eat chocolate every single day," Ludlam-Raine told BI. "Just not a family-sized bar."

A representative for Aniston did not immediately respond to a request for comment sent by BI outside regular hours.

• Evidence suggests that fermented foods such as kimchi can boost gut health.
• A diverse microbiome is linked to overall good health.
• The gut-health researcher Emily Leeming uses tricks such as adding kefir to salad dressing.

Fermented foods such as kimchi and pickles are great for supporting the gut microbiome, the trillions of microbes that help shape our health.

Made when live bacteria or yeast are added to ingredients such as tea, milk, or vegetables, fermented foods contain probiotics, the "good" bacteria in our guts. The microbiome contains "good" and "bad" bacteria. Eating a diverse range of fiber-packed plant foods feeds the good ones, while ferments are thought to introduce new "good" elements to the microbiome.

Emily Leeming, a microbiome researcher at King's College London, dietitian, and former private chef, told Business Insider that she tries to eat fermented foods every day.

Emerging research suggests that fermented foods increase the diversity of the gut microbiome, a key marker of a healthy gut, and reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes, according to a 2022 review in the journal Nutrients.

"We are really understanding more and more that this collection of a hundred trillion microorganisms are influencing every aspect of our health," said Leeming, the author of "Genius Gut: The Life-Changing Science of Eating for your Second Brain." And what we eat has a major influence.

Leeming shared four ways she adds fermented foods to her daily diet.

Using kefir instead of yogurt

Kefir is a fermented milk drink similar to yogurt but thinner in consistency and with more live microbes.

For this reason, Leeming tends to opt for kefir anytime a recipe calls for yogurt. She might put it in a smoothie or in overnight oats, for example.

"Kefir I find really easy to incorporate in different things," she said.

Keeping fermented veggies in the fridge

Leeming keeps fermented veggies such as sauerkraut, kimchi, and jars of fermented beetroot and carrots in her fridge and adds them to a dish whenever she thinks it'll enhance the flavor.

"I like to have a mix of different ones in the fridge as they last a long time and it means there's more flavourful variety rather than eating the same ones all the time," she said.

She likes to mix kimchi into rice-based dishes, for example, or sprinkle some fermented veggies on top of avocado toast or eggs.

"Nobody wants to eat kimchi on its own. You want to think how it fits into your dish," she said.

David Zilber, the former director of fermentation at the celebrated restaurant Noma, previously told BI that he always keeps pickled jalapeños, sauerkraut, and kimchi in his fridge.

Changing up salad dressings

As a chef, Leeming considers the taste of a meal to be equally as important as its nutritional value. One of her hacks for making any vegetable delicious is making a flavorful salad dressing.

For this, she always has a good quality extra-virgin olive oil in her store cupboard. EVOO is high in polyphenols, a compound responsible for the pigment in lots of plants that research suggests gut microbes break down into beneficial molecules, she said.

And to make it even more gut-friendly, she often adds kefir.

Using miso as a soup base

Miso is a paste made from fermented soybeans. Leeming suggested using it as a base for soups for "that umami, fermented kick."

Marika Mancino, a dietitian, previously told BI that miso is also a great lower-sodium swap for stock.

• Hanna Kim lost 22 pounds in a year when she changed her mindset toward weight loss.
• She tried fad diets for years but couldn't sustain them.
• Kim learned to be consistent, not perfect, and celebrate small wins.

After years of trying to lose weight through restrictive diets that didn't work and left her feeling deflated, Hanna Kim lost 22 pounds in 2021 and has kept it off. She shared the two biggest lessons she learned.

Kim, a 24-year-old YouTuber in Sydney, was stuck in a cycle of trying to lose weight through restrictive dieting, hating the process, giving up, and feeling like a failure. "It was just this endless negative loop," she told Business Insider.

It was only when she started to question why it wasn't working and educate herself on sustainable weight loss that she made progress. She learned that there is no quick fix for weight loss, but making small, healthy changes and focusing on health over appearance makes a difference, she said.

Previously, Kim led a fairly sedentary life, did no exercise, and ate a lot of fried food and takeout. She knew that jumping straight into a 45-minute HITT session would be overwhelming, but wanted to commit to some movement each day. She started by going on a 10-minute walk.

She also calculated how many calories she could eat while remaining in a calorie deficit, the state where you burn more calories than you consume. Experts agree this is necessary for weight loss.

She began to eat within her calorie budget, but she didn't cut out any foods. "I learned that I can be flexible with what I eat, so having a Kit Kat bar is fine as long as I'm within my calorie budget," she said.

Weight loss can be enjoyable

Kim used to have a negative association with weight loss because it made her feel terrible about herself.

But when she shifted her mindset to see it as an opportunity to invest in her long-term health and forming healthier habits, she saw it as a positive.

"It's a good thing. It's something that can be enjoyable and something that could be fun," she said.

Over time, she grew to love exercise and eating a more nutritious diet because she went in with a curious mindset. "It's something you should wake up looking forward to. What am I going to learn new today? What new recipe can I make today? What exercise is going to make me feel good today?" she said.

She saw the journey as a way to work on herself more generally and find what made her feel good mentally and physically.

It's not about perfection

Kim learned to take things slow and let go of perfectionism by accepting that she won't be able to stick to her regime 100%. By giving herself grace when she did eat more than her calorie budget for example, she was able to keep going on her health journey rather than give up like she had in the past.

"It's going to be a long-term investment, and everything that I do is ultimately going to make a difference," she said.

She found that being consistent was more important than being perfect and she celebrated "small wins" along the way.

• As a dietitian, I follow the Mediterranean diet, but that doesn't mean my family never eats out.
• Dunkin' is an easy place to grab breakfast when we're in a rush.
• I try to avoid overly sugary drinks, but I do order the occasional doughnut as a treat.

As a dietitian who tries to follow the Mediterranean diet, I eat a lot of veggies, beans, whole grains, lean proteins, and healthy fats.

However, in a pinch, my family and I sometimes have to lean on fast food, especially when we're traveling.

When I visit Dunkin' with my 9-year-old daughter and my husband, I opt for protein-rich options and try to limit any added sugar and sodium.

Here's what I ordered for everyone on our last Dunkin' run.

A hot latte gives me a kick of caffeine.

It's tempting to go for a flavored coffee at Dunkin', but some of them have more sugar than a doughnut.

For example, a small Dunkin' hot coffee with caramel-swirl flavoring has 26 grams of added sugar, while a vanilla sprinkle doughnut only has 16 grams.

Instead, I skip the added sweeteners. Since some dairy is permitted on the Mediterranean diet, a classic latte made with 2% milk gives me the caffeine boost I need without a sugar rush.

Plus, dairy milk adds some protein and nutrients (like calcium).

I'm a fan of the omelet bites.

Although they're processed — aka not very Mediterranean-diet friendly — I love Dunkin's omelet bites for a protein-packed breakfast.

Two of the egg white and veggie bites contain a whopping 13 grams of protein, which keeps me full. As a bonus, they help me get a small start on my daily veggie goals.

My husband's beverage of choice is iced green tea.

My husband, who has elevated blood pressure, enjoys an unsweetened green iced tea.

Some research suggests that green tea may help lower blood pressure, particularly in individuals with hypertension. The catechins and other bioactive compounds are associated with helping relax blood vessels, promote healthy blood flow, and reduce the strain on the cardiovascular system.

The iced, unsweetened version at Dunkin' has no sugar, and there's little to it in terms of calories and sodium, so he tends to get a larger size.

Dunkin's avocado toast is also a good pick for my husband.

Avocado toast is my husband's top food pick at Dunkin', which is convenient for his health needs and our diet.

Avocados are a good source of potassium, a mineral that's also been found to help lower blood pressure. Dunkin's avocado toast contains 371 milligrams of potassium, which is over 10% of the daily recommended intake for men.

Pairing avocado with whole-grain toast provides him with a satisfying on-the-go option that has heart-healthy monounsaturated fats, 6 grams of fiber, and 6 grams of protein.

Orange juice is my daughter's drink of choice.

Although my daughter doesn't follow any kind of strict diet, I often feed her along the principles of the Mediterranean diet since that's how my husband and I eat.

Even though the juice contains quite a bit of natural sugar from the fruit, I'm OK with her drinking a serving of orange juice (which I portion out from the slightly larger Simply Orange bottle sold at my Dunkin').

It provides her with nutrients like vitamin C and antioxidants. Plus, it helps her get closer to her fruit quota for the day.

She likes the wake-up wrap.

It's not very Mediterranean-diet friendly, but my daughter likes the egg-and-cheese wake-up wrap at Dunkin'.

The serving is relatively tiny, and there isn't a whole grain or veggie in sight, but I'm happy that the 7 grams of protein help keep her satisfied when we're in a pinch.

Plus, the eggs add some vital nutrients, like choline, which is essential to supporting brain health.

I firmly believe an occasional treat can fit into a balanced diet.

Although the Mediterranean diet doesn't allow for a lot of processed foods or added sugars, an occasional treat isn't going to completely throw us off.

Dunkin' is known for its doughnuts, so we usually let our daughter pick the variety and split one between the three of us.

I think it's OK to sometimes eat food purely for the pleasure it provides. By sharing, we reduce the risk of overindulging without feeling deprived.

• Ultra-processed foods, which contain additives, have been linked to cancer, diabetes, and depression.
• Nutritionist Rob Hobson tried to eliminate them from his diet as much as possible last year.
• Now, he incorporates them into his diet in a way that works for him.

Since deciding to cut down on ultra-processed foods a year ago, nutritionist Rob Hobson has developed a more "realistic" view of how they fit into a healthy diet, he told Business Insider.

UPFs have made headlines this year as public awareness grew of the potential health risks of eating too many. Studies have linked a diet high in UPFs to a higher risk of 32 illnesses, including type two diabetes, cancer, depression, and cardiovascular disease.

UPFs tend to be highly marketed, shelf-stable, and hyper-palatable, making them easy to overeat, Hobson previously told Business Insider. Soda, candy, and fast food are obvious examples.

At first, Hobson, who is based in the UK, tried to eliminate UPFs from his diet as much as possible and to cook everything from scratch. "I was like a vigilante," he said. But now he incorporates them into his diet in a way that works for him. "I eat less ultra-processed food, but in a way that still makes it easy and convenient to eat. So there's certain foods now that I don't worry too much about, the healthier UPFs," he said.

Hobson, who still limits his intake, shared three changes he's made.

Healthier' UPFs for cooking

Cooking from scratch three times a day simply became too time-consuming, Hobson said. So now he uses some "healthier" UPFs in his cooking to "make life easier."

Previously Hobson would have been strict about only making a pasta sauce from canned tomatoes and fresh produce, for example, but now if he's strapped for time or energy, he's happy to pick up a pre-made sauce from the store. However, he still checks labels and looks for the items with the fewest ingredients.

"I still believe the first port of call is cooking everything as much as you can from scratch. But I'm not going to give myself a hard time about buying a tomato sauce, I'll just buy the best one I possibly can," he said.

Some UPFs are nutritious

Foods like packaged wholemeal bread, and baked beans, which are popular in the UK, might be considered ultra-processed because they contain additives, but unlike soda and cookies, they do have nutritional value.

"These foods still have a lot of fiber. They still contain protein. But they do contain a few additives," Hobson said.

He includes UPFs he considers healthier in his diet if he doesn't have time to cook from scratch or simply is craving them, he said. But he'll still aim to make it a balanced meal by adding some vegetables, a side salad, or some grains.

Eat unprocessed — no cooking required

Over the past year, Hobson learned that putting different foods together on a plate is the easiest way for him "to eat unprocessed."

"Just putting plates together rather than thinking you have to create a proper big meal with lots of ingredients," works well, he said. Cooking a piece of fish or chicken and pairing it with some potatoes and vegetables is simpler than following a recipe and making, say, a pasta dish or a curry, he said. Hobson often adds bags of pre-cooked grains, too.

"It's great to spend time in the kitchen when you have the time, but then when you don't, you have to find all these ways of eating that are really simple," he said.

• Bogus health advice is widespread online, and often follows a few strategies.
• Misinformation can harm a person's physical and mental health.
• Look out for big claims and conspiratorial tones, Dr. Idrees Mughal advised.

A doctor who challenges nutrition misinformation online and wrote a book about common tricks, listed red flags to look out for.

Health misinformation can cause real damage to physical and mental health so it's crucial to learn how to spot it, said Dr. Idrees Mughal, a medical doctor with a master's degree in nutritional research.

Mughal was speaking last month at an online nutrition misinformation conference hosted by the Royal College of Medicine and the nutrition organization Nutritank.

It's impossible to be knowledgeable about all health claims, but being able to spot patterns can help you spot fakery, Mughal said.

He are his three red flags:

Absolute language

Words like "most," "top," "worst," "best," "always," and "never" do not belong in health advice because they don't consider individual differences, Mughal said. "No one who is truly evidence-based would use terms like these."

People have different needs and goals, and no one ingredient or diet can be the top way to eat for the whole population, he said.

Take nuts for example: They are a good source of fiber, protein, and healthy fats, and some studies suggest that eating them regularly is linked to longevity. But nut allergies are widespread, and can be fatal — so the advice won't work for everyone.

A quick fix

"The promise of a quick fix is always a massive red flag," Mughal said.

People are much more receptive to things that can be done fast. Silver-bullet-type content tends to garner more engagements, clicks, and likes, he said.

But chronic diseases that can be impacted by our lifestyle choices, such as obesity, type 2 diabetes, and cardiovascular disease, require a long-term lifestyle management treatment plan. "If you didn't develop them overnight, you're not going to fix them overnight," he said.

Creating an 'us versus them' mentality

Health misinformation can undermine public health and lead to mistrust in medical professionals, Mughal said.

Some wellness influencers leverage this mistrust to market themselves and create an "us versus them" mentality, he said.

Rather than providing evidence-based information, they might say things like, "The healthcare industry doesn't want you to know this. I'm about to let you in on a huge secret," which frames them as an expert with hidden knowledge, he said. At the same time, it encourages you to distrust the more established authorities

"It's a very kind of predatory wellness marketing tactic," Mughal said.

• Fibrous foods like beans, nuts, and seeds feed the "good" microbes in the gut.
• Most Americans are not meeting the daily recommended fiber intake.
• Emily Leeming opts for whole grains instead of white carbs and sprinkles seeds on her breakfast.

When it comes to your gut health, eating enough fiber is crucial.

Emily Leeming, a dietitian and gut microbiome researcher at King's College London, told Business Insider how to improve.

From our immune system to our emotions, a growing body of research suggests that the state of our gut health affects the whole body.

The gut microbiome, the trillions of "good" and "bad" microbes that live in the digestive lining, is heavily shaped by what we eat, said Leeming, the author of "Genius Gut: The Life-Changing Science of Eating for Your Second Brain."

The Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommends adults eat 14g of fiber per 1,000 calories. They say more than 90% of women and 97% of men do not.

Leeming, who used to work as a private chef, takes a simple approach to meeting her daily fiber goal, while keeping her meals tasting good.

She shared four tips for easily adding more fiber to your diet.

Stock up on high-fiber foods

Leeming knows which foods are particularly high in fiber and she makes sure to add them to her shopping list.

"There are high-fiber foods that probably surprise people like dark chocolate and avocados," she said. One avocado is about 10 grams of fiber, and two pieces of dark chocolate contain about two grams.

Leeming focuses on what she calls the "B-G B-Gs," which stands for beans, greens, berries, grains, and seeds.

"It's the beans, whole grains, nuts and seeds that tend to contain more fiber than the fruits and vegetables," she said, adding that fruits and veggies are of course still important.

She said berries tend to be higher in fiber than other fruits because they contain seeds.

Make your grains wholegrain

Wholegrains such as oats, quinoa, wild rice, and wholemeal bread, are great sources of fiber, Leeming said. Opting for a wholegrain such as brown rice over its white counterpart is an easy swap that will up your fiber intake, she said.

"I absolutely love pasta. So I do wholegrain pasta," she said. Leeming also adds legumes such as beans or lentils to dishes to up the fiber content even more.

"I'm a really big fan of beans and lentils with tomato sauce and some green veggies or maybe a salad on the side," she said.

Sprinkle nuts and seeds on top of any dish

Sprinkling some mixed nuts and seeds over a dish is a quick way to add some more fiber into your day.

"You can add them to anything. It could be your breakfast in the morning, it could be a salad that you've just made," Leeming said.

Chia seeds and flax seeds are particularly high in fiber, she said. Chia seeds contain about 30 grams of fiber per 100 grams, and 20 grams of flax seeds provide about 6 grams of fiber.

Keep healthy snacks in your line of sight

Leeming also keeps a jar of mixed nuts by her kettle so that she can snack on them when she goes to make a cup of tea.

"The things that I want to eat more of, I keep in my line of sight. That just visually prompts you to go for them as a first step," she said.

• A Greek doctor and nutrition scientist says it is possible to eat healthy on a budget.
• She cooks beans a few times a week, and recommends choosing small portions of meat.
• At home, she uses a DIY spread made from 50% butter and 50% olive oil, to make her toast healthier.

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Dr. Artemis Simopoulos. It has been edited for length and clarity.

Former chair of the nutrition coordinating committee at the National Institutes of Health, Dr. Simopoulos is founder and president of the Center for Genetics, Nutrition and Health in DC, a nonprofit focused on nutrition education.

I have dedicated my life to studying and eating good food. It's the dearest topic to me.

Scientifically, there is no confusion about how to eat to promote health and longevity. I think all the conflicting and overhyped diet advice you see has been created strictly for financial and political reasons.

So I want to tell you a little bit of my history, and what I've discovered over my 68-year career studying diet and chronic disease.

I hope this information will help you choose foods that will nourish your body, in an affordable, sustainable, delicious way.

In Greece, traditional diets included fresh produce, fish from the sea, lots of olive oil and sourdough bread

As a girl growing up in Kalamata, on the southwestern edge of the Peloponnesian peninsula, I found fresh food everywhere. On the weekends, we would visit our family farm, about 15 minutes outside the city. Traditionally, most Greeks had something like that, a place they could go to pick up fresh food, whether it was their own farmland or a daily market.

At our farm, we had olive trees, figs, pomegranates, walnuts, anything you can imagine. It was very easy for us to have fresh vegetables, fruit, and fish from the Messenian Gulf on the table. Greek people are very proud of their food, and like to make it very fresh. This was especially true when I was growing up, in the 1940s and 50s, as there wasn't much refrigeration outside the big cities.

We'd supplement local foods with some fatty tinned fish from Norway, like smoked herring or cod. That was especially useful on Fridays, when most Greeks, following the Greek Orthodox church tradition, don't eat any meat. But in general, our diet was pretty low on meat back then. We would eat small quantities of lamb, and some chicken. There was no beef. The backbone of our diet was legumes, like chickpeas, black eyed peas, and northern beans, great for soups and cold salads, plus lots of sourdough bread. People would also hunt and eat some wild birds, which are rich in iron, fostering healthy hemoglobin.

We also had many protein-rich snacks, like lupin beans, which people would often turn into a pickled snack with a little salt. My favorite sweet treat was a Kalamata dried fig stuffed with walnuts and almonds. What a shock it was when I arrived in America for college!

When I arrived in the US for college, I was shocked to find white flour everywhere

When I arrived in New York for college, snow wasn't the only thing that was new, fluffy, and bright white. I discovered that white flour was everywhere in the American diet. Chocolate-chip cookies, chicken à la king, and bread that tasted like cotton to me. I wasn't used to this, and it was a difficult adjustment.

In Greece, I was raised on thinner sauces created with lemon, olive oil, white wine, and maybe some butter. All of this rich, thick, floury food in the US was so different. I couldn't eat half of the meals they served in my dormitory. Sometimes I'd just have Swedish rye crackers with some cheese on them for dinner.

On the weekends, the Greek students would ride the subway downtown to a restaurant near Times Square called The Pantheon. What a great time we'd have, sitting around dishes of lamb and potatoes, big fresh Greek salads, and sharing fruit for dessert.

Once I moved to Boston for medical school, it was easier to get fresh, good food. There were plenty of Greek markets within walking distance of where I lived, and I had my own little kitchenette where I could prepare meals.

I have developed some traditional recipes, which I share in my Omega-3 diet book, but I tell people you don't have to be Greek to eat well, which is why I also have a new book called "The Healthiest Diet for You: Scientific Aspects," which I've made available for free online.

History tells us you can eat well and save money

For thousands of years, people around the world have found their own ways to eat a balanced, nutrient-rich diet that's aligned with their genetics.

While it's true the traditional Greek eating plan is great for health and longevity, naturally staving off many chronic diseases, the Greeks were not alone in figuring out how to source local, abundant items that were good for their hearts and minds. In South America, there are Chia seeds, in China, Camellia trees.

The key thing everyone has in common in these traditional eating plans is a focus on fresh foods, like omega-3-rich leafy greens, plus plenty of other vegetables and a base of legumes for protein.

Most traditional diets are rounded out with small amounts of meat, and fatty fish, as well as plenty of nuts.

It's an inexpensive, and sustainable way to eat. We don't need to buy into all these new highly-processed meat-free alternatives, or vegan and gluten-free packaged treats, which are not health foods.

I always advise my friends to select the freshest local meats and fish they can find. Some complain that this is a pricey strategy, so I tell them 'eat half as much.' You don't really need to spend so much money. Replace a third of the meat you eat with beans on the plate. We ought to be a lot more conscious and respect food.

It's this issue of imbalance, piling oil, sugar, and white flour into everything we eat, that I believe is at the core of the modern chronic disease epidemic in the US. Our processed foods are to blame. But I don't want people to lose hope. You can eat a healthy diet.

I take care to ensure, for example, that my eggs are rich in omega-3 — an essential fatty acid our brains need to thrive. In the late 1980s I did some studies comparing American chicken eggs to Greek eggs from my farm and found the ratio of essential fatty acids, which should be 1:1, was in complete balance on the farm, while in the US it was higher than 20:1! I couldn't believe it.

Even in Greece things are rapidly changing, and it's really sad. We all need to get back to our plant-based diets. For the Greeks, these were diets rich in local greens, extra virgin olive oil, and sourdough bread.

My simple trick: add olive oil into your diet — you can even mix it with butter

My recommendation: Cook beans at least a couple of times a week. Snack on nuts and seeds instead of processed foods filled with sugar and white flour, which are stripped of the nutrients and plant compounds that our bodies need to function well.

And if you can only start with one thing, may I recommend one of my favorite home cooking hacks? Mix your butter or your canola oil in a 1 to 1 ratio with extra virgin olive oil.

My butter and olive oil mix makes a great healthy spread for toast, while my go-to cooking oil mixture of 50% organic canola and 50% EVOO is a science-backed way to balance nutrition by improving the polyphenol composition of your meals and the anti-inflammatory properties of the dish.

Enjoy!