Mediterranean diet meal ideas from Spanish dietitian

• The Mediterranean diet has numerous health benefits.
• A Spanish dietitian shared an example day of eating on the diet.
• A traditional Spanish breakfast is toast with olive, oil, tomatoes, and salt.

A Spanish dietitian shared an example day of eating on the Mediterranean diet, which is widely considered one of the healthiest ways to eat.

Following the Mediterranean diet has been linked with a range of health benefits including a lower risk of heart disease, stroke, cancer, and Alzheimer’s disease, as Business Insider has previously reported.

Spanish dietitian Alba Santaliestra, who lives in Zaragoza, a city in between Madrid and Barcelona, told Business Insider that she encourages clients to pair the vegetable-heavy eating plan with a healthy lifestyle.

Santaliestra shared an example day of eating a Spanish-style Mediterranean diet.

Breakfast: Toast with tomatoes

“One of the healthiest breakfasts in Spain is toast with traditional bread, not widely manufactured, soft bread.” Santaliestra said. “The bakeries here make really, really good bread.”

Choose wholemeal bread without any artificial additives, she said. Toast it and top with olive oil, fresh, sliced tomatoes, and a pinch of salt.

Add a piece of fruit on the side for more nutrients and fiber, and a protein source such as a glass of cow’s milk, a milky coffee, or a natural yogurt.

“The tradition in Spain is to use milk products,” Santaliestra said.

Lunch: Potatoes, vegetables, and meat

Traditionally, lunches and dinners in Spain might be made up of two dishes, Santaliestra said. Vegetables should be a large serving, with smaller servings of wholegrains or potatoes and protein, she said.

So for lunch, the first dish might be vegetables cooked in olive oil with potatoes or legumes (such as beans), followed by fish or meat.

Santaliestra said some families prefer to cook everything together though, and nowadays people often take leftovers in a tupperware to their workplaces.

Snack: Nuts or tortilla

Potato tortilla (also known as a Spanish omelet) is generally eaten as a mid-morning snack, Santaliestra said.

She also recommends snacking on a handful of plain nuts without any coatings or salt, as they provide nutrients and healthy fats.

Dinner: Fish with vegetables and rice, or a vegetable omelet

Lunches and dinners are generally quite similar, Santaliestra said.

Santaliestra recommends people balance their protein sources evenly between meat, fish, legumes, and eggs. So if you’ve had meat for lunch, you might have fried eggs or fish with vegetables and rice or potatoes for dinner.

Santaliestra regularly makes egg-based dishes such as omelets and frittatas containing vegetables, such as peppers, onions, and mushrooms, as a quick dinner in the evening, she said.

Dessert: Fresh fruit with natural yogurt

Although processed foods are common in Spain, like much of the world, ideally a traditional Spanish dessert on a day-to-day basis would be some fresh fruit with natural yogurt. Be sure to choose one free from additives and flavorings, she said.