Eating is an essential part for our body to get the fuel it needs to operate. If we fuel it correctly, that is, in a way it fits our individual nutritional needs, then we'll most definitely will have better health. However, those needs vary from person to person, depending on our overall life habits like sedentary behaviours, possible chronic diseases, amount of sleep and even depends on what part of the globe we live in.

People who live in countries with less sun, therefore less probability to get vitamin D, will have different nutritional needs than me, since I live in a sunny place. Here in Portugal, the Mediterranean diet is the most known and classified as balanced.

Here's the guidelines of the Mediterranean Diet for adult population 👇

_{Source - Fundación Dieta Mediterránea}

This type of diet incentivizes the consumption of vegetables and fruits from season and if possible buying them from local farmers and producers. As you can see in the image, water intake is at the base of the pyramid. According to the Fundación Dieta Mediterránea,

A DAILY INTAKE OF 1.5 TO 2 LITRES OF WATER SHOULD BE GUARANTIED. A GOOD HYDRATION IS ESSENTIAL TO MAINTAIN THE CORPORAL WATER EQUILIBRIUM, ALTHOUGH NEEDS MAY VARY AMONG PEOPLE BECAUSE OF AGE, PHYSICAL ACTIVITY, PERSONAL CIRCUMSTANCES AND WEATHER CONDITIONS.

As for the main course, its composition is rather simple and obvious too. Everyone knows vegetables are an essential part for us to intake a proper amount of vitamins, minerals and fiber. In order for the organs and the body to function properly we should consume them every single day. More specifically they

SHOULD BE PRESENTS AT LUNCH AND DINNER; MORE OR EQUAL TWO SERVINGS PER MEAL, AT LEAST ONE OF THE SERVING SHOULD BE RAW.

So, veggies are all set and now we need to think about the side dish. For our carbohydrate intake we should consume

ONE OR TWO SERVINGS PER MEAL IN THE FORM OF BREAD, PASTA, RICE, COUSCOUS AND OTHERS. PREFERABLY WHOLE GRAIN, SINCE SOME VALUABLE NUTRIENTS (MAGNESIUM, PHOSPHORUS, ETC.) AND FIBRE CAN BE LOST DURING PROCESSING.

What about the seasoning you ask, dear reader?

_{Photo by ubert}

Here in Portugal most of the people use olive oil for cooking and it's also the recommendation in this type of diet.

It is rich in Vitamin E, beta-carotenes and a type of vegetal fat (monounsaturated) that helps prevent cardiovascular diseases.

Other herbs, spices as well as garlic and onions are great as well 😊. As for dairy products they recommend two portions everyday, the best being yogurts because they are fermented. This is because,

Fermented dairy products (yogurt, bio, etc.) are associated to a series of health benefits since they contain live microorganismes capable of improving the balance of our intestinal microflora.

Lastly, in order for our plate to be complete there's still a need for some protein. This can come from eggs, white meat, red meat, fish or seafood, eggs and even legumes. The general recommendation is that we vary between all of these, being the red meat or processed meat the less recommended (less than 2 portions/week).

Meat contains proteins, iron and animal fat in variable quantities. An excessive intake of animal fat is not healthy. Therefore, small amounts of meat are recommended, lean meat whenever possible and as a part of a dish with a cereal and vegetable base.

And what about desert? 😋😋😋 Well... The recommendation is to consume less than 2 portions a week 😭😭😭 (note to self - yes I have a sweet tooth).

So this is what I would consider a balanced and healthy eating but there's an important question to be asked! Am I adopting all of these recommendations into my eating habits?

Well... Simply put, the answer is no 😅😅. I actually have a bit of a problem in reaching my veggie intake... I never liked vegetables that much unless they were in my soup and there are a lot of which I really don't like to this day. In this regard, I could be considered like a teenager complaining about everything 😆.

As for the fruit, it actually depends... I tend to be sloppy due to my laziness in peeling the fruit (note to self - yes, I'm a teen here too) so I usually don't diverge a lot from the same fruits. Whenever I realise I haven't been eating fruits for a while I tend to eat a lot. Actually I'm eating a banana right now so I can pat myself on the back today heheh.

For my side dishes I usually vary from potatoes, pasta, rice and eggs. I love pasta and eggs the most 😍. I really want to eat more legumes and that's one of my main goals to improve my eating habits. To consume more legumes as a replacement for meat consumption. For the seasoning I love olive oil so I use them in every meal 😍. I'm a very lucky person because my grandparents have olive trees and we make our own olive oil, which I'm very grateful for ❣️

As for dairy products, I stopped drinking cow milk almost 8 years ago and I never liked yogurts that much so I don't eat them for years too. However I did find alternatives for this and what I like the most is oat milk which I consume everyday. I also love cheese but I try to consume it in a balanced way because it has more saturated fat 🤗.

Meat and fish are the main products I consume for my protein intake. Over the last few years I've been trying to reduce my meat consumption by half and my goal for now is to only eat it 3 times/week. As for red meat, I try to eat it only on rare occasions.

And about the sweets (note to self - oh boy, now I'm in trouble!) I really pass my max quote quite often here 😅. I do have a sweet tooth and I always loved chocolate 💜 I try doing my best to control myself and I've progressed a lot since my teen years, trust me. I was that child that ate all the chocolates there was in the house and hide the papers behind the radiator so no one could find out it was me 🤣🤣🤣. Yap, no kidding ahaha. It's a story of great laughter whenever my father tells the story of how much papers of chocolate he found one day 😇😇.

Actually, even to this day I do not share my chocolates very willingly to be honest 😝 (note to self - only child yes 😆). And that's the main reason my boyfriend always asks for me to share with him whenever he sees me eating something sweet. He doesn't even like it that much! It's just to mess with me - he says I need to learn to share better 💕.

So ultimately, in order to improve my health I would like to consume more vegetables as well as more diverse fruits. I would also like to reduce the amount of meat I eat so I'm trying to eat more fish through my week and I've learned a few vegetarian and vegan recipes so I can vary more and therefore have a more complete and balanced fuel to my body 😊.

That's it from me this week dear reader! I really hope you liked and maybe even learned a little bit more details about the Mediterranean diet 😊 I had a lot of fun once again in writing this for #qotw!

I thank you for your time reading my post 🙏

Take care 🙌

References: FUNDACIÓN DIETA MEDITERRÁNEA