Easy pasta salad · Marinated focaccia and mozzarella sandwich · Panzanella · Roasted vegetable hummus with zhoug · Niçoise anchovy salad · Galette-style vegetarian pie. Between 1 and 3 in the afternoon is when we have lunch, it is the main meal of the day. It's the most abundant meal of the day, and studies have shown that when you eat your most abundant meal earlier, you eat less the rest of the day. A lunch Monday through Friday is usually plant-based.
I like a lunch rich in vegetables and, of course, olive oil, but I avoid foods with a lot of starch that can make me feel sleepy at the end of the day. A typical lunch at this time could be a vegetable casserole, such as green beans, peas, or beans. In summer, it may look more like an eggplant or zucchini casserole. It is cooked with olive oil and accompanied with a slice of bread and a little bit of cheese.
I'll finish the meal with some fruit, usually something seasonal and something local. In general, when thinking about meals, you'll want to collect some favorite options and recipes for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks. You don't want to get stuck in a routine or feel like you have restrictions on what foods you can or should eat. Luckily, there's a lot of room for change with the Mediterranean diet. Here are some examples of foods you can enjoy.
You may want to make some lunches the day before so they're ready to pack or take them out of the refrigerator as needed. While it is true that there are guidelines, there are no real rules or restrictions; instead, Mediterranean diet recipes emphasize enjoying healthy fats and plant-based dishes with a moderate amount of dairy products and minimal amounts of red meat, processed foods and added sugar.
