How to place fruits and vegetables in the center of your plate
This is day 2 of Well's Mediterranean Diet Week. To start at the beginning, click here.
I'm not telling you anything you don't already know: fruits and vegetables are nutritional superstars, packed with essential vitamins and minerals, as well as antioxidants, anti-inflammatory compounds, and gut-healthy fiber.
Such nutritional riches may explain why people who regularly eat fruits and vegetables tend to live longer and have a lower risk of high blood pressure, cardiovascular disease and some types of cancer.
Yet most people in the United States do not consume enough.
American cuisine tends to relegate fruits and vegetables to small portions or side dishes, such as a few apple slices or florets of cooked broccoli. But in the Mediterranean diet, products play a leading role.
The Mediterranean diet is an eating approach that emphasizes whole, mostly plant-based foods – with health benefits backed by decades of research. Although exact recommendations vary, at least one serving of fruit and one serving of vegetables is generally needed with each meal some guidelines further suggestions). Below we offer strategies to do just that, along with some recipes selected by our colleagues from NYT Cooking.
What to keep on hand
During the winter I like to stock up on what's in season: leafy greens, root vegetables, winter squash, citrus fruits, pears, apples. But in spring I celebrate the appearance of crispy asparagus, rhubarb, peas and strawberries.
This is what I look for in the supermarket:
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Fresh fruits and vegetables for snacks, salads and side dishes
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Canned goods for use in soups, salads, and sandwiches, such as pickles, olives, and diced tomatoes
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Frozen fruits and vegetables that you can easily steam, stir-fry, or toss into anything you're cooking, like peas, corn, broccoli, spinach, peppers, blueberries, strawberries, and peaches
Try to include a variety of products with different colors and textures so that you get a healthy mix of nutrients.
Meal ideas that the center produces
For each day of our Mediterranean diet series, we and our colleagues at NYT Cooking have selected a few recipes that incorporate the ingredients we're highlighting. This isn't meant to be a one-day meal plan, but rather inspiration for how you can incorporate more of these healthy foods into your week.
Toss one before breakfast bananasome leafy vegetablesfrozen berries, yogurt and a handful of seeds for a quick smoothie. For mornings that call for something warm, try Mark Bittman's frittata that is more vegetable than egg – it is “proof that good food does not have to be deprivation,” says Mark.
For lunch, you might have a big bowl of salad greens, piled high with whatever you have on hand: a handful of chopped cucumber and tomatoes, a scoop of chickpeas, some leftover quinoa, a dash of feta, a drizzle of olive oil.
But if you have time to cook, consider Hetty Lui McKinnon's cashew nuts and celery stir-fry, an 'uncomplicated yet elegant' dish with a generous amount of tofu and dark leafy greens. There is also Ali Slagle's Kale and pumpkin bowl with jam eggswhere eggs lie among vibrant vegetables in a bowl of brown rice.
For a quick no-recipe dinner, you can stir-fry some vegetables with ground turkey and serve it with brown rice. If there is time to simmer the soup, try Ham El-Waylly's vegetable tortilla soup, with purple cabbage, sweet potato, chipotle peppers and pinto beans, topped with avocado. Or for a different set of flavors, Yewande Komolafe's vegetable maafé – an earthy stew that goes “all in on produce” with green plantains, pumpkin and savory vegetables. And for an evening that calls for something more exclusive: Melissa Clark's citrusy roast chicken with pears and figsPacked with caramelized fruit and fresh herbs, it is the definition of sweet and savory.
If you're craving something sweet for dessert, consider fresh fruit – try the refreshing Kay Chun savory fruit saladwhere fresh fennel, mint and lime juice complement the natural sweetness of the fruit.