For most of us, eating in line with the Mediterranean diet is a smart choice. Theres solid research that basing your diet around vegetables, fruit, beans, nuts, seeds, and whole grains can:
The Mediterranean diet also allows for some animal protein mostly chicken and fish, and some dairy foods. And pasta, red meat, and sweets are limited, but not forbidden. It includes foods that people like to eat, so its pretty easy to follow and sustainable. Its less about whats off limits, says Samantha Cassetty, RD, a nutrition and weight-loss expert with a virtual nutrition counseling practice based in New York City.
Still, changing your diet isnt easy. Every day you make about 200 food decisions its overwhelming, Cassetty says. On top of that, youre making decisions about your family, your work, and every other aspect of your life.
And then theres the time commitment. Most people dont find spending 30 or 40 minutes cooking and cleaning at night all that delightful it feels like a chore, Cassetty says. So its easy to default to takeout or something thats quick and convenient, but less healthy.
Having a plan can help. It can help you develop a strategy and game plan. Having healthy items in place can help you work on your process and reach your goals, Cassetty says.
It can save you some time, too. With the Instant Pot, you dont have to stand over it and watch your pot boil it frees up your hands to do other things. If you want to fold a load of laundry or check off some emails, it gives you some time to do that. And because its all happening in one place, it reduces cleanup. You havent made too much of a mess, Cassetty says.
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Cassetty is also a fan of the Instant Pot for Mediterranean diet meal prep. She says almost every week she makes a big batch of quinoa with equal parts quinoa to vegetable or chicken broth, cooked for one minute. It comes out perfectly. Youre just steaming it in there, she says.
She also like to prep chicken breasts with some broth, garlic, or Italian seasoning. She cooks them for 12 minutes and lets the pressure release naturally, then shreds it to add to salads, grain bowls, or tacos. You can add other seasonings and transform it into any number of weeknight dinners, she says.
Beans, brown rice, and hard-boiled eggs would also be good choices for meal prepping foods for the Mediterranean diet.
And Cassetty points out that foods dont have to come from Italy, Greece, or other Mediterranean countries to satisfy the diets requirements. You can follow its principles with foods that come from other locations and cultures. For example, bean and veggie tacos in a whole-grain corn tortilla shell would fit within the framework of the diet.
Americas Test Kitchens "Mediterranean Instant Pot" cookbook is filled with complete meals you can cook in your Instant Pot. Next time youre thinking of turning to takeout or convenience foods, prepare one of these one-pot meals instead:
This dish blends garlic, lemon, and olives in a to-die-for combination.
Prepared in single-serving ramekins, these frittatas are loaded with veggies and perfect for breakfast or lunch all week.
For this recipe, you cook the bulgur first, and you can finish preparing the tabbouleh salad while the fish is cooking. You could substitute haddock or striped bass for the cod.
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Transitioning to the Mediterranean diet? Your Instant Pot can help - NBC News
