Sharing with you my first day following a “Mediterrenean” diet

Being on a diet is really hard, especially if you were used to eating lots of sweets, and if “chocolate” is your passion. All this talk is erased when we stick on the idea of “getting more fit”, and feeling “less heavy”. To return back to our normal body shape, we might need to exchange all the sugary stuff we were eating with fruits or vegetables.

I am sharing with you my first day of being on a “Mediterranean” diet.  This kind of diet high in olive oil, nuts, fish and fresh fruits and vegetables. It may help prevent heart disease and strokes, according to a study from Spain.

So, today, I mostly focused on eating lots of fresh fruits, and other healthy foods.

 

Breakfast:

For breakfast, I ate a strained yogurt “labneh” sandwich in oat bread. Then, I ate whole grains cornflakes, with some fresh blue berries. Greek yogurt contains a higher protein density than regular yogurt. The protein in Greek yogurt is largely casein protein.

 

 

 

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration claims that oats, as part of an overall heart healthy diet, could lower the risk of heart disease.

 

Snacks: Instead of a chocolate bar (which I already miss), I replaced this sugary snack with healthy fruits. For today, I chose apricots and Kiwi.

Apricots are an excellent source of vitamin A (in the form of pro-vitamin A carotenoids), and a goodsource of vitamin C, copper, dietary fiber, and potassium.

Kiwi Containing almost 20 vital nutrients, including five times the vitamin C of an orange in one serving, kiwis can legitimately be called a super fruit. This fuzzy brown powerhouse with the bright green flesh also is rich in vitamin A, K, E and B, potassium, copper, folate, and fiber.

 

Lunch: Sweet and Sour Chicken on steamed rice:

Benefits: According to livestrong.com, Chicken is high in protein, an essential major nutrient that makes up most of your cells. In fact, at 59 protein grams, the chicken in one serving of sweet and sour chicken contains almost all of the daily protein recommended by Merck’s online medical resource. Chicken is also high in iron, calcium, niacin and vitamin B6. The pineapple, onions and bell peppers in sweet and sour chicken make it high in vitamins A and C, which are antioxidants; in potassium, which supports bone health; and insoluble fiber, which supports digestion.

Recipe: 

Ingredients:

• 1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breast meat – cubed
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1/2 cup sliced green bell pepper
• 1/2 cup sliced red bell pepper
• 1 cup carrot strips
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 1/4 cup low sodium soy sauce
• 1 (8 ounce) can pineapple chunks, juice reserved
• 1 tablespoon vinegar
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

 

Directions:

1. Brown chicken in oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add green bell pepper, red bell pepper, carrot and garlic and stir fry for 1 to 2 minutes.
2. In a small bowl, combine cornstarch and soy sauce and mix together; pour mixture into the skillet, along with the pineapple and liquid, vinegar, sugar and ginger. Stir together and bring to a full boil.

What will I have for dinner? 

Green tea, strained yogurt, with cucumbers and tomatoes.

Tomatoes are also an excellent source vitamin C, biotin, molybdenum, and vitamin K. They are also a very good source of copper, potassium, manganese, dietary fiber, vitamin A (in the form of beta-carotene), vitamin B6, folate, niacin, vitamin E, and phosphorus.

 

Cucumbers are an excellent source of vitamin K and molybdenum. They are also a very good source of the pantothenic acid. They are also a good source of copper,potassium, manganese, vitamin C, phosphorus, magnesium, biotin, and vitamin B1. They also contain the important nail health-promoting mineral silica.