The Mediterranean Diet for Canadians (With a Grocery List)

The Mediterranean diet is the single most-studied eating pattern in nutrition science. It has been associated with reduced risk of cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes and cognitive decline in dozens of large cohort studies. Translating it into a Canadian grocery cart takes a little work — but not much.

The principles

Eat mostly plants. Prefer fish and legumes over red meat. Use olive oil as the primary fat. Minimise ultra-processed food. Eat slowly, socially when possible.

A one-week Canadian grocery list

Produce: tomatoes, spinach, bell peppers, Ontario cucumbers, carrots, red onions, garlic, lemons, oranges, apples.

Pantry: extra-virgin olive oil, Canadian-grown green lentils, chickpeas, whole-grain pasta, oats, walnuts, almonds.

Protein: Atlantic salmon or BC-caught salmon, sardines, eggs, Greek yogurt, feta cheese, chicken breast.

Drinks: water, unsweetened tea, optional red wine (1 glass max for women, 2 for men).

Simplest swap to start

Replace one meat-based dinner a week with a lentil-based one, and switch your primary cooking fat to olive oil. That covers most of the benefit for most Canadians.

The bottom line

You don’t have to move to Greece. Two dinners a week built around lentils, chickpeas or Canadian-caught fish — cooked in olive oil with a ton of vegetables — will pull most of the benefit.

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