Eating Healthy on the Mediterranean Diet

LUNGevity Foundation and Cancer Wellness Center

Read time: 3 minutes.

Oncology dietitian Lori Bumbaco takes us on a culinary journey, exploring why experts consistently rank the Mediterranean diet as the number one choice for healthy eating. In addition to the studied health benefits, Lori highlights the unique foods and flavors that make this diet special and provides simple, practical tips on how to incorporate them into your daily meals.

In the video below, Lori offers a firsthand look at how easy and enjoyable it can be to prepare Mediterranean-inspired dishes that are both delicious and nutritious. She even puts on a cooking demonstration, showing how to prepare and cook three of her favorite meals.

You can watch the full video below, or use the timestamps to find the sections you’re interested in. Feel free to download the full presentation and use this collection of healthy Mediterranean recipes.

For more health, diet, and wellness resources, visit the Cancer Wellness Center website.

Introduction to the Mediterranean Diet: 3:30-14:00

Lori covers the must-know features of a Mediterranean diet. She explains how it’s different from other diets and outlines the key characteristics, such as:

Including lots of minimally processed fresh foods
Eating fish and seafood twice per week or more
Using moderation in eating poultry, eggs, cheese, and yogurt
Reserving red meat and sweets as a “treat”
Including olive oil in most meals

Impacts on Health and Cancer: 14:00-19:40

This section focuses on the health benefits and research studies associated with the Mediterranean diet. Lori spends time talking specifically about cancer and how studies have linked this diet with a lower cancer risk compared to a standard American diet.

What Are You Eating on the Mediterranean Diet? 19:40-33:30

This is the section where Lori really dives into the different foods and ingredients that are common in this diet, including the spices that give these foods a rich flavor profile.

Cooking Demonstration & Answering Questions: 36:00-68:00

Lori answers audience questions and invites us into her kitchen for a cooking demonstration of these three meals:

Savory Breakfast Toast
Herb and Freekeh Salad
Cauliflower Shawarma

The recipes for these three meals can be downloaded here.