How To Follow A Balanced Vegan Diet Inspired By The Mediterranean Diet?

Both the Mediterranean and vegan diets include daily consumption of fruits, vegetables, and cereals, which are the basis of the diet; however, while for the Mediterranean diet, the protein and omega-three intake take place through the intake of meat and fish, vegans replace animal proteins with vegetable ones (legumes) and omega 3 with portions of nuts, dried fruit, and oilseeds.

In short, apparently, if the vegan diet is balanced, correct, and not improvised, it would not entail any nutritional deficiency but only enormous benefits for our health. Compared to the Mediterranean diet, vegans must consume at least 5 servings of legumes a day along with cereals, drink calcium-enriched water and take vitamin B12 supplements, the only one not available naturally in foods.

For the rest, it is very similar to the Mediterranean diet that prefers cereals and carbohydrates, fruits and vegetables, every day. The vegan diet is not only synonymous with well-being but is also more sustainable for the environment in which we live, compared to other forms of food.

Even the world of catering is therefore adapting to these new food trends, preferring the birth of restaurants and clubs that offer alternative menus to traditional ones, based on natural, organic, vegetarian and vegan dishes. Going out for dinner will no longer be an insurmountable problem and looking for a place suitable for our eating style is becoming affordable for everyone

How to follow a balanced vegan diet inspired by the Mediterranean diet?  using the foods of the culinary tradition of the Mediterranean basin with criteria and not forgetting the pleasure of taste.

The Mediterranean diet is a healthy and balanced diet, useful for keeping healthy and fit, and to which you can be inspired to follow a balanced vegan diet, which combines health with ethics. 

Mediterranean diet and a vegan diet: similarities and differences 

those who choose to follow a vegan diet do so above all out of respect for the life of animals and, secondly, to protect their health and that of the environment.

A vegan diet is definitely ethical and has a smaller ecological footprint than an omnivorous diet.

As for the impact on health, Mediterranean and vegan diets – if followed correctly – can both protect the body from chronic and degenerative diseases, keep the body healthy and fit for longer and make us age better.

The vegan diet, compared to the Mediterranean one, must however be developed in such a way as to guarantee all the nutrients necessary to avoid deficiencies dangerous to health.

The Mediterranean diet is a healthy and balanced diet and is considered one of the best diets to keep healthy and fit.

The Mediterranean diet involves a daily consumption of fruits, vegetables, legumes, cereals, olive oil, and moderate consumption of milk and derivatives, meat, and eggs, while fish is recommended twice a week.

The consumption of products of animal origin guarantees the supply of high-quality proteins and vitamins that are not contained in vegetables, such as vitamin B12 while the consumption of fish guarantees the supply of essential omega-3 fatty acids.

The vegan diet instead excludes any type of product of animal origin, so those who have chosen to follow a vegan lifestyle do not consume milk and derivatives, meat, fish, eggs, honey, and other bee products; if carried out correctly, the vegan diet can still be balanced and safe and promote a good state of health.

Compared to the Mediterranean diet, the vegan diet provides for daily consumption of nuts and seeds to ensure the intake of Omega-3, and a greater intake of legumes, the main source of protein for those who have chosen to exclude foods of animal origin: in the vegan diet, in fact, it is recommended to consume two portions a day of nuts and seeds while the daily portions of legumes rise to five, three more than those recommended in the Mediterranean diet.

A Mediterranean diet is a balanced and healthy diet, recommended by nutritionists and dieticians. Initially rich in meats (especially white), in recent times it is slowly transforming and adapting to the new food trends of the population.

Of course, it is not enough just to serve a vegan dish, but to be a good local! A choice of taste and quality, elegance and refinement at the same time, could be the Pastinaca Restaurant, a new idea of traditional vegetarian cuisine with international nuances, to amaze even the most demanding customers

Can the Mediterranean diet be a vegan diet?

well technically, no, as it is a varied diet that – in addition to the consumption of fruits and vegetables, cereals and legumes – provides that, several times a week, fish and white meats are eaten. 

However, the Mediterranean diet, with some modifications, can be reconciled with the vegan diet. The elimination of animal proteins can in fact be compensated with a greater intake of legumes and cereals. In addition, the principles of the Mediterranean diet go well with those of the vegetarian diet: think of environmental sustainability, the protection of local traditions and biodiversity, and respect for the seasonality of products.

The Mediterranean vegan diet – as long as it is balanced – is a healthy diet, with purifying and digestive properties. At the base of the food pyramid of the Mediterranean vegan diet, there are some foods that should be present at the table daily: vegetables and fruits, rich in fiber, minerals, and vitamins; and cereals (rice, pasta, bread, barley, oats, millet, quinoa ..), sources of complex carbohydrates.

Cereals, especially if wholemeal, guarantee a gradual release of glucose in the body, increasing the feeling of satiety, and – thanks to fiber – promote intestinal regularity. Fundamental is also the contribution of legumes, which for vegetarians become almost unique sources of essential amino acids. Thanks to them, cholesterol and glucose levels in the blood are lowered. If the Mediterranean diet recommends 2-3 servings per week, with the vegetarian regimen the amount should be increased. It is better to introduce the necessary proteins to your body through legumes rather than by taking cheeses and eggs, to be limited to 2-3 times a week.

Another protagonist of the Mediterranean vegan diet is extra virgin olive oil, a source of unique fatty acids and phytonutrients. Used in moderation to season vegetables, it promotes the absorption of vitamins of groups A, D, E, and K. To flavor the dishes in a healthy way, the addition of herbs and spices is recommended. Of course, the Mediterranean vegetarian diet should also be accompanied by moderate but regular physical activity and the intake of plenty of water. To be limited, however, the consumption of sweets.

The important thing, if you choose to follow a vegetarian Mediterranean diet or even a vegan Mediterranean diet, which – in addition to meat and fish – also excludes eggs, milk, and derivatives, is to be able to satisfy all the nutritional needs of your body, adopting a balanced and healthy diet.

Can the Mediterranean diet and the vegan diet find a meeting point? Obviously yes. 

The Vegan Mediterranean diet starts from the Mediterranean tradition, obviously eliminating all the products of animal origin that are contained in it, such as meat, fish, dairy products, and eggs. Greens, therefore, to cereals, legumes, vegetables, fruits, seeds, dried fruit, olive oil, and seed oil. If you want to add food products of animal origin you can but to a limited extent.

For each group there is the jute amount of food to be taken: the dish includes cereals, vegetable protein foods (such as legumes, produced with gluten or soy, so no proteins of animal origin), vegetables, fruits, foods rich in omega-3 fatty acids.

It is a low-fat diet that, according to experts, helps to nourish the body well, with the proper nutrients and the right calories, but also allowing it to feel good and healthy. And it could also become a therapeutic measure to be combined with the therapies usually used.

In short, not a diet so impossible to follow, after all. If we can also eat fish, meat, and dairy products every now and then, as long as we overdo it, it can be done!