Mediterranean Diet Patterns & Southern Cuisine
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Food represents more than just energy to us. It’s a big part of our cultural heritage and family traditions passed down from generation to generation. Nourishing food can look different depending on diet patterns. Let’s review some common Southern food staples that align with Mediterranean diet patterns, and review simple sample meals to prepare at home.
Standard Southern fare like red beans and rice, gumbo, and jambalaya all have plants (veggies), a grain or starch (rice), a protein food (seafood, chicken). Adding in some healthy fats, swapping refined for whole grains, and upping veggies is a great way to follow the Mediterranean diet pattern. How the food is prepared is another way to make adjustments for added health benefits.
Let’s first review the foods that are common Southern staples but line up perfectly with the Mediterranean diet eating pattern.
Vegetables
- Black eyed peas
- Bell peppers
- Celery
- Carrots
- Collard greens
- Corn
- Green beans
- Green onion
- Leeks
- Navy beans
- Okra
- Onions
- Red beans
- Russet potato
- Sweet potato
- Tomatoes
- Great northern white beans
Grains
- Grits
- Brown rice or wild rice
- Cornmeal
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Proteins
- Buffalo
- Chicken
- Crab
- Crawfish
- Fish (catfish, red snapper, white perch)
- Oysters
- Shrimp
Fruits
- Apples
- Bananas
- Grapes
- Honeydew melon
- Kiwi
- Nectarines
- Oranges
- Peaches
- Pears
- Strawberries
- Watermelon
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Healthful tips for everyday Southern meals:
- Try grilling, baking =m and using an air fryer versus deep frying cooking methods
- Swap in leaner meats like turkey, fish, shellfish, buffalo, and chicken vs. using pork and beef
- Add more veggies to dishes, such as collard greens, bell peppers, onions and green beans, and more
- Change up your dry ingredients for breading to ½ cup cassava flour and ½ cup cornmeal for air frying. Cassava flour is high in fiber and nutrients! Almond meal is also an option.
- Try a few plant-based meals, like red beans and rice without meat
- Swap in omega-3-rich healthy oils when cooking, like olive oil and avocado oil
- Choose more whole grains like brown rice and whole wheat flour versus white rice and white flour