The Health Benefits of Fruits and Vegetables in the Mediterranean Diet

This is Day 2 of Well’s Mediterranean Diet Week. Start at the beginning here.

I’m not telling you anything you don’t already know: Fruits and vegetables are nutritional superstars, packed with essential vitamins and minerals, as well as antioxidants, anti-inflammatory compounds and gut-healthy fiber.

Such nutritional riches may explain why people who regularly eat fruits and vegetables tend to live longer and have reduced risks of high blood pressure, cardiovascular disease and some types of cancer.

Yet most people in the United States don’t consume enough.

American fare tends to relegate fruits and vegetables to small portions or side dishes, like a few apple slices or florets of cooked broccoli. But in the Mediterranean diet, produce plays a starring role.

The Mediterranean diet is an approach to eating that emphasizes whole, mostly plant-based foods — with health benefits backed by decades of research. Although exact recommendations vary, it generally calls for at least one serving of fruits and one serving of vegetables at every meal (though some guidelines suggest even more). Below, we offer strategies for doing just that, along with some recipes selected by our colleagues at NYT Cooking.

What to keep on hand

During the winter, I like to stock up on whatever is in season — leafy greens, root vegetables, winter squash, citrus fruits, pears, apples. But come spring, I’ll celebrate the appearance of crisp asparagus, rhubarb, peas and strawberries.

Here’s what I look for at the supermarket:

• Fresh fruits and vegetables for snacks, salads and sides

• Canned goods to use in soups, salads and sandwiches — like pickles, olives and diced tomatoes

• Frozen fruits and vegetables that are easy to steam, stir-fry or toss into whatever you’re cooking — like peas, corn, broccoli, spinach, bell peppers, blueberries, strawberries and peaches

Aim to include a variety of produce with different colors and textures so you can get a healthy mix of nutrients.

Meal ideas that center produce

For each day of our Mediterranean diet series, we and our colleagues at NYT Cooking have selected a few recipes that incorporate the ingredients we’re highlighting. This is not intended to be a meal plan for a day, but rather inspiration for how to include more of these healthful foods in your week.

For breakfast, throw a banana, some leafy greens, frozen berries, yogurt and a handful of seeds into a quick smoothie. For mornings that call for something warm, try Mark Bittman’s more-vegetable-than-egg frittata — it’s “proof that eating well doesn’t have to be deprivational,” Mark says.

For lunch, you might have a big bowl of salad greens piled high with whatever you have around — a handful of chopped cucumber and tomatoes, a scoop of chickpeas, some leftover quinoa, a sprinkle of feta, a drizzle of olive oil.

But if you have time to cook, consider Hetty Lui McKinnon’s cashew and celery stir-fry, an “uncomplicated but elegant” dish that includes a generous amount of tofu and dark, leafy greens. There’s also Ali Slagle’s kale and butternut squash bowl with jammy eggs, where the eggs are nestled among vibrant vegetables in a bowl of brown rice.

For a quick no-recipe dinner, you might stir fry some vegetables with ground turkey and serve it over brown rice. If there’s time for soup to simmer, try Ham El-Waylly’s vegetable tortilla soup, featuring purple cabbage, sweet potato, chipotle peppers and pinto beans, topped with avocado. Or for a different set of flavors, Yewande Komolafe’s vegetable maafé — an earthy stew that “goes all in on produce” with green plantains, butternut squash and hearty greens. And for a night that calls for something fancier, Melissa Clark’s citrusy roast chicken with pears and figs, loaded with caramelized fruit and fresh herbs, is the definition of sweet and savory.

If you’re craving something sweet for dessert, consider fresh fruit — try Kay Chun’s refreshing savory fruit salad, where fresh fennel, mint and lime juice complement the natural sweetness of the fruit.