I used to have a terrible diet that was heavy on processed foods, red meat, and sugar and low on vegetables and whole grains. Worse still, I would graze all day, snacking rather than sitting down to meals.
In July 2019, I made a radical change, cutting out all meat (except for fish) and adopting a Mediterranean diet filled with lots of colorful fruit and veg, whole grains, healthy fats, seafood, and occasional dairy.
Read on for the 12 things that have surprised me the most since starting the diet.
The variety is endless, so it hasn’t felt restrictive
I never thought I would be the type of person to find vegetables exciting, but now I get it.
I’m so energized and excited to plan, prepare, and eat my meals in a way that I never was before starting on the Mediterranean diet.
Switching was a lot easier than I anticipated because there’s nothing boring or restrictive about eating this way – it never feels like deprivation.
I’ve discovered all of these amazing and delicious flavor combinations I never knew about. For example, I’m obsessed with golden and red beets with feta, spinach, and quinoa at the moment.
It’s a constant learning process, and I’ve never been a more eager student, experimenting with different herbs and spices on fish and vegetables to see which ones work best. Last week, I discovered rose harissa makes zucchini practically dance in my mouth.
My meals are also a lot more balanced, so I don’t need to snack like I used to.
I used to love steaks, cheeseburgers, bacon, even raw red meat – one of my favorite dishes in restaurants was steak tartare.
I thought I’d really struggle without it, but amazingly, I don’t miss it at all. I’ve also realized that my body wasn’t made for red meat and that bloating and intense stomach cramps don’t need to accompany every meal I have.
That was one of the near-instantaneous benefits I noticed when I started following a Mediterranean diet. I no longer had stomach pains after every meal and waistbands were no longer a source of massive discomfort.
But I’ve really had to up my intake of legumes, like lentils and chickpeas, in addition to having fish and eggs a couple of times a week, to ensure I’m getting enough protein in my diet.
It’s true that preparing a dish, even a salad, requires more effort than opening a bag of chips. But I’ve been able to find some great, easy meals on the Mediterranean diet.
I grew up in New York, so takeout is practically part of my DNA, and I’m happy to report that when I’m feeling lazy, or I have a craving for delivery, it’s as easy to order Mediterranean-diet friendly choices as it is to go for burgers or pizza.
A veggie moussaka is the most warming comfort food on a cold winter’s day.
Also, you can find precooked (or frozen) quinoa, lentils, brown rice, and more, so if you’re in a rush, you can have a healthy meal in minutes just by tossing a few ingredients together and heating them up.
It can be a cheap alternative
Seafood, fish, avocados, and certain types of olive oil can all be costly. Fortunately, it’s really easy to make budget-friendly swaps and still stick to a Mediterranean diet.
Canned tuna, beans, and vegetables as well as frozen fish are all cheaper alternatives. Plus making your own dips, like hummus, is easier and tastier than most supermarket alternatives.
Additionally, you can batch-cook and freeze meals to save cash and help them last longer.
You can also spend a lot on this food, especially if you go to local delis
One of the reasons it’s so easy to stick to a Mediterranean diet is that it’s so readily available today.
Within a few blocks of my place, there are two cafe-delis that stock everything from homemade baba ghanoush and hummus to cupboard and fridge staples like quinoa, feta, fresh fish, and Halloumi. They also sell premade salads, grilled vegetable dishes, soups, and more.
Gallery: I tried eating like Tom Brady for a week, and it required a lot of extra hot sauce (INSIDER)
I tried eating like Tom Brady for a week, and it required a lot of extra hot sauce
I tested Tom Brady’s new TB12 Performance Meals, said to be inspired by his own diet regimen.
My meals included herb-roasted chicken, roasted cod, and citrus shrimp.
The frozen meals only took five minutes to prep, but some lacked flavor.
Seeing as he’s about to play in his tenth Super Bowl at the age of 43, it’s clear that Tom Brady knows a thing or two about keeping his body in tip-top shape.
So when I heard that Brady was releasing a line of prepared meals designed to help anyone “achieve their own peak performance,” I knew I needed to test them out.
The TB12 Performance Meals, created with The Good Kitchen and inspired by Brady’s own nutrition regimen, are shipped frozen and ready to eat after just a few minutes in the microwave. The Good Kitchen sent the meals to me for review at no cost.
But would they taste any good? And would they get the approval of a nutritionist and trainer? I decided to find out.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback has credited this method, which he’s written a book about, as the very reason he can still play competitively in the NFL. His diet mainly consists of plants and lean proteins, and he doesn’t touch tomatoes, peppers, mushrooms, white flour, white sugar, dairy, MSG, or coffee.
But nutritionists and researchers have called out Brady’s diet in the past, saying there’s “actually very little scientific evidence” to support his claims.
“In many ways, the TB12 diet is similar to the alkaline diet,” he said. “In both cases, the goal is to reduce the acidic nature of the body through food. There’s only one problem: The body does this naturally through the function of the kidneys and urine. This is just one way in which the diet really fails to follow the actual science of nutrition.”
“There are many aspects of the TB12 diet that we do like, such as its emphasis on unprocessed foods high in fiber such as veggies, nuts, seeds, most fruits, and legumes,” Molloy continued.
“However, we believe their dogmatic approach of telling people they should never have certain foods goes too far,” he added. “Extreme approaches where we label food as ‘good’ or ‘bad’ typically leads to lack of compliance, and in extreme situations eating disorders such as orthorexia.” Orthorexia is an obsessive fixation on healthy eating.
I had no plans to cut tomatoes or sugar out of my diet anytime soon, but I did want to see if Brady’s meals would make me feel more energized before a workout.
I usually eat the exact same thing for lunch almost every day — a Greek salad with some kind of protein and half an avocado. So I was excited to change things up and see if Brady’s meals would give me a boost, especially before some of my more brutal virtual bootcamp classes.
I decided to eat Brady’s meals for lunch through a full work week to see if I would feel a significant difference.
The Good Kitchen provided five different meals for me to review:
Herb-roasted chicken and vegetables
Roasted cod with succotash and chermoula sauce
Chicken satay with cilantro rice and broccoli
Citrus shrimp with quinoa and spiced cauliflower
Roasted chicken breast with lentils and kale
Brady’s Performance Meals currently ship across the US. They’re priced at $12.99 for subscription meals and $14.76 if you buy them a la carte.
I started my week of eating like Tom Brady with the herb-roasted chicken and vegetables.
Brady’s herb-roasted chicken and vegetables features citrus- and herb-marinated chicken breast with vegetables including Yukon gold potato, carrots, Brussels sprouts, red onion, and cremini mushroom, all tossed in an herb and Dijon vinaigrette, according to The Good Kitchen website. It contains 416 calories, 35 grams of protein, and 23 grams of carbohydrates.
The dish is also described as “spicy,” which I was excited to see since I drench almost everything in hot sauce.
Prepping lunch was easy enough. All I needed was a microwave.
According to the instructions on the back, I needed to pop my meal into the microwave for “three to five minutes.” While cooking, the clear film over the tray would inflate into a dome.
The instructions advised to stop the microwave as soon as the dome began to deflate. “You may also hear air escaping the dome,” it added.
I heard a pop just before four minutes were up, so I decided to take the tray out. I could see the dome just starting to deflate as I opened the microwave.
I had everything cooked and plated within five minutes, and the dish looked pretty impressive.
I loved the fall colors of the dish. It actually reminded me of a protein bowl I might get from one of my old lunch spots in New York City.
The chicken was a bit chewy, but it was seasoned nicely. And while the vegetables were a bit bland, they had cooked well in the microwave and paired nicely together. After a few bites, I also added some pepper and fresh cilantro to brighten up the flavors, as well as some hot sauce to give the dish a bit more of a kick.
Overall I thought the meal was pretty good. It reminded me of the basic but filling hot meals I would get at Westside Market by my apartment in the East Village on nights when I was too exhausted to cook.
But when the clock hit 2:30 p.m., I was surprised to find that I was starting to feel a bit hungry again. I had assumed the meal would keep me feeling full for hours.
The next day, I tried the chicken satay with cilantro rice and broccoli.
This dish includes cage-free chicken thighs which are grilled “in a satisfying yellow curry and almond butter sauce,” according to The Good Kitchen website. It’s paired with cilantro rice and “antioxidant-rich broccoli.” Per Brady’s diet, it also includes no cane sugar. There are 31 grams of protein, 449 calories, and 35 grams of carbohydrates.
As with the herb-roasted chicken, this dish claims to be spicy and lists cayenne as one of its other ingredients.
After another five-minute prep, I was ready to dig in.
The chicken satay was one of the least memorable of the dishes that I tried. The chicken was a little chewy again, the broccoli was bland, and I could only taste a bit of the yellow curry paste.
For there to be so many spices listed in the curry’s ingredients, I was shocked that I wasn’t getting more flavor from the dish — or any heat. I added more pepper, hot sauce, and fresh cilantro again, along with some kimchi to help make the meal feel more vibrant.
On Wednesday, I decided to try the roasted cod with succotash and chermoula sauce.
Brady’s dish features a “light, flaky cod filet” with “an herbal North African green sauce” paired with lima beans, yellow squash, and zucchini, along with seasonings that include cumin, paprika, coriander, and crushed red pepper, according to The Good Kitchen website.
As with the last two meals, it claims to be spicy.
The dish has 31 grams of protein, 533 calories, and 28 grams of carbohydrates.
I had a feeling frozen fish in the microwave would be risky, and my fears weren’t unfounded.
The roasted cod was very dry and a bit tough, so I may have overcooked it even though I only had it in the microwave for around three minutes and 30 seconds.
I did love the lima beans and squash, which were flavorful — especially with some of the green sauce on top. But I did add some avocado to round out the meal, along with, yet again, a lot of hot sauce.
The next day I tried the roasted chicken breast with lentils and kale.
This Brady meal features chicken breast, lentils, and kale, along with seasonings that include garam masala, garlic, thyme, Dijon mustard, and apple cider vinegar.
The dish has 411 calories, 46 grams of protein, and 20 grams of carbohydrates.
This dish was definitely my least favorite of the bunch.
The roasted chicken breast with lentils and kale seems to no longer be available on The Good Kitchen website, which I think is the right call.
After I took the tray out of the microwave, I saw the beans were floating in little puddles of water. The chicken was still tough, although it wasn’t as chewy as the cod from the day before, and the flavor was bland overall.
But I did like the lentils and could actually taste the seasoning, and they paired nicely with the kale.
I also added some avocado and feta to the dish, as well as the usual hot sauce.
Last but not least was the citrus shrimp with quinoa and spiced cauliflower.
Brady’s dish includes “fresh flavors of lemon, parsley and turmeric,” along with “savory garlic, coriander, and olive oil,” according to The Good Kitchen website. It is advertised as giving your “Vitamin C fix,” as well as “anti-inflammatory spices,” and “complete plant protein.” Once again, the dish claims to be spicy.
The dish has 439 calories, 33 grams of protein, and 34 grams of carbohydrates.
Of the five meals I tried, the citrus shrimp was easily my favorite of the bunch.
The dish, for starters, just looked really pretty. The colors of the shrimp and cauliflower were so vibrant, and really stood out after a week of meals that mostly consisted of neutral colors.
There was tons of flavor and I could really taste all the spices that had been put in the dish. Plus the cauliflower tasted great, and wasn’t too tough or too soft.
The quinoa also paired perfectly with the shrimp and veggies. While I did end up adding more hot sauce and avocado, they really enhanced the dish instead of masking any blandness.
After testing the taste of Brady’s meals, I decided to see how they stacked up both nutritionally and from a training perspective.
Molloy told me that it was good the meals all contained at least 30 grams of protein, which research has shown is “critical for lean muscle mass growth.”
“As you can imagine, lean muscle is very important for most sports, and also is one of the best predictors of longevity as well,” he added.
Molloy was also pleasantly surprised to see “complete protein sources” in the meals, rather than an emphasis on plant-based proteins.
“I do like the minimalist ingredients used in the meals,” he added. “In general, unprocessed foods provide better satiety cues and control appetite substantially better than refined and processed foods. This is great for people who are looking to drop weight, but for athletes, it’s a double-edged sword. Some processed foods such as rice, oats and other whole grains can provide added easy energy for training and competition.”
Molloy did find that while the meals are a great option for the average person, an athlete would need to “eat substantially more food overall to support their athletic endeavors.”
My trainer, Mike Michalski of Variant Fitness, agreed that the meals would be good for someone like me who exercises four to five times a week but isn’t doing rigorous training.
“Quick meals, with great ingredients, and with a proper macronutrient profile are not easy for everyone to prepare and fit into their diets on a regular basis,” Michalski said. “These meals certainly help to make that process that much easier.”
There are definitely some Brady meals I would try again.
I don’t think the TB12 Performance Meals made a huge change in my energy levels during my workouts, but it was nice to mix things up for a change and try different protein and carb combinations.
And while I would definitely recommend the shrimp and herb roasted chicken dishes, I think Brady’s meals could benefit from a bit more flavor — and a lot more heat!
Representatives for TB12 Performance Meals did not immediately respond to Insider’s requests for comment.
17/17 SLIDES
It’s all totally delicious, but it’s also expensive.
Making your own dishes is infinitely cheaper, but it’s good to know you can get all of the essentials at your convenience – or run out and grab a healthy lunch when you simply don’t have the time to cook.
I’ve discovered so many new ways to make vegetables exciting
I never understood how enjoyable it can be to eat a plate of rainbow food, but now I get it. Every meal I make is full of yellows, oranges, reds, greens, purples.
One of the reasons I never appreciated the full potential of veggies is that I didn’t realize quite how versatile they were. I’d mainly have them raw, chopped up and thrown in a salad, or roasted before. And I’d often have leftovers from my weekly veg box that I wasn’t sure what to do with.
I now spend my days doing all kinds of exciting things with veggies – charring, puréeing, grilling, mashing, whizzing them into soups, stuffing them, steaming them, using them as toppings.
Instead of just mashing potatoes, I now turn butter beans or cannellini beans into a mash. Puréed beets have become a favorite dip when I want an alternative to hummus. And green pepper – which I really dislike raw – has become my top choice for an omelet filling.
There isn’t just one Mediterranean diet
I think one of the biggest misconceptions I had about the Mediterranean diet before I started following it was that it was pretty limited.
I hadn’t quite appreciated the sheer geographic variety of the foods available that were super easy to cook, wonderfully tasty, and all fell under the “Mediterranean” umbrella.
Although a Mediterranean diet can be Greek, French, Spanish, and Italian, it’s also Turkish, Lebanese, Israeli, and Moroccan. For example, Chef Yotam Ottolenghi’s cookbooks are a delicious introduction to the sheer variety of Mediterranean cooking.
I’ve learned about so many new ingredients and herbs, which have really helped me expand my cooking repertoire and add tons of flavor to dishes, without excess salt.
If you’re following a Mediterranean diet, then you can expect to eat a few servings of poultry or fish a week because, alongside eggs, it can be a great way to add some protein to your diet.
A couple of servings of fish like tuna, salmon, mackerel, or sardines is recommended on the Mediterranean diet, but last summer, after getting into a routine of salmon with vegetables every other day – because it’s just so easy to cook – I definitely hit a wall.
I was feeling bored and uninspired by fish. There really is such a thing as too much salmon.
I tried cooking fish in different ways: steaming, barbecuing, frying, turning it into a paté. That helped, but in the end, I had to take a break for a couple of weeks and get my protein from eggs, chickpeas, and lentils instead.
My kids and husband love it, too
One of the biggest bonuses of this diet is how much my family is enjoying it.
My husband used to be a voracious meat eater, but he didn’t complain when I presented him with portobello “steaks” and butter-bean mash the other night. In fact, he loved it.
My kids – aged 10 and under – are already more knowledgeable about fruits, vegetables, and whole grains than I was in my 20s, and they’ve tasted everything from golden beets to passion fruit.
They’re also really excited to prepare dishes with me, so they’re benefiting by learning all about the cooking process and where these foods come from, too.
Heavy salad dressings, packed with cream, mayonnaise, salt, and plenty of artificial ingredients, used to be a requirement for me if I was going to eat lettuce or spinach.
Now, I’m completely obsessed with olive oil, and I delight in making different types of dressings with it – throwing in some apple-cider vinegar, adding a spoonful of mustard, combining with sage leaves.
I use the cheapest kind for cooking and extra-virgin olive oil for a dressing base and fish marinade.
I even have garlic and chili varieties, which are amazing for drizzling over eggs or roasted veg.
My skin’s improved since I started the diet
My skin used to be angry, inflamed, and sore.
I have rosacea, redness, dryness, and acne, an unsightly combination that’s led me to shield myself from photos and hold my babies up in front of my face to cover up my ruddy cheeks and recurrent outbreaks.
The Mediterranean diet is full of anti-inflammatory foods – Omega-3-rich fish, green vegetables, nuts, fruit, and olive oil – and although I didn’t start eating this way for my skin, I’ve been blown away by the results.
My skin has improved significantly over the past year and a half. It’s really calmed down and sometimes, very occasionally, it even gets that hint of a healthy glow from the inside.
It’s helped me to discover a love of cooking
The main reason I’m a Mediterranean-diet convert is that it makes me feel good, inside and out.
As someone who never learned how to cook growing up, I never thought chopping vegetables or sprinkling herbs into a pan would be one of the activities I enjoy doing with my family.
Making this lifestyle change hasn’t just expanded my repertoire of ingredients and dishes, it’s helped me discover the simple pleasures that cooking and eating well can bring.
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![a close up of a plate of food with a fork and knife: I used to eat a lot of red meat. Owen Franken/Getty Images](https://www.msn.com/en-us/health/nutrition/12-things-that-surprised-me-after-following-the-mediterranean-diet-for-over-a-year/"default":"load":"default","w":"80","h":"60","src":"//img-s-msn-com.akamaized.net/tenant/amp/entityid/BB1dvPbH.img?h=600&w=799&m=6&q=60&o=f&l=f","size3column":"load":"default","w":"62","h":"47","src":"//img-s-msn-com.akamaized.net/tenant/amp/entityid/BB1dvPbH.img?h=468&w=624&m=6&q=60&o=f&l=f","size2column":"load":"default","w":"62","h":"47","src":"//img-s-msn-com.akamaized.net/tenant/amp/entityid/BB1dvPbH.img?h=468&w=624&m=6&q=60&o=f&l=f")
![a close up of food: It's easy to find Mediterranean-friendly options on takeout menus. Jennifer Barton for Insider](https://www.msn.com/en-us/health/nutrition/12-things-that-surprised-me-after-following-the-mediterranean-diet-for-over-a-year/"default":"load":"default","w":"80","h":"60","src":"//img-s-msn-com.akamaized.net/tenant/amp/entityid/BB1dvHye.img?h=601&w=799&m=6&q=60&o=f&l=f","size3column":"load":"default","w":"62","h":"47","src":"//img-s-msn-com.akamaized.net/tenant/amp/entityid/BB1dvHye.img?h=470&w=624&m=6&q=60&o=f&l=f","size2column":"load":"default","w":"62","h":"47","src":"//img-s-msn-com.akamaized.net/tenant/amp/entityid/BB1dvHye.img?h=470&w=624&m=6&q=60&o=f&l=f")
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