The Best Diets for Your New Year’s Resolution: Part II – The Mediterranean Diet

The Mediterranean Diet   is consistently ranked as one of the healthiest choices. The 2015-2020 U.S. Dietary Guidelines recommends the Mediterranean Diet as a healthy eating plan. U.S. News and World Report also ranked it the #1 Overall Best Diet in 2019 out of dozens of other diets.

The diet is based on traditional foods of the 21 countries surrounding the Mediterranean Sea, including Greece, Italy and Egypt. It abounds in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, seafood, poultry, fermented dairy foods like yogurt and cheese, nuts, legumes and fats such as olive oil or avocado.

Here are some tempting ways milk, yogurt and cheese can enhance your own Mediterranean style meals.

Breakfast Couscous: Couscous goes from the dinner table to the breakfast bar with this easy Mediterranean recipe made with low-fat milk. Cinnamon, apricots and almonds make it morning friendly.

Labneh: A cool and creamy spread made with Greek yogurt that is great with grilled pita and fresh veggies.

Creamy Couscous with Broccoli, Tomatoes and Cheese – Cooking couscous, a classic Moroccan staple, in milk gives it a creamy texture. Adding crisp-tender broccoli, pungent Parmesan cheese, savory cheddar cheese and bright red tomatoes turns it into a vegetarian entrée.

Salmon with Yogurt, Spinach, Lemon and Capers: Salmon fillets are baked with a spinach Greek yogurt sauce in this traditional main dish from Crete.