(CNN)Starting or staying on the gold medal-winning Mediterranean diet? Then you'll need a shopping resource you can use to stock your pantry with Mediterranean meal essentials -- and continue to use on a weekly basis to restock and purchase fresh, frozen and canned vegetables, fruits, and more.
What's first on the list for a Mediterranean pantry? You guessed it -- extra-virgin olive oil, fondly called EVOO by many chefs. It's the basis of all Greek cooking, and Greeks love it so much that when they think someone's gone a bit off their rocker they say "He's losing oil."
Greece was a key focus of early 1950s research into the diet's health benefits. Today, studies show adhering to the Mediterranean style of eating will help you fight off high cholesterol, heart disease and dementia, all while losing weight!
How to start the Mediterranean diet — meal by meal
Could that be partly due to the heart-healthy benefits of olive oil? A 2013 study of over 7,000 people, one of the largest ever done, found people who followed a Mediterranean diet supplemented with extra-virgin olive oil for five years had a 30% lower risk of heart attack or stroke. They also showed a slower rate of cognitive decline and were better able to control their weight.
Why extra-virgin? A 2018 Australian study found that extra-virgin olive oil (but not regular olive oil) produced the lowest levels of trans fats and other potentially harmful by-products when heated to high temperatures. Coconut oil took second place, while canola oil flunked, creating over twice as many harmful compounds as extra-virgin olive oil.
Greek yogurt and feta
Here's another mainstay of the Mediterranean kitchen -- rich, creamy Greek yogurt. If you haven't tried it, do -- it's made by straining the whey and other liquids from regular yogurt and has a solid consistency. You'll want to buy it plain, which eliminates extra sugars and gives you a platform for the many sweet fruits, crunchy nuts and grains you may add.
Greeks are also quite proud of the many varieties of golden honey they produce, and enjoy a drizzle on their yogurt or fresh fruit. Not too much!
While you're in the dairy aisle, pick up some large whole chunks of feta. There's no skimpy sprinkle of feta on true Greek salads in the islands. Instead chunks of cucumber and ripe tomatoes, joined by some sliced red onion and bell peppers, are topped with a slab of feta before being doused with olive oil and vinegar.
Make sure to add balsamic vinegar to your list. The tangy sweetness is great on salads, veggies and fruits.
Fruits and veggies
Next, fill your fridge with as many different colors of fruits and vegetables as you can find. Eating the rainbow assures you get a variety of antioxidants, minerals and vitamins.
Vegetables are the basis of most Mediterranean meals, so prepare to stock up on eggplants, potatoes, tomatoes, cucumbers, carrots, onions, asparagus, artichokes, beets, bell peppers, broccoli, cabbage, green beans, mushrooms, squash and zucchini (that's a mouthful)!
Add garlic, white, yellow and red onions, spring onions, shallots and leeks to your list, along with fresh herbs. Think chives, basil, bay leaves, cilantro, mint, parsley, oregano, rosemary, dill, fennel, marjoram, sage, savory, tarragon and thyme. They add flavor and a beautiful garnish that makes a dish pop.
Leafy dark greens, such as kale, spinach, mustard greens and Swiss chard, are frequently sautéed as side dishes. And of course you'll need tomatoes -- fresh, canned and sauced.
Processed sweets are not traditional in the Mediterranean. Instead, you'll use fruits and berries to sweeten your breakfast cereals and yogurt, to munch on as midday snacks and as the sweet ending to a filling Mediterranean dinner.
Fresh is best for flavor and texture, but if that's not an option, stock up on frozen versions. Picked at the height of their freshness, then blanched and flash-frozen, frozen fruits and veggies contain the same nutrients as fresh, studies have found.
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