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chemicals and pesticides.
    Nuts and seeds
    Nuts and seeds are another important part of the Mediterranean eating plan. About 80% of the calories in nuts come from fat, although the majority of fat in nuts is unsaturated. Nuts contain high calories, so try not to eat more than a handful per day. Healthy nuts include raw almonds, brazil nuts, cashews, pine nuts, hazelnuts, peanuts, pistachios and macadamias. Pumpkin, sesame, sunflower and flax seeds are also full of iron and other phyonutrients. All nuts and seeds should be unsalted and eaten raw.
    Poultry and red meat
    Neither poultry nor red meat should be consumed in high amounts when on the Mediterranean eating plan. Ideally, limit red meat to 1 or 2 meals per month. Although poultry appears to be healthier than red meat, it depends whether you are getting your chicken from a free range or a battery farm. Chickens reared on battery farms are abused animals, as they are typically packed by the thousands into massive, crowded sheds. They are fed large amounts of antibiotics and drugs to keep them alive, and these antibiotics make chickens grow large at an extremely fast rate. You only have to go to the supermarket and compare the size of a free-range chicken to a battery farm chicken to realise that something is wrong. A free-range chicken is always much smaller because it is not receiving antibiotics or being fed nutrients that increase its growth; if you want to eat chicken, make sure it is free-range. Chicken is a good source of protein, but when we eat beans, legumes, seeds and grains we can get protein, vitamins and iron in a much healthier form.
    Seafood
    When on the Mediterranean eating plan you should consume 2 servings of fish or shellfish per week, in place of red meat and poultry. Seafood typically consumed on the Mediterranean eating plan include: flounder, lobster, mackerel, mussels, oysters, prawn, salmon, squid and tuna.
    Seasoning and spreads
    In the Mediterranean eating plan, spices replace salt for seasoning. Spices typically consumed on the Mediterranean eating plan are: chilli, cinnamon, cloves, garlic, ginger, paprika, parsley, sage, saffron and turmeric. Two herbs that can be used to replace salt are garlic powder and freshly ground black pepper (not pre-ground pepper). Other options include onion powder (not onion salt). Butter and margarine are not used on the Mediterranean eating plan. You can replace them with coconut butter or nut butter.
    Vegetables
    Vegetables are a good source of protein, fibre, vitamin C, beta carotene, calcium and folate. Vegetables contain small amounts of calories but have high levels of nutrition. All vegetables are cholesterol free and nearly all contain no saturated fat; those that do usually have it in small amounts of healthy unsaturated fat. The energy in vegetables comes from a sugar called complex carbohydrate. Complex carbohydrate takes much more time to digest than simple carbohydrate, and consequently results in much lower levels of sugar (glucose) and insulin in the blood. However, some vegetables have a high glycemic index, which means that, when eaten, they result in high levels of sugar and insulin in the blood. High-glycemic vegetables include beetroot and corn.
    When on the Mediterranean eating plan, around 5–7 servings of vegetables should be eaten every day. If you reduce your consumption of red meat then you should eat vegetables that are high in iron and vitamin C to prevent low iron levels, a condition known as anaemia. Vegetables containing high levels of iron are cooked Swiss chard, cooked turnip greens, raw kale and raw beetroot greens, whereas those with high vitamin C are broccoli, red and green chillis, capsicum, fresh thyme and parsley, and dark leafy vegetables such as kale and cress. Other healthy vegetables typically consumed on the Mediterranean eating plan are artichokes, celery, eggplant, lettuce, onions, peas, peppers, mushrooms, sweet potatoes and tomatoes. You should try to eat fresh