Macros on a Mediterranean Diet
One of the best features of the macro diet is that you can eat whatever type of food you prefer. No foods are off-limits or even severely limited. Therefore, you can pair your macro-tracking practice with other diets that align with your health goals or lifestyle. For example, you can consume a paleo macro diet, a macro-based Whole30 diet, or even a macro-style Galveston Diet if you are trying to manage menopause.
Some people choose to combine a macro diet with the heart-healthy Mediterranean diet to gain the benefits of each. But how do you calculate your Mediterranean diet macros if you combine them? Are there special adjustments that you need to make? And can you reach your macro targets while consuming only Mediterranean diet foods?
A 2023 study published in the Journal of Food Science and Nutrition Research investigated Mediterranean diet macros at different calorie levels to evaluate how they stack up against recommended levels. Their results can help you to tailor a Mediterranean macro diet to suit your needs.
What Is a Mediterranean Diet?
The Mediterranean diet is modeled after the eating patterns of people in the southern part of Europe. It has been widely regarded as one of the healthiest dietary patterns, especially when it comes to heart health and longevity. Study after study has confirmed the benefits of this diet in reducing the risk of obesity, heart attack, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and other chronic conditions. If you choose to follow this dietary pattern, you’ll have plenty of company. It is also one of the most popular diets around the world.
So, what do you eat on a Mediterranean diet? The program is quite flexible, but in general, you consume more plant-based foods than a standard American diet, more fish, and more foods that provide unsaturated fats.
On a Mediterranean diet, you aim for:
High consumption of olive oil, legumes, whole grains, fruits, and vegetables
Moderate to high consumption of fish, nuts, and seeds
Moderate consumption of dairy products (cheese and yogurt) and wine (especially red wine)
Low or no consumption of non-fish meat, heavily processed foods, foods with added sugar, and foods with saturated fat.
A Mediterranean diet has no guidelines regarding caloric intake or macronutrient balance. So, if you are following the diet while trying to reach specific fitness or athletic goals, you may have to do some leg work to ensure that your diet supports your training program. But first, it may be helpful to evaluate what your macro intake is likely to be when following this European eating style.
Mediterranean Diet Macros - The Research
Researchers who published the 2023 study titled “Macronutrient Adequacy of a Mediterranean-type Meal Examined at Recommended and Below Recommended Energy Values” wanted to evaluate the typical macro breakdown for the Mediterranean Diet at different calorie levels. While the study has limitations (for example, it only assessed one day’s worth of food), it provides some helpful information.
The study investigated a full day’s worth of eating in Barcelona, Spain. Researchers wanted to see if consuming a Mediterranean diet would meet recommended macronutrient targets established in dietary guidelines for Americans. They evaluated the diet at different caloric intake levels: 2500, 2000, 1600, 1200, and 800 calories per day. Here’s what they found:
When considering all caloric intake levels, the Mediterranean diet's macronutrient distribution was approximately 35% fat, 42% carbohydrates, 13% protein, and 10% alcohol.
These macro ranges are close to the recommendations provided by the USDA Dietary Guidelines for Americans, which suggest that we should consume 45-65% of calories from carbohydrates, 20-35% of calories from fat, and 10-35% of calories from protein.
However, things became more interesting when the researchers broke down specific macronutrient intakes in grams according to calorie intake levels. They compared intake levels to the Dietary Reference Intake or DRI, which approximates how much fat, protein, and carbohydrate should be consumed based on an average-sized adult doing an average amount of physical activity.
All macros met recommeded amounts at the 2500 and 2000 calorie intake levels. Fat and carbohydrate grams met recommended intake amounts at the 1600 and 1200 calorie-per-day levels. Protein intake was insufficient at all calorie levels below 2000 calories per day.
Remember that if you are an active individual and particularly an athlete, your protein needs will be higher than the intake levels recommended for an average-sized adult doing an average amount of physical activity. So, at several calorie intake levels, the standard Mediterranean diet may not provide enough protein for you.
Personalizing Your Mediterranean Diet Macros
To find the right caloric intake for you and the appropriate balance of macros, you need to evaluate your current lifestyle and your goals. In Macro Diet for Dummies, I walk you through the process of assessing your calorie intake and calculating macros for various lifestyles and goals. I won’t go into the full details of those calculations here, but let’s consider your protein intake since this may be an area where the Mediterranean diet may fall short.
If you are a regular exerciser or an athlete, you’ll want to be especially careful about your protein intake, especially if you choose a Mediterranean eating style.
You can use the 2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans to evaluate your protein needs. They suggest consuming 10% to 35% of our calories from protein. If you consume 2000 calories per day, that would be 50 to 175 grams each day. However, sports nutrition organizations provide better guidelines specifically for active individuals.
According to the International Society of Sports Nutrition (ISSN), physically active people should consume 1.4 – 2.0 protein grams per kilogram of body weight per day (g/kg/day) to help improve the effectiveness of workouts. Body builders may even benefit from up to 3.0 g/kg/day.
According to these guidelines, a 150-pound person (68 kilograms) would need approximately 95–136 grams of protein per day, and a 150-pound bodybuilder may need up to 204 grams of protein per day (although most bodybuilders weigh more than 150 pounds). Even at the highest calorie intake level, the study's results showed the highest daily protein intake to be 83.7 grams per day, far below the needs recommended by the ISSN.
👉 Daily Macros Calculator: Get Your Personalized Numbers Instantly 👈
So, how do these numbers fit into a complete macro plan? If you follow a Mediterranean macro diet and have sports or fitness goals, you’ll want to evaluate your protein needs first. Using the guidelines above, calculate your target protein grams per day. Then, adjust your carb and fat targets according to USDA guidelines. For example, if your protein needs account for 30% of your daily calories, you might allot 50% of the remaining calories to carbs and 20% to fat. But remember that you can adjust those fat and carbohydrate numbers as needed. If you adjust the carbs to 40% of total calories and your fat intake to 30% of total calories, you would be consuming a 40/30/30 macro-balanced Mediterranean diet.
7 Ways to Manage Macros on a Mediterranean Diet
The research study strongly suggests that cutting calories on the Mediterranean diet may lead to inadequate macro intake, especially with regard to protein. Even when calorie intake increases, protein needs may not be met without adjusting the Mediterranean diet. So, how do you reap the benefits of the Mediterranean diet while reaching your health and fitness goals with adequate protein intake?
Here are a few ways to make it work.
Focus on plant-based protein. Get to know non-meat sources of protein. Foods like soy and tofu are not typical on the Mediterranean diet, but you can include them, and they align with the plant-based slant of this eating style. You may also want to increase your intake of protein-rich grains like quinoa.
Eat more fish. Include fish in as many meals as possible. Top your salad with salmon. Keep pouches of tuna on hand for a quick snack (pair it with whole grain crackers and protein-rich greens). Learn different ways to prepare seafood, such as shrimp, cod, sardines, or trout.
Get selective with veggies. Some vegetables have more protein than others. To honor the Mediterranean eating style and boost your protein intake, include protein-rich veggies at mealtime. Choose spinach, kale, Brussels sprouts, and broccoli.
Learn to love beans. Beans such as lima beans, black beans, lentils, green peas, and chickpeas are great ways to increase your protein intake on the Mediterranean diet. They are also easy on the wallet. Buy dried beans in bulk or stock canned beans when they go on sale at your local market.
Snack on nuts and seeds. It is easy to reach for a piece of fruit or another high-carb treat when you need a quick bite. But choosing a protein-rich snack can help you reach your macro targets. Consider almonds, walnuts, peanuts, pistachios, or cashews for a satisfying snack.
Dial back on booze. You should aim to make every calorie count to reach your protein target and keep your calories in control. Sometimes, it might mean skipping that MedDiet-friendly glass of wine to allot those calories to protein. But also, keep in mind that a core principle of the Mediterranean diet is maintaining a happy social life. So, don't beat yourself up if you enjoy a glass of wine with friends.
Look for protein-rich alternatives. When you hit the market and shop for Mediterranean diet foods, look for varieties that contain more protein. Choose Greek yogurt over traditional yogurt. Look for pasta made with whole grains or even chickpeas to increase your protein intake. You might even find some sweet treats (like ice cream) that are manufactured to provide more protein.
The most important thing to remember is that the best diet for you is the one you will stick to for the long term. If you try a Mediterranean macro diet, set it up with foods you enjoy so you feel good about your meals. And if your current diet varies significantly from the Mediterranean diet, adjust gradually. Pick up a copy of Macro Diet for Dummies at your local bookstore or online (Amazon or Target) for food lists, shopping lists, tips for calculating Mediterranean macros, and more.
