This approach to eating has numerous health benefits. What’s the best way to follow it?

For years, the Mediterranean diet has been touted for its heart- and cancer-fighting abilities, and countless studies have backed up its reputation as one of the world’s healthiest eating patterns.

So what is the best way to begin eating the Mediterranean way? Approach it as a lifestyle and not a structured, rules-oriented diet, suggests Dr. Qi Sun, associate professor in the Department of Nutrition at Harvard’s T.H. Chan School of Public Health.

“What’s ideal about the Mediterranean diet is that you don’t necessarily have to follow it 100% of the time to reap many of its health benefits,” he says. “Your goal should be to add more of its staple foods into every meal, as much as possible, so it eventually feels like a part of your life and not something temporary.”

High, moderate, and low

The Mediterranean diet is based on the eating habits of people who live along the rim of the Mediterranean Sea. These populations tend to have some of the world’s lowest rates of heart disease, cancer, diabetes, and even depression. Scientists have often pointed to their standard diet as the main reason.

The Mediterranean diet focuses on high, moderate, or low intake of certain foods and doesn’t worry about specific serving sizes. Its trademark pattern looks like this:

• high intake of fresh fruits and vegetables (especially leafy green vegetables), extra-virgin olive oil, whole grains, nuts, and legumes
• moderate intake of fish, dairy, and red wine
• low intake of red meat and sweets.

The Mediterranean diet also embraces the many pleasures of eating. “Shopping for fresh foods and ingredients and enjoying the experience of cooking meals is a big part of its lifestyle aspect,” says Dr. Sun.

Ready to try it? Here are five types of foods that you can begin with and strategies on how to incorporate them into your daily meals.

Fresh fruits and vegetables. This is one of the diet’s main foundations. Keep it simple at first and add your favorites to every meal. “They can even be staples like tomatoes and avocados,” says Dr. Sun. “Also, since the Mediterranean diet tries to avoid sweets, make fruit your regular dessert choice.”

Fresh is always best when it comes to produce, but you can also select frozen items as long as they don’t contain added sugar or flavors, adds Dr. Sun.

Extra-virgin olive oil. Use olive oil in place of almost any type of fat or flavoring, suggests Dr. Sun. For instance, drizzle it over your salads and pasta, dip bread into it, and mix a tablespoon into a smoothie.

Nuts. A palm-size serving of your favorite nuts can be a handy afternoon snack or a healthy way to satisfy cravings. Mix some with dried fruit to eat when you need an on-the-go energy boost, like before and after exercise.

Fish. When you are following the Mediterranean diet, any kind of fish is ideal, says Dr. Sun. “Eat what you like, even if it’s something routine like tuna or mackerel,” he says.

Consuming more fish also helps you curb your intake of red meat, another trait of the diet. Try this: switch out your regular meat meals for fish at least twice a week.

Whole grains. This is a category with much variety, so experiment with different kinds, such as brown rice, oats, bulgur, and whole-grain pasta. Another advantage of whole grains is that they can be included in almost every meal. “Again, focus on a few you enjoy and make those staples, like oatmeal for breakfast, brown rice or whole-grain bread for lunch, and pasta for dinner,” says Dr. Sun.

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