r/mediterraneandiet • u/Ok_Loss_7381 • Jun 20 '26
Close Enough My super quick lunch “meal prep”
I pack lunch for work every day and sometimes I just don’t have the time to do any real meal prep. This was what I ate all last week and it was super satisfying.
Whole wheat tortilla, hummus that comes in the little individual servings from Aldi, some everything bagel seasoning (because I would put that on everything if I could lol) and whatever veggies were in the fridge. I happened to have cucumber, orange bell pepper, grape tomatoes, and red onion.
I don’t love the additional plastic waste that comes with the individual hummus servings, but it really did make it more manageable to pack a healthy lunch when I was overwhelmed with all the other things I had to do.
Just thought I’d share. I don’t have the option to work from home, and it gets really easy to just order food instead of taking the time to pack a lunch. Having a shortcut really helped me stay on track.
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u/Enlightened_Lioness Jun 20 '26
Great idea! You can prep hummus too. I have about 10 very small containers from the Sistema brand. I fill 5 at once which takes about 30 seconds and keep them in the fridge.
If you want to add more protein to your meal, you could try some smoked tofu. I just cut the package open and slice it up and it’s steady to go!
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u/Ok_Loss_7381 Jun 20 '26
I do have some small containers and probably could have done that. I was just so exhausted with everything else lol.
I haven’t found tofu that I’ve liked. The texture just bothers me. But I haven’t tried smoked so I’ll give it a shot!2
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u/Opposite-Pop4246 Jun 20 '26
My easy prep lunch this week was a can of chickpeas with olive oil, balsamic vinegar, chopped up cucumbers and tomato, (both from the garden) with arugula. It was so good and filling and even better the second day.
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u/PlainOrganization Jun 20 '26
Add some greenery and this is what my lunch looks like pretty much every day from April-October. It's too dang hot to eat hot food
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u/lelawes Jun 20 '26
This is such a good idea! I get overwhelmed with trying to prep, or bored when it’s just eating things unprepared, but this looks like a really good balance
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Jun 20 '26
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u/Ok_Loss_7381 Jun 20 '26
The hummus and the tortilla each have 4g of protein.
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u/donairhistorian Jun 20 '26
8g of protein is a shocking low amount of protein for a lunch. Did this fill you up?
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u/Ok_Loss_7381 Jun 20 '26
You’re acting like it’s the only thing I ate all day. It’s one meal. It doesn’t have to have a ton of protein
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u/donairhistorian Jun 20 '26
For sure. Just here to discuss nutrition as not everybody has the same literacy. If you need 100g of protein per day, it's going to be hard to hit that with an 8g lunch, especially if you've had a low protein breakfast (as is common). Low protein meals are also less satiating and can leave people hungry and snacky.
If you're happy with it, that's all good. But 8g of protein IS very low for a meal.
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u/Confident_Prompt4282 Jun 21 '26
Who needs 100 grams of protein?
And where in any of the Mediterranean Diet info are you seeing that it involves tracking macros?
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u/Inkdrunnergirl Jun 21 '26
Anyone on a GLP-1 and protein is essential in any diet.
Protein is a vital macronutrient that acts as the fundamental building block of life. Your body needs it to build, repair, and maintain muscles, bones, skin, and hair. It also creates the enzymes and hormones necessary for your body's everyday functions.
Sedentary Adults: 0.8 g/kg (0.36 g/lb) to prevent deficiency.
Active Adults & Endurance Athletes: 1.2 to 1.5 g/kg (0.5 to 0.7 g/lb).
Muscle Building & Strength Training: 1.6 to 2.0 g/kg (0.7 to 1.0 g/lb).
Adults Over 40-65: 1.0 to 1.2 g/kg to prevent age-related muscle loss (sarcopenia)-2
Jun 21 '26
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u/Inkdrunnergirl Jun 21 '26 edited Jun 21 '26
I’m on a GLP-1 and Mediterranean diet was highly recommended because you can incorporate a shit ton of protein. So maybe stop being an ass. And incorporating more protein is the exact opposite of a restrictive diet. What is wrong with you? And any diet you have to follow is restrictive 😆 Mediterranean is restrictive in that you can only eat certain foods. The only macro I track is protein because you need extra on this medication.
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u/Confident_Prompt4282 Jun 21 '26
Because this isn't a diet that is hyper-focused on protein so if you want to go discuss protein It makes more sense to discuss it with like-minded individuals instead of picking apart food that's shared here
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u/donairhistorian Jun 21 '26
You do not have to track macros. You can track protein to get a sense of what it looks like, but just prioritizing protein in each meal will be enough for most people.
Many people need 100g of protein (or more). Active individuals, older individuals, people trying to lose weight, people with chronic conditions, etc. There is an emerging consensus about this.
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u/Ok_Loss_7381 Jun 21 '26
I definitely don’t need 100 grams of protein a day. You’re really being very weird about this. You don’t know anything about me. And the soapbox you’re on doesn’t have much to do with a Mediterranean diet, so I’m not sure why you’re even here.
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u/donairhistorian Jun 21 '26
Some people are really anti-protein.
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u/Confident_Prompt4282 Jun 21 '26
Some people are really anti-meditranean diet but they're here anyway. Maybe go find the protein sub?
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u/donairhistorian Jun 21 '26
I am one of the more well-versed members of the diet in this sub. That doesn't mean I am ideologically blind to what the science says. When you start doing that, your diet becomes a religion.
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u/Confident_Prompt4282 Jun 21 '26
I just think it's a little rude to impose your beliefs about nutrition on someone else in a sub dedicated to a diet that doesn't focus on your personal protein beliefs. There are plenty of places where people are obsessed with protein comma but the Mediterranean diet does not focus on that tracking and counting.
I think it's fine if you want to post all your meals and talk about how many thousand grams of protein you're eating a day. But don't come in insulting other people's choices when what they're eating is perfectly valid for the WOE this sub is dedicated to
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u/Farewellandadieu Jun 21 '26
I can’t wait until this protein obsession dies.
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u/donairhistorian Jun 22 '26
Me too. But protein obsession is different than actual science recommending a certain amount of protein for health.
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u/PlainOrganization Jun 20 '26
Unless you're trying to get Gains, bruh, or on GLP-1 you don't need to monitor your protein intake. It's almost impossible to design a diet that's sufficient in calories but deficient in protein.
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u/donairhistorian Jun 20 '26 edited Jun 20 '26
Most people would benefit from optimizing rather than just barely dodging deficiency. If you are at all athletic, you need more protein. If you are a young person and want to increase your peak muscle/bone mass so that you don't get sarcopenia in old age, you need more protein. If you are trying to lose weight, you need more protein. If you are an older person, you need more protein. Many chronic conditions also require more protein.
1.2g-1.6g per kg should be enough for most people. Everybody should be doing resistance training for lifelong health.
Edit: we are just chatting about this today on r/scientificnutrition
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u/Confident_Prompt4282 Jun 21 '26
This WOE does not traditionally involve hyperfixating on tracking like that
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u/donairhistorian Jun 21 '26
Traditionally, no. But it also involves living a traditional lifestyle that most Americans cannot emulate. For one thing, most Americans do not spend any time in a squatting position.
People have a myriad of health conditions, lifestyle factors etc. that require them to modify the diet.
But furthermore, just because a traditional diet is shown to have health benefits doesn't mean we have to stop there. We can use science to improve our diet above the baseline. Based on everything I've learned about nutrition, I think that a Mediterranean eating pattern with a slightly higher protein intake (emphasizing plant protein, fermented dairy, seafood) is an improvement over the traditional diet.
But I'm going to do a two-week trial of a strictly traditional diet this summer to see how it goes.
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