Fish, beans, olive oil
Mediterranean for big guys
Of the six ways of eating on this site, the Mediterranean pattern has by far the deepest evidence base for cardiovascular health. It is also the easiest to keep doing for ten years, because nothing is banned — the shape just shifts toward fish, legumes, vegetables and olive oil.
The one with the research behind it
How this one works
Two practical notes before the plan. First, the protein does not come free here the way it does on a meat plan — you have to be deliberate about fish, legumes and yoghurt at every meal or you will land at 120 g and wonder why. Second, olive oil is the calorie engine. A big guy eating this way uses far more of it than a recipe suggests, and that is the point rather than a mistake.
Tinned fish does most of the heavy lifting on cost. Sardines and mackerel are the cheapest high-quality protein in the aisle and they need no cooking at all.
The two cook sessions
What you make, and when
The site-wide schedule is Sunday for the long cook and Wednesday for the top-up. On this track that means:
- CookWhite bean and tuna stew — 6 portions
- CookLemon chicken thighs with potatoes and olives — 6 portions
- CookTwo trays of roast vegetables in olive oil
- CookBig pot of bulgur or brown rice, jar of lemon dressing
- CookSheet-pan salmon with chickpeas — 4 portions
- CookFresh Greek salad components, chopped
- CookSecond batch of bulgur or orzo
Timed run sheets for both sessions are on the prep schedule.
The actual week
Seven days, about 175 g of protein
This is the whole week rather than a teaser. Friday dinner is deliberately left open — a plan with no room in it is a plan you break once and abandon.
| Day | Breakfast | Lunch | Dinner | Extras |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon | Greek yoghurt, walnuts, honey, berries | White bean and tuna stew, crusty bread | Lemon chicken, potatoes, olives, greens | Handful of almonds, an orange |
| Tue | Two eggs on toast with tomatoes and olive oil | Chicken and bulgur bowl, feta, cucumber | Sardines on toast, big tomato salad | Greek yoghurt with honey |
| Wed | Oats with yoghurt, figs, pistachios | Bean stew, day three, over rice | Salmon with chickpeas and roast peppers | Protein shake after training |
| Thu | Greek yoghurt, granola, berries | Salmon and chickpea salad, lemon dressing | Lentil and lamb soup, flatbread | Olives, feta, an apple |
| Fri | Eggs, tomato, olive oil, wholemeal toast | Mackerel and white bean salad | Whatever you like — eat out, order in | Yoghurt if the day ran short |
| Sat | Big plate — eggs, halloumi, tomato, bread | Chicken souvlaki wraps, tzatziki | Fish stew with white beans and fennel | Nuts, dried apricots |
| Sun | Yoghurt, oats, honey, walnuts | Leftovers, whatever is open | Cook day — roast a tray extra | Portion out Monday to Wednesday |
Big-batch recipes
The three that do the work
Real quantities, a per-portion protein count, and how long each one actually keeps. Everything here scales to a full tray or a full pot on purpose.
White bean and tuna stew
What goes in
- 3 cans (15 oz) cannellini beans, drained
- 4 cans (5 oz) tuna in olive oil, oil and all
- 1 can (28 oz) chopped tomatoes
- 2 onions, 2 fennel bulbs, 8 cloves garlic
- 1/2 cup olive oil, plus more to serve
- 2 tsp chilli flakes, 2 tsp oregano, 2 bay leaves
- Juice of 2 lemons, a bunch of parsley
How
- Soften the onion, fennel and garlic in the olive oil for 12 minutes. This is a stew that lives on the base, so give it the time.
- Tomatoes, herbs and one can of beans crushed with a fork — that is what thickens it. Simmer 20 minutes.
- The other two cans of beans in whole, warm through for 5 minutes.
- Tuna, lemon and parsley off the heat. Cooking the tuna makes it dry and stringy.
Keeping it: Fridge 4 days, freezer 2 months. Add a fresh slug of olive oil and more lemon when you reheat — both fade in the fridge.
Lemon chicken thighs with potatoes and olives
What goes in
- 12 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs
- 3 lb potatoes, cut into large chunks
- 2 cups green olives
- 3 lemons, 2 heads garlic, halved
- 1/2 cup olive oil, 2 tbsp dried oregano
- 1 cup chicken stock
How
- Toss the potatoes, olives, garlic and lemon halves in oil and oregano in the biggest tray you own.
- Salted, dried thighs skin-up on top, so the fat renders down through the potatoes.
- 425F for 50 minutes. Add the stock to the tray at 25 minutes, poured around the chicken, not over the skin.
- Squeeze the roasted lemon halves over everything before it comes off the tray.
Keeping it: Fridge 4 days. The potatoes go soft on reheat and nothing fixes that — if it bothers you, roast the second batch of potatoes on Wednesday.
Sheet-pan salmon with chickpeas
What goes in
- 4 salmon fillets, 6 oz each
- 2 cans (15 oz) chickpeas, drained and dried
- 2 red peppers, 1 red onion, sliced
- 1/3 cup olive oil, 2 tsp smoked paprika, 2 tsp cumin
- 1 lemon, a bunch of dill
How
- Chickpeas, peppers and onion tossed in oil and spices, 425F for 20 minutes on their own first.
- Push them to the edges, salmon into the middle, back in for 10 to 12 minutes.
- The chickpeas should have split and crisped. That is the texture the dish is for.
- Lemon and dill at the end.
Keeping it: Fridge 3 days for the salmon — shorter than everything else here, and worth respecting. Eat it cold in a salad rather than reheating it.
Baked cod with tomatoes, olives and capers
What goes in
- 4 cod fillets, 6 oz each
- 1 can (28 oz) crushed tomatoes
- 1 cup pitted green or kalamata olives
- 3 tbsp capers, drained
- 2 onions, 6 cloves garlic
- 1/3 cup olive oil, 1 tsp chilli flakes, 2 tsp dried oregano
- A bunch of basil
How
- Onion and garlic softened in the olive oil for 8 minutes, chilli and oregano stirred through for 1 minute.
- Tomatoes, olives and capers in, simmer 20 minutes until it thickens slightly and smells like the sauce rather than raw tomato.
- Cod fillets nestled into the sauce, covered, 12 to 15 minutes until the fish flakes apart easily.
- Basil torn over the top just before serving.
Keeping it: Fridge 3 days — fish is shorter-lived than the meat and poultry elsewhere on this site, and worth respecting. The sauce alone keeps 4 days if made ahead and the fish added fresh.
Doing it cheaper
The budget version
The cheap version of this track is built on tinned fish and dried beans rather than fresh fillets. Dried white beans at $1.69 a pound are roughly 58 g of protein per dollar; a tin of sardines is a complete protein serving that needs no fuel to cook.
Around $60–80 a week for one person at national average prices, or nearer $50 on the tinned-fish version.
| Instead of | Use | Why it is worth it |
|---|---|---|
| Fresh salmon | Tinned sardines, mackerel and frozen white fish | A fraction of the price, and the small oily fish carry more omega-3 per dollar than the fillet does. |
| Canned beans | Dried, soaked overnight | About half the cost per gram of protein, and they hold their shape better in a long stew. |
| Small bottles of olive oil | The three-litre tin | This plan uses a lot of oil. Buying it in a small bottle is the quiet way this track gets expensive. |
| Out-of-season tomatoes and peppers | Tinned tomatoes and frozen peppers | Better flavour for a stew than a pale winter tomato, at a third of the price. |
The prices behind these swaps, with sources, are in the protein-per-dollar table.
Shopping list
One week, one person
Sized for a big guy eating the plan above with a little slack in it. Halve the fresh produce if you shop twice a week.
Protein
- 12 chicken thighs
- 8 cans tuna or sardines in oil
- 2 lb salmon or frozen white fish
- 3 lb dried white beans
- 2 dozen eggs
- Large tub Greek yoghurt
Carbs
- 3 lb potatoes
- 2 lb bulgur or brown rice
- 1 lb orzo
- Wholemeal bread
- Rolled oats
Plants
- Tomatoes, cucumbers
- 4 peppers, 2 fennel bulbs
- 3 onions, 2 heads garlic
- 3 lemons
- Spinach, salad leaves
- Oranges, figs or apricots
Pantry
- Large tin olive oil
- 4 cans chopped tomatoes
- 4 cans chickpeas
- Green olives, feta
- Oregano, cumin, smoked paprika
- Walnuts, almonds, pistachios
The Mediterranean pattern is the one your doctor is most likely to have already recommended, and the evidence behind it is about the pattern as a whole rather than any single food in it. Swapping the olive oil for butter and the fish for beef and calling it Mediterranean is the version that does not work.
Nothing on this page is medical advice. It is a plan written for general strength training in healthy adults, and any condition or medication you are managing outranks it.
Not the right track?
Five others, same structure, all with a budget version.