Kayla Itsines Swears By A Mediterranean-Style Diet

When most people talk about fuelling their workouts it’s all protein shakes and carb-loading (oats! bread! Bananas!… you get the picture.) For the record, this is perfectly legit but it does get old quick. Enter Kayla Itsines, with a far more enticing approach to eating: inclusion over elimination.

Check out Kayla Itsines' 12-Minute total body burn workout below...

"I grew up in a Greek family where food is the most important thing in the whole world," Kayla tells Women's Health.

"As a rule, I don’t think about what I need to eliminate from my diet." Instead, she follows a Mediterranean-style diet that "includes lots of fresh fruit and vegetables, meat, fish, pasta, and lots of olive oil, lemon juice, and oregano." And at every meal, she fills her plate with fresh veg and healthy protein.

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This is a perfect example of the food I LOVE to eat 😍⁣ ⁣ To keep my lunches interesting, I sometimes add a dip as my dressing instead of my standard olive oil, balsamic, salt and pepper one haha. Homemade tzatziki is so good on salads ladies! ⁣ ⁣ Here's how my family make it:⁣ ⁣ 1️⃣Drain 300g of Greek yoghurt overnight to get rid of the water (you don't HAVE to do this, but this will make the yoghurt super thick)⁣ 2️⃣Cut the top and bottom off a whole cucumber, grate it into a cloth then close the cloth and squeeze the excess water into the sink⁣ 3️⃣Place the grated cucumber, Greek yoghurt, 2-3 cloves of crushed garlic, a squeeze of lemon juice, olive oil and a pinch of salt and pepper in a small bowl (I don't measure anything) ⁣ 4️⃣Mix to combine⁣ ⁣ You can use the leftovers to dip vegetables in, or add it to Gyros the next day!⁣ ⁣ Photo credit: @naturallyzuzu

“In the morning I usually wake up hungry, so the first thing I want to do is eat, not train,” she explains, adding that she “feels sick” if she attempts a HIIT sweat sesh on an empty stomach. “I want to make sure that I have enough fuel (food) in my body to be able to work out.⁣⁣"

She’s also big on snacking throughout the day (because, energy.)

"My go-to snack, no matter if it’s pre or post-workout is veggie sticks with dip," she says (tzatziki’s her all-time fave.) "I also love watermelon! I always recommend to try to choose snacks that help to fill you up and leave you feeling satisfied." For her, that means chowing down on carbs, protein and good fats.

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It's summer here in Adelaide and that means watermelon is in season so I'm eating even more than usual! 🍉🍉🍉 Watermelon was really one of the only foods that I felt like eating during pregnancy. I ate SO much of it, I'm surprised I still love it as much as I do. One of my favourite ways to have watermelon and strawberries together in summer is to blend them up with ice, mint and lime!! It's SO refreshing and can also be a great healthy, sweet treat for kids too. 😁

"My diet hasn’t really changed much over the course of my career," she continues. "The main thing to consider is what feels right for you and your body. There's nothing worse than finishing a workout and feeling unwell, so do what makes you feel happy, confident and strong!"

The expert has spoken.

Lucy Bode

Lucy is Women Health’s digital editor, social media specialist and the go-to girl for all things holistic wellness. Her background as a journalist and passion for food, fitness and integrative medicine has led her to write for some of Australia’s leading publications over the course of her career.

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