Eat your meals with a side salad

“Magnesium is abundant in leafy greens,” says Hassan, so try adding side salads to each meal in true MENA style, or opt for a hearty lentil soup for its protein and B vitamin benefits.

A die-hard fan of Greek salad? You might fall in love with fattoush, meshwiya, tabbouleh or raheb salad too.

Look to dried fruits and nuts for an after-dinner dessert

Beyond food, we can all take a broader MENA Mediterranean approach to our eating behaviours, says Hassan, referring to the selection of walnuts, almonds, pistachios or sunflower seeds that are served alongside fruit in Middle Eastern living rooms. “When snacking, choose from different kinds of nuts and seeds or have fruits after dinner.”

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