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Nicole Whittle, known for her plant-based lifestyle content, recently shared a YouTube video on her trip to Rhodes, Greece, and how she ate a fully vegan Mediterranean diet. She explores the local food scene, showing how eating plant-based in the Mediterranean is easy with a few simple swaps.
The Mediterranean diet is a plant-forward eating pattern based on traditional cuisines of countries around the Mediterranean Sea. It focuses on fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes, nuts, and olive oil, with limited animal products. Popular for its links to reduced risk of heart disease, diabetes, and other chronic conditions, it’s consistently ranked as one of the healthiest diets. Its emphasis on plant foods makes it easy to adapt to a fully plant-based version by replacing fish, dairy, or eggs with legumes, tofu, and fortified plant-based alternatives.
Read more: 2 Weeks of Vegan Eats In Los Angeles and Las Vegas
Vegan brunch at a plant-based hotel
Whittle starts the week by returning to a fully vegan hotel in Rhodes she previously stayed at. Its brunch menu is open to non-guests, and she orders a wrap featuring tzatziki, meaty mushrooms, and fries. She describes it as one of her more indulgent meals: “It was just very comforting, very cozy. I really enjoyed that.”
Exploring vegan-friendly restaurants in Rhodes
Throughout the week, Whittle eats at a mix of fully vegan and mixed-menu restaurants. One standout is Avocado, which she chooses partly for its accessibility to both vegans and non-vegans. Although the risotto she orders is a hot dish on a hot day, she calls it a “really good selection” and says, “If I were here longer, I’d definitely go there twice.”
Later, she dines beachside at a restaurant with a dedicated vegan section. Her spread includes falafel, green salad, and rice. While the salad alone might not have been filling, the addition of falafel made it a full Mediterranean-style meal.
DIY dinners with Greek pantry staples
Not all meals are eaten out. Whittle makes use of her room’s kitchenette and local tins of vegetables to assemble quick dinners. One night, she opens a tin of aubergine in tomato sauce for a no-fuss meal alongside chickpeas. The meal may be simple, but it reflects her focus on legumes and whole foods.
Budget breakfasts and snacks
In the mornings, Whittle seeks out low-cost meals like fruit-topped porridge at a hostel café. She says it’s “probably one of the most affordable meals I’ve had so far,” and appreciates that it comes loaded with fruit. Snacks include tinned desserts, dark chocolate, and a quest for vegan sunscreen, all of which fit into her laid-back, resourceful travel style.
The video emphasizes that a vegan Mediterranean diet doesn’t require elaborate planning. Instead, it involves a flexible approach: eating out when possible, relying on legumes and vegetables, and appreciating the small comforts of food that is fresh, flavorful, and plant-based.
You can find more plant-based travel videos on Nicole Whittle’s YouTube Channel.
Read more: ‘I Turned My Kitchen Into A Vegan Café For My Friends’
