With so many of us now working from home or practising social isolation, you may start to feel sluggish as our lives become more sedentary than ever.

But there are ways you can help yourself stay in a good headspace. The ModiMed diet, developed by dietitian and La Trobe alumna Dr Rachelle Opie,  has been shown to help people suffering from depression.

Now, Dr Opie has put together ten simple tips for how you can follow the ModiMed diet in your everyday life. Bon appétit!

1. Select fruits, vegetables and nuts as a snack. Replace the chips with three serves of fruit and 30 grams (1.5 tablespoons) of unsalted nuts daily.

2. Include vegetables with every meal. Your mum was right – you need to eat your veggies! Make sure you eat leafy greens and tomatoes every day.

3. Eat whole grain breads and cereals. For a healthy breakfast option, try WeetBix or porridge.

4. Eat legumes 3-4 times per week. This doesn’t mean living on lentil soup – it could include hummus, kidney beans or falafel.

5. Eat oily fish at least twice a week. Stock up on salmon, tuna and sardines.

6. Eat lean red meat 3-4 times per week. But don’t go overboard – limit your servings to 65-100 grams.

7. Include 2-3 serves of dairy every day. But don’t get sucked into overloading on sugar – select natural yoghurt.

8. Use olive oil as the main added fat in your meals. Include 60 millilitres (3 tablespoons) of extra virgin olive oil daily.

9. Take it easy on the sweets. Don’t get into bad habits – keep the sugary treats for special occasions only.

10. Water is the best drink. Pretty self-explanatory.

Interested in giving the Mediterranean diet a go? Find out more about the diet and learn to make Professor Catherine Itsiopoulos’ vegetable briami.