The Mediterranean Diet With Naturopath Jane Papalia | Clean Nectarine

July 02, 2026By Irene Falcone

"If you're looking for real feta, it's F-E-T-A, one T. That's the real deal."

I grew up in the suburbs of Melbourne in the 80s with Italian parents and grandparents. Our kitchen table looked a lot like the one Jane describes. On episode 13 of The Lee & Irene Show, we talked about the Mediterranean diet with Jane Papalia, a qualified naturopath and clinical nutritionist, and the brains behind The Mediterranean Naturopath. Lee said Jane is "one of my favourite people. We studied clinical nutrition together."

Jane's Sicilian grandmother never talked about wellness. "She just simply lived it naturally." "There was always someone sitting at the table, conversations happening and meals were never rushed." In fact, one of the biggest surprises in all of Jane's years of study was "how measurable social connection is when it comes to longevity." As she told us, the Mediterranean diet is "not about restriction or calorie counting. It's about simple daily habits done consistently."

You can listen to the full episode here:

Here are the 3 things I learned from our chat with Jane

1. The Mediterranean diet is a way of living

As Jane put it, "it's more than just having Greek salad and red wine." Her grandmother's kitchen "was full of vegetables, olive oil, herbs, legumes, slow-cooked meals", and for Jane the lesson was that "longevity is not built through extremes. It's actually through simple daily rituals repeated consistently over time."

"The lifestyle is built around colourful plant foods, extra virgin olive oil, legumes, whole grains and quality proteins like oily fish, sardines, salmon, mackerel and good quality Greek yoghurt and also eggs."

2. How to tell real feta from fetta

I saw on TikTok that there's two types of feta, so I asked Jane about it. She said "the one with one T is the traditional Greek cheese name. The one with two T's, it's a common Australian spelling for a similar cheese, which is white brine cheese made with cow's milk or mixed milk sometimes."

"It's not always 100% goat's milk. It's often sheep's milk actually, and sometimes with a little bit of goat's milk added to it. If it's mostly made from sheep's milk, it can include up to about 30% goat."

To find the real thing, Jane said to look for traditional-looking packs with very Mediterranean names, like Athenos, President and Olympus. A fetta that isn't authentic has "probably got just some kind of mixed cheeses with brine in."

3. Extra virgin olive oil is a longevity food

"The other thing that really surprised me is the extra virgin olive oil that my grandmother, my family have done for many, many years." Extra virgin olive oil contains a polyphenol called hydroxytyrosol, which she describes as "one of the olive oil's most protective molecules". It helps with inflammation and oxidative stress, "so it really is a longevity food."

Jane says the best olive oil is fresh pressed extra virgin olive oil, because it has the most polyphenols. Lee added that extra virgin "is made by mechanical pressing only. There's no chemicals, there's no heat. It has that stronger flavour, but that also means it's got more antioxidants." Regular olive oil, the one without extra virgin on the label, can be a blend of refined oils.

Hands sprinkling chopped fresh herbs into a small white bowl on a timber board, with a bottle of olive oil, a glass bowl of roasted pumpkin and onion salad, fresh basil and carrots on a linen tablecloth

Lee reminded us that about five years ago we were told olive oil had a low smoke point and to cook with coconut oil instead. "They've reversed all that research now. It's all back to, yes, we can cook." She cooks with olive oil, "at a lower sort of a medium sort of temperature."

My nonna had the most beautiful olive skin that was never dry. She told me she only ever put a teaspoon of olive oil on her face every day. Jane said "it's more to do with supporting ageing from the inside out", by cooking with olive oil and having it on your vegetables every day. Healthy fats help support the skin barrier and hydration, and they reduce inflammation and oxidative stress, which Jane calls one of the major drivers of skin ageing.

What goes on a Mediterranean plate

Jane keeps it simple. Look at your plate and make 50% of it plants. "The Mediterranean principles is really consuming the abundance around the produce of the seasons." In autumn, that's pumpkin, beetroot, broccoli, figs, pears and pomegranates.

A Mediterranean salad of leafy greens, radicchio, sliced radish, blood orange and shaved parmesan on a white platter with timber salad servers, surrounded by green plates of salad, a small jug of dressing and a dish of honey

Breakfast: Greek yoghurt with berries, nuts and a little honey.

Lunch: green leafy vegetables and legumes, like lentil soup, minestrone, roasted vegetables with olive oil, chickpeas or a stew. Jane calls legumes "one of the most underrated longevity foods".

Snacks: almonds, walnuts, purple grapes or dolmades. Sprinkle some feta on top of the dolmades.

Dinner: oily fish like salmon, mackerel, sardines and even anchovies, for omega-3s.

Herbs: oregano, rosemary, thyme, sage, fennel and lemon balm. Jane says oregano is the highest antioxidant herb we know, and rosemary is associated with cognition and circulation. For something different, try the Tunisian spice mix of turmeric, coriander, caraway, garlic and chilli.

Jane's roasted garlic soup

Jane's simplest tip is to put a clove of garlic in the oven with a little sea salt and olive oil and roast it. She also has a 32 garlic clove soup she makes whenever she feels like she's coming down with something. She roasts onion and garlic in the oven until they caramelise, then adds some stock. For a creamy version, she adds a little coconut milk. "It's actually a really sweet soup."

You'll find the soup recipe, plus a free e-book with a longevity toolkit and autumn recipes, on Jane's website, The Mediterranean Naturopath. She also works one on one with clients, analysing their bloods and creating personalised nutrition programs.

Listen to the full episode

We also talked about siestas and why 4pm is the time to wind down. You can listen to episode 13 on Spotify.

About the Author

Irene Falcone is the founder of Clean Nectarine and co-host of The Lee & Irene Show. She started her first clean beauty business in 2011 with $100 in her garage and grew it to $20m in four years. She has spent over 15 years reading the backs of beauty and wellness labels, is a Telstra Business Women's Awards winner and an EY Entrepreneur of the Year finalist, and has been featured on A Current Affair, The Project, Sunrise, Channel Nine Mornings and Sky News.

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