Mediterranean's Lifelong Health

Dietary data from those parts of the Mediterranean region that in the recent past enjoyed the lowest recorded rates of chronic diseases and the highest adult life expectancy ate a diet like the " Mediterranean Diet Healthy Weight Plan".

This diet is known as the Mediterranean diet, and it consists mostly of grains, fruits, beans, and vegetables.

This style of eating includes little meat and plenty of olive and olive oil.One other item commonly found in Mediterranean dishes is garlic. Garlic may help prevent blood clots, lower your cholesterol level, and protect you against cancer.

Variations of this diet have traditionally existed in other parts of Italy, parts of Spain and Portugal, southern France, parts of North Africa (especially Morocco and Tunisia), parts of Turkey, other parts of the Balkan region, as well as parts of the Middle East (especially Lebanon and Syria). The diet is closely tied to traditionally areas of olive oil cultivation in the Mediterranean region.

Mediterranean Diet Pyramid

This pyramid, representing a healthy, traditional Mediterranean diet, is based on the dietary traditions of Crete, much of the rest of Greece and southern Italy circa 1960, structured in light of current nutrition research.

The design of the pyramid is not based solely on either the weight or the percentage of energy (calories) that foods account for in the diet, but on a blend of these that is meant to give relative proportions and a general sense of frequency of servings-as well as an indication of which foods to favor in a healthy Mediterranean-style diet. The pyramid describes a diet for most healthy adults. Whether changes would need to be made for children, women in the reproductive years, and other special population groups is an issue that needs further consideration.