The Traditional Healthy Mediterranean Diet is based on the healthy eating and lifestyle habits of the folks living in southern Italy, the Greek island of Crete, and other areas of Greece. Oxygen.com reviews the Mediterranean Diet and writes, «Researchers believe that the diet and lifestyle of the region was the secret to good health. The typical fat intake ranged from less than 25 percent of their daily calories to over 35 percent -- but much of it came from heart-healthy olive oil. The diet boasted a low amount of artery-clogging saturated fat, coming in at no more than 8 percent of their total calories daily.»
The traditional Mediterranean diet features an abundance of vegetables, legumes, fruits, nuts and cereals and regular use of olive oil (monounsaturated fats), moderate amounts of fish and dairy products (mostly yogurt or cheese), small amounts of red meat (low intake of saturated fats) and moderate consumption of alcohol, usually in the form of wine and consumed at meals.
Researchers from the Harvard School of Public Health and the University of Athens Medical School, Athens, Greece analyzed the diets of more than 22,000 participants enrolled in the Greek component of the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC) between 1994 and 1999. “The results are clear; a Mediterranean diet featuring olive oil, vegetables, fish, fruits and low in saturated fats and enjoyed for many years by the people of that region, is healthy and promotes longevity,” said Dimitrios Trichopoulos, senior author of the study and the Vincent L. Gregory Professor of Cancer Prevention in the Department of Epidemiology at the Harvard School of Public Health. “The magnitude of the reduction in mortality underscores the longevity advantage that adult Mediterranean populations have experienced for centuries.” (read more about study at Harvard School of Public Health site).
