by: Roy Barker

Well, to begin with, there isn't really any one Mediterranean Diet!
There's a whole swag of countries bordering the Mediterranean Sea.
The basic Mediterranean Diet has common characteristics even if the
sourrounding countries differ in culture, language and recipes to
some extent.

* an extensive intake of fruits, vegetables, bread and cereals,
potatoes, beans, nuts and seeds
* olive oil is a source of mono-unsaturated fat - common to the
Mediterranean area
* some dairy products, fish and even poultry are consumed in sparing
to moderate amounts, and some red meat(not much)
* eggs are consumed in low to moderate amount say 1 to 4 eggs a week

* fortunately wine is acceptable but in low quantities ie. 1 - 3
glasses per day

A good question to ask is - Does a Mediterranean-style diet follow
American Heart Association dietary guidelines?

Mediterranean-style diets are often close to US dietary guidelines,
but not exactly.

People who follow the average Mediterranean diet eat less saturated
fat than those who eat the average American diet. In fact, saturated
fat consumption is well within US dietary guidelines. More than half
the fat calories in a Mediterranean diet come from mono-unsaturated
fats (mainly from olive oil). Mono-unsaturated fat doesn't raise
blood cholesterol levels the way saturated fat does.

The incidence of heart disease in Mediterranean countries is lower
than in the United States. Death rates are lower, too.
However there are some who feel this may not be entirely due to the
diet. Lifestyle factors (ie. more physical activity and extended
social family support structures) may also play a part. At this
stage this is just a theory. However the research tells all - the
diet has existed for umpteen years.

If you would like further proof of the mediterranean diet benefits
resulting from research and qualified researchers you could try
visiting http://content.nejm.org/cgi/content/short/348/26/2599 or
http://my.webmd.com/content/article/67/80070.htm. Both of these
sites give good 'food for thought'(excuse the pun).

"Olive oil plays a central role, but it is not alone," says
Dimitrios Trichopoulos, MD, PhD, of Harvard School of Public Health.


"It's among the divine mix of several factors that, when used in
combination, help provide strong evidence of something that is very
important -- eating the proper diet can significantly reduce your
risk of early death."

He and researchers from Greece studied some 22,000 adults, aged 20
to 86, from all regions of that country; most previous studies
tracked only older people who were more likely to die during the
study. The participants answered detailed questionnaires about their
eating habits throughout the four-year study. Then they were rated
on how closely they followed the key principles of the Mediterranean
diet.

Sticking to the Mediterranean diet cut the risk of death from both
heart disease and cancer. For every two points higher on this 0-to-9
scale -- with top numbers going to those most closely following the
Mediterranean diet -- the death rate dropped by 25%.

The findings by Trichopoulos may also help explain why Asians, who
typically use these other cooking oils, also have lower disease and
death rates. Although they rarely use olive oil, they traditionally
follow other principles of the Mediterranean diet -- lots of
produce, legumes, nuts, and minimally processed grains, with little
saturated fat.

"The message remains the same, and is consistent with other
findings: A diet lower in saturated fats and higher in
monounsaturated fats, and potentially, polyunsaturates, will result
in better health outcomes," says Alice H. Lichtenstein, DSc, of
Tufts University and a spokeswoman for the American Heart
Association.

"If the main message that Americans get is to just increase their
olive or canola oil consumption, that's unfortunate because they
will increase their caloric intake and they are already getting too
many calories. What they need to do is eat more fruits, vegetables,
and legumes and fewer foods rich in saturated fats."

Some of this information has been referenced from The New England
Journal of Medicine, June 26, 2003. Dimitrios Trichopoulos, MD, PhD,
professor of epidemiology, Vincent L. Gregory Professor of Cancer
Prevention, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston. Alice H.
Lichtenstein, DSc, senior scientist and director, Cardiovascular
Nutrition Laboratory, Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Researcher
Center on Aging, Tufts University, Boston; spokeswoman, American
Heart Association.

So in a nutshell, there is sound evidence that the Mediterranean
Diet can help reduce heart disease, cancer, weight gain and of
course reduce the risk of early death. However, it would be a
mistake to think this outcome is based on the use of Olive Oil
alone. The diet is diverse and allows for taste and creativity which
is often lacking in most other diets. This alone warrants further
investigation from those who seek a healthy, easy diet that has
flavour and is fullfilling. Remember too that just as in all
worthwhile diets, moderate level exercise should not be overlooked.

About the author:
Publisher & author: Roy Barker. Roy has an indepth and long
established background with the vitamins, minerals and health
industry and has researched and experimented with many diets over a
thirty year period. Roy is also the author of Safe and Easy
Weightloss, a downloadable e-book based on the popular Mediterranean
Diet. It can be viewed at http://www.safe-and-easy-weightloss.com