Mediterranean Diet not a Diet!

Many studies show that people following the so called "Mediterranean Diet" have a lower incidence of heart disease and cancer. If you were to ask villagers in Greece, Italy or Southern France what dietary plans they are following they would stare at you in disbelief. The answer would be "none, of course - are you kidding?".

Theirs is simply an eating habit of what traditionally was available as affordable food in their region as well as an active lifestyle. It just happens that this eating pattern is very close to dietary guidelines recommended by the American Heart Association. Mediterranean food is high in good fats (monounsaturated and polyunsaturated) you find in fish and olive oil and low in saturated fats and trans fats. The emphasize on vegetables provides an excellent source of fibers and antioxidants.

In addition people from the Mediterranean region drink a glass or two of wine, mostly red wine, each day. Red wine is a good source of flavonoids and phenolic acids, antioxidants which protect against heart disease by increasing HDL cholesterol and thus preventing blood clotting.

The so called "Mediterranean Diet" is after all just a natural way of eating a variety of natural foods, eating not too much and drinking alcohol in moderation. In other words these are not good customers of your global food conglomerate. No artificial food coloring and flavoring, no cornstarch and other make believe "nutritional substances", which are essential "ingredients" to meet profit targets resulting in fat executive bonuses.