Mediterranean Diet

At a Glance

By Karen Asp

There's nothing gimmicky or flashy about the "Mediterranean Diet" from Marissa Cloutier and Eve Adamson. And that, you'll see, is a good thing, for this eating plan is backed by decades of research, all of which point to numerous health benefits.

"The Mediterranean Diet" is based on a pattern of eating that's closely tied to the Mediterranean region, which includes Greece and southern Italy. While you'll find foods unique to each country, this region shares an attitude about eating, and that forms the basis of the Mediterranean style of eating, which this book advocates. Essentially, the traditional diet emphasizes foods from plant sources, limited meat consumption, small amounts of wine and olive oil as the main fat source.

Although this way of eating has existed for decades, researchers didn't pay serious attention to the diet until the 1960s. At that time, rates of chronic disease in the Mediterranean region were the lowest in the world, while life expectancy was among the highest. Studies were undertaken and soon, research revealed that the Mediterranean diet improved cardiovascular health, yielded optimal health and boosted longevity. Weight loss may be another benefit.

In 1993, perhaps in response to the number of positive studies on the Mediterranean diet, Oldways Preservation Trust, the Harvard School of Public Health and the World Health Organization created the Mediterranean Diet Pyramid. Since then, several variations of the diet have been created, including this one by Cloutier and Adamson, which sticks closely to the Mediterranean Diet Pyramid. There are, of course, a few variations, but the concept is largely the same.