Mediterranean diet

The Mediterranean diet is a nutritional model inspired by the traditional dietary patterns of the countries of the Mediterranean basin, particularly Italy, Greece, and Spain.

Related Topics:
Nutritional model - Mediterranean - Italy - Greece - Spain

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These common patterns include a high consumption of fruit and vegetables, bread and other cereals, olive oil and fish. A main factor in the appeal of the Mediterranean Diet is the rich full flavored foods. Margarine or other hydrogenated fats leave foods tasting bland compared flavor fats like olive oil can impart to foods. People who eat foods that are consistently high in fat content will have to employ some form or potion management, as fats have double the calorie count of protein and carbohydrates. Red wine is also consumed regularly but in moderate quantities.

Related Topics:
Fruit - Vegetable - Bread - Cereal - Olive oil - Fish - Margarine - Calorie - Protein - Carbohydrates - Red wine

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?Discovered? in 1945 by the American doctor Ancel Keys, who disembarked in Salerno (Italy) with the U.S. Army, the Mediterranean diet has gained common currency only in the 1990s. It is based on what from the point of view of conventional, mainstream nutrition is considered a paradox: that although the people living in Mediterranean countries tend to consume relatively high amounts of fat, they have far lower rates of cardiovascular disease than in countries like the United States, where similar levels of fat consumption are found.

Related Topics:
1945 - American - Ancel Keys - Salerno (Italy) - U.S. Army - 1990s - Nutrition - United States

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One of the main explanations is thought to be the large amount of olive oil used in the Mediterranean diet -- in contrast to the high amount of animal fats in a typical American diet. Olive oil lowers cholesterol levels in the blood, while animal fats tend to increase cholesterol levels. In addition, the consumption of red wine is also thought to be a factor, because it contains flavonoids with powerful antioxidant properties (this effect of the red wine is also called the French paradox, due to France's high red wine consumption).

Related Topics:
Olive oil - Wine - Flavonoid - Antioxidant - French paradox - France

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Dietary factors may be only part of the reason for the health benefits enjoyed by these cultures. Genetics, lifestyle, and environment may also be involved.

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