You've probably heard of not so infamous Mediterranean Diet. I bet the first things that come to mind are olive oil, garlic and wine. Is that all they eat? Of course not. But whatever the magic foods they choose, Mediterraneans live longer, have lower risk of developing heart disiese and cancer, and the word "obesity" is almost unknown in this area. In fact, many dietitians recommend this diet to anyone striving to lose a few pounds, improve blood cholesterol, or simply to become 'energized'. And the best part is that it feels next to intuitive, and you don't have to count calories or fat grams.

There are 18 countries with coasts on the Mediterranean sea: Spain, southern France, Italy, Malta, Croatia, Bosnia, Albania, Greece, Cyprus, Turkey, Syria, Lebanon, Egypt, Libya, Malta, Tunisia, Algeria and Morocco. Since all these countries differ markedly in geography, flora and fauna, and food availability, it is difficult to unify eating habbits of the people living here into a single diet. The results of the study published in the Asia Pacific Journal of Clinical Nutrition showed that important differences in the food habits of the Mediterranean countries are related to location, stating that neighbouring countries' food habits are closer than those on opposite sides of the Mediterranean Sea. The researchers identified no single ideal Mediterranean diet and recommended nutritionists who use the concept to specify the country and the time of referral to their model Mediterranean.

Historical changes in the region's scenery, flora, and the food resources influenced the diet of the Mediterranean basin. Some plants, like the olive tree, wheat, and the grapevine, have apparently been in this area even during mythological times. Oranges and lemons, however, as well as tomatoes, eggplants, corn, rice, beans, and potatoes, were imported at different time periods. Certain factors attributing to region's climate and people's lifestyles show similarities represented in somewhat unified Mediterranean Diet.

What Do Mediterraneans Eat

Foods from plant sources made up the core of the diet as reflected in diets of different countries of the Mediterranean basin. In North Africa, couscous together with vegetables and legumes forms the center of the diet; in southern Europe, meals consist primarily of pasta, rice, polenta and potatoes together with vegetables and legumes such as chick-peas and beans. Throughout the Mediterranean, bread is fundamental to the diet and is consumed without butter or margarine. Fruit,nuts, seeds, and olives are eaten in large amounts and represent snacks in themselves as well as additions to main meals to enhance the taste and the energy density of each dish. Consumption of refined sugar is very low in the traditional diets of the Mediterranean.

Cereals constitute the largest proportion of all foods eaten in the Mediterranean region. These include wheat, burghul, semolina, rice, maize, bread and pasta from these grains.

Mediterraneans drink considerably less milk than northern Europeans or Americans. Among dairy products butermilk, yogurt and cheeses are made from sheep, goat’s and cow’s milk and are preferred in lower fat variety, such as ricotta, cottage, Parmesan, granular, bocconcini, feta, haloumi, kasseri, kafalograviera, kefalotiri, provolone, mozzarella, mascarpone, and pecorino. Butter is used sparingly, except in the rich northern Italian and classic French cuisines. Clarified butter, or ghee, is used in pastry cooking, or to flavore couscous when mixed with herbs. Instead of butter, the use of olive oil is widely advocated in and is consumed almost with every meal. It is the single most distinguishing feature of Mediterranean cooking. Other oils traditionally used are cottonseed, grapeseed, hazelnut, maize, safflower, sunflower, and walnut.The olive is one of the most popular and simple appetizers used in theregion. Served stuffed, fried, cooked with meat and pultry, added to salads or cereals, olives are well used around the Mediterranean, especially in Greece.

Many of the vegetables are Mediterranean only by adoption and include tomatoes, potatoes, capsicums, Jerusalem artichokes, aubergines. Despite the fact, they are enjoyed in high quantities and are inseparable part of the Mediterranean cooking. Cucumbers, asparagus, peppers, chillis, beans, beetroot, brassica ‘family’, carrots, okra, onions, celery, spinach, zucchini, squash and peas are also among the most widely used.

Herbs accompany every Mediterranean dish, especially vegetable dishes. Anise, basil, bay leaves, borage, caraway, chamomile, chervil, chives, coriander, dill, fennel, lavender, marjoram, mint, oregano, parsley, rigani, rosemary, sage, savory, sorrel, tarragon, and thyme are Mediterranean favorites. Other flavorings include allspice, capers, cinnamon, citron, and juniper. The use of garlic, both white and purple-skinned varieties, is a major characteristic of Mediterranean cooking, and has an effect of lower incidence of heart disease in the region. All of these flavourings have shown to have medicinal properties are widely used as measurements of prevention certain ailments.

Nuts are very highly regarded in the Mediterranean cuisine and are used to thicken sauces, add texture, and increase energy-nutrient density of foods. Seeds and nuts are also eaten as snacks and include almonds, pistachio, hazelnuts, walnuts, pine nuts, chstnuts, and tahini paste from sesame seeds. Other kinds such as Brazil nuts, pecans, hickory nuts, cashews and peanuts were brought to the Mediterranean from America and are now widely consumed aroung the world, but are not included in authentic.

Various kinds of fish and shellfish are consumed is large variety due to the region’s closeness to sea and its broad territory. Among the most common habitants of the sea that are found in the cuisine are clams, cockles, mussels, squid, cuttlefish, octopus,cod, eels, sole, sea bream, whiting, tuna, and sea urchin. Mediterraneans prefer fatty variety of preserved meat, such as ham, salami and lamb, but eat it only sparingly. Regarded low fat kinds include chicken, capon, Guinea fowl, rabbit and turkey.

The Mediterranean diet allows a moderate amount of wine and coffee, considering these to be absolutely central to the life of the Mediterraneans.

The Mediterranean diet may be summarized in the following components:

1. High consumption of oils, particularly olive. This in turn represents high monounsaturated:saturated fat ratio
2. High consumption of cereals (particularly bread)
3. High consumption of legumes
4. High consumption of fruits
5. High consumption of vegetables
6. Moderate consumption of alcohol
7. Moderate consumption of milk and slightly greater amounts of dairy products (cheese and yogurt)
8. Low to moderate consumption of fish
9. Low consumption of poultry, eggs and meat