Did you hear the news?  A new study in the New England Journal of Medicine found that the Mediterranean diet has once again been shown to help stave off heart disease and stroke – two major causes of death for men AND women (many of you women think only men are high risk).   This is big news for people like me, nutritionists and foodies, who take eating real food very seriously.   Not that we didn’t already know this, but the reminder to lay down the fad diets, the processed foods and junk foods in lieu of fresh, delicious and healthy food is more important than ever.

What Exactly Is The Mediterranean Diet?

This is the best part: eating like you live on the Mediterranean means you are choosing a diet high in fruits, vegetables, fish, olive oil, legumes and nuts and low in red meat and processed foods. This is not another weight loss diet, rather an eating plan focused on health. This is real, fresh food.  Other health professionals, such as Dean Ornish, who promotes a highly restrictive low fat vegan diet, don’t buy the health claims of Mediterranean diet.  Still, fad diets, such as the  Paleo diet, which does promote a high amount of plant foods along with a curiously high amount of saturated fat from animal protein (and no whole grains), make them difficult at best to comply with.  The Meditteranean diet, on the other hand, is a way of healthy eating that you can stick with, that you can lose weight with and that can open up the possiblity of creating a variety of delicious, nutritious meals.

Want to know what the Mediterranean diet is like?  Try my Warm Tabouli Salad with Mint Dressing and see how delicious healthy can be.

What do you think of the Mediterranean diet?  Are there other “diets” that have made a huge difference in your life?  Leave a comment below and share your news!