Other features of the Mediterranean diet include:

• high consumption of fruits, vegetables, cereals, beans, nuts and seeds.
• moderate consumption of dairy products, fish and poultry.
• low consumption of red meats and eggs.
• regular but moderate consumption of wines, particularly red wines. (Red wines are rich in antioxidants that doctors say protect against heart disease and some cancers.) Mediterranean peoples tend to consume their wine with a meal, and it is believed that the fats within that meal assist absorption of the antioxidants.

People from Mediterranean countries also typically choose fresh, seasonal produce - and get their daily exercise walking to the market to pick it up.

Several studies have examined the relationship between a Mediterranean style diet and the risk of heart disease. One of the better publicized trials is the Lyon Diet Heart Study, involving 605 patients who had survived a heart attack.

After four years, the patients who had been following a Mediterranean diet containing increased levels of both alpha-linolenic acid (an omega-3 fatty acid) and monounsaturated fats (from olive oil and nuts) had a 55 percent reduction in risk of death and a 50 to 70 percent decreased risk of recurrent cardiac events, compared with patients who were eating a control diet¹.

1. de Lorgeril, M., Salen, P., Martin, J.L., et al. Mediterranean diet, traditional risk factors, and the rate of cardiovascular complications after myocardial infarction: final report of the Lyon Diet Heart Study. Circulation, 1999;99(6):779-85.

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