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The Mediterranean diet is tasty and good for you, nutritionists say Date published: 5/12/2004 By ADELE UPHAUS EOPLE IN THE Mediterranean region--Greece, Italy, southern France, Spain, North Africa and parts of the Middle East--seem to have figured out how to live. Surrounded by all kinds of sun-drenched scenery, they take two-hour siestas at lunchtime and close up shop in the early evening to stroll along narrow cobblestone streets, visiting with friends and family. Plus, they eat all kinds of delicious food: crusty bread soaked in olive oil, slices of juicy tomato with basil, pasta with garlicky butter sauce. Meals are special occasions that can go on for hours, and eating is a sensory experience to be savored. Turns out, you can eat like this, too--and it's actually good for you. Numerous studies, both recent and decades old, show that a Mediterranean-style diet has many health benefits, from improving cardiovascular health to increasing life expectancy. "In the Mediterranean region, heart disease is exceedingly rare, almost unheard of," said Dr. Goulda Downer, a nutritionist who is president and CEO of Metroplex Health and Nutrition Services in Washington, D.C., in a telephone interview. "The diet is a good base to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease, which is the leading killer of all of us." The Mediterranean diet pyramid was developed in 1993 by Oldways Preservation and Exchange Trust--a nonprofit "food issues think tank,"--the Harvard School of Public Health and the World Health Organization. It was the first of a set of pyramids designed by Oldways to reflect the eating habits of populations around the world who enjoy better health than the United States. The pyramid is based on studies conducted by scientist and nutritionist Ancel Keys of the eating habits of people in Crete and Southern Italy in the 1950s, according to Chris Speed, nutritionist for Oldways. Keys was one of the first to study how diet and activity affected instances of cardiovascular disease in different populations. At the base of the pyramid are fresh, unprocessed, plant-derived foods--fruits and vegetables, potatoes, breads, grains, pastas, beans, nuts and seeds. Dairy products, mostly cheese and yogurt, are consumed daily in small amounts, and fish and poultry are eaten weekly. Eggs are eaten up to four times a week, and red meat is eaten very sparingly.
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