What are some foods in a Mediterranean diet?

Answer 1

The Mediterranean diet (also known as the Prasouda diet after the Islet Upper Prasouda in the Greek Islands, regarded as an example of paradise) is roughly based around what country people in Greece, Turkey, southern Italy and parts of rural Spain have been eating for years. After WW2 American scientists found them to be unusually healthy, with very low incidents of cancer and heart disease.

At the heart of the Mediterranean diet is lots of extra virgin olive oil, using for cooking, on salads and an essential ingredient in most dishes, including pastries and pasta. Plenty of tomato, fresh fruit, fresh vegetables and fish, particularly oily fish like sardines and mackerel.

What the Mediterranean diet didn't contain was much red meat or chicken, which tended to be eaten once a month or less in poor rural communities. A controversial part of the diet is the inclusion of red wine, which is usually drunk in moderation with meals. It is red wine that is said to account for the "French Paradox", which might explain why a people with such a high intake of saturated fats have such a low incidence of heart problems.