What is the Mediterranean Diet? It's a nutritional model that was patterned after the way people eat in countries such as Italy and Greece. People started paying attention to it after it became well publicized that people living in that part of the world have a much fewer occurrences of cancer and other diseases.

This way of eating has only recently been getting attention from Americans-- starting in the late 1990s in fact-- even though it was first developed in the 1940s by an American doctor. Better late than never. There are key differences between the traditional American diet and the Mediterranean diet that are worth noting.

The US Food Pyramid is markedly different from the Mediterranean Diet food pyramid. The Mediterranean Diet contains very little red meat, for starters. Red meat is used in their cooking, but not often and in very small portions. And whereas the US Food Pyramid lumps all the different kinds of meat into one category, fish takes up a big portion in the Mediterranean Diet food pyramid.

What make up the main staple of Mediterranean fare are whole grain foods, like bread and rice, couscous, potatoes, and other such things. Fruits and vegetables are also an important part of the Mediterranean diet, as are nuts and beans, and this is one thing that the two food pyramids have in common, although the quantities that are recommended are somewhat different.

When you look at the traditional US food pyramid and how it lumps protein altogether as one, you'll find that it's difficult to tell what specific parts each kind of food needs to play in your diet. The Mediterranean Diet food pyramid makes them more distinct from each other.

This Mediterranean way of thinking and eating has finally been getting attention, because people have discovered that those who follow this diet experience incredibly low rates of diseases and cancer.

The Mediterranean Diet includes plenty of red wine, usually very often in just about every meal. We know that red wine contains very powerful and beneficial antioxidants. The same goes for olive oil, which is used in Mediterranean cooking and is also known to have some antioxidant properties. If you want to look better and feel better too, it's worth looking into the Mediterranean Diet food pyramid. It can show you how to live a healthier life.