There are many reasons why the Mediterranean pattern of eating is ideal. Among them, the Mediterranean diet:

• Has a striking effect on survival (people live longer lives)
• Has no harmful side effects
• Is effective at reducing atherosclerosis (clogging of the arteries with vulnerable plaque), as well as fatal complications of atherosclerosis such as sudden death
• Is delicious, easy to follow, satisfying, and cost-effective

What are the key foods that make up this ideal diet, and what about these foods make them so spectacularly healthy? Researchers have found that the positive health effects of the

Mediterranean diet is due not to individual nutrients or foods, but rather to the synergistic way these foods interact. Mediterranean cooking is like a symphony of foods; each of the delicious ingredients is a part of the healthy whole, and only when these “instruments” act together do we see the fantastic, heart healthy effects. The scientific data is clear: a Mediterranean diet is the best way to live a longer and fuller life, free of disease. All of us should take a culinary trip back in time to the Mediterranean countries of Greece and Italy during the 1960s—when their rates of disease were the lowest in the world and their longevity the longest—and learn from their healthy, happy lifestyles! Start today to eat well, live well, and reap the astounding health benefits of this “good Mediterranean diet.”