Mediterranean Diet

Excerpt

Mediterranean diet is a generic term used to describe the dietary pattern of individuals living in the countries along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea, including Greece, Italy, southern France, Crete, Spain, and parts of the middle east. This article will utilize the Mediterranean diet in a broad sense, from the time of its initial rise pre-globalization to its use today. Before large-scale trade became available in the 1950s, people would eat what was available to them based on their geography, creating a seasonal variability for most. The Mediterranian diet is primarily a plant-based diet with the contributions from animal-based products being comprised of fish and poultry with a limited quantity of dairy products. While the modern version of the diet utilizes a higher proportion of red meat and processed foods, the diet's primary focus remains the same - plant-based with healthy fats.