For decades, doctors have watched with growing interest as people of the Mediterranean seemed immune to the heart disease and strokes plaguing their more industrialized neighbors. They attribute the region's health to lower saturated-fat consumption and plenty of whole grains.
The Mediterranean Diet is a reduced fat and starch diet.The diet proceeds in two phases - with the first and strictest phase, lasting two weeks. The second phase is a healthy eating plan for life - consisting of lots of fruits, vegetables, legumes, and grains, with olive oil as the principal fat.
This diet was developed for those wanting to lower their risk of heart disease - such as heart patients or anyone whose family has a history of heart disease. But suprisingly, where this diet excels is for those wanting to lower and / or stabalize their blood sugar. Recent studies have shown the Mediterranean Diet beats a low carb diet when you're trying to stabilize your blood sugar numbers.
In addition to the occasional glass of wine, the Mediterranean Diet is based on foods such as fresh vegetables, fruits, peas and beans, along with whole grains, low to moderate consumption of dairy products, fish, poultry and lean red meats - using olive oil as the primary fat.
And though it's not billed as such, if followed carfully would be considered a low glycemic index diet.
The Mediterranean plan follows recipes that are low-fat and non-starchy; which provides fiber without simple carbohydrates which means less snacking in between meals, and fewer enticements to fill up on desserts.
If the Mediterranean Diet is right for you click on the book pictured in upper right corner. Or you may not want to wait - click the picture on your left for a downloadable book. You may be interested in the other Mediterranean related books available - such as the The Mediterranean Heart Diet or The Mediterranean Diet Cookbook shown above.
The Mediterranean Diet is a reduced fat and starch diet. 
