As researchers seek clues about diet and health, they have noticed that the various peoples of the Mediterranean experience lower rates of cancer and heart disease than Americans despite consuming a diet that is relatively high in fat. In fact, those who adhere to a Mediterranean diet do not even have low cholesterol. Because the medical establishment had previously equated fat and high cholesterol with heart disease and an array of other risks, they were at a loss to explain this phenomenon.

The Mediterranean diet is, nonetheless, recommended by the American Heart Association (AHA) as part of a heart-healthy lifestyle. It is a somewhat fattier, but ultimately a more satisfying version of the AHA Step 1 diet plan. Overall, it allows plenty of fats from foods like olive oil, fish, nuts and other good fats like avocados as well as abundant servings of whole-grain breads and pastas which are balanced by plentiful servings of fruits vegetables, as well as red wine.

Many doctors are reluctant to prescribe red wine as a part of a healthy diet, apparently thinking that people will take this as permission to become alcoholics. This is unfortunate since the benefits of regularly drinking red wine (in moderation, of course) have been shown in study after study. In fact, the positive effects of drinking red wine are almost too numerous to list here. As it pertains to the heart, however, drinking a glass a day for women and two glasses per day for men can reduce the risk of heart disease by thirty to fifty percent. The reason is that there is an increase in good cholesterol (HDL) and a lowering of the risk of blood clots.

When you look at it through that lens, why wouldn't you start enjoying a glass or two with dinner? Not only is red wine great with a mean, it could save your life. Red wine is rich in anti-oxidants which have been shown to reduce plaque that builds up in the arteries. It has this in common with fruits and vegetables, another cornerstone of the Mediterranean diet. People who live along the Mediterranean, generally, eat about nine servings of fresh produce daily. Over time, eating foods rich in anti-oxidants gives them a huge advantage when it comes to combating heart disease.

The appeal of the Mediterranean Diet is that you can be healthy by enjoying your food and living well, just like the people of the Mediterranean do. If you fill yourself full of delicious, healthy foods, you will not be so sad about giving up the unhealthy fats and sugars you might be used to. On the Mediterranean Diet, you get to eat plenty of pasta with olive oil, for instance, and maybe some lovely roasted salmon with fresh vegetables. But, the red meats are largely out of the equation. Just keep a delicious steak as a food of choice for those special occasions. Even those living in the Mediterranean enjoy some beef occasionally.