The Mediterranean diet is the eating style that derives from the traditions of 18 European countries bordering the Mediterranean Sea and which has particularly developed in Italy, the south of France, Greece and Spain.

Over the years it has spread to several Latin American countries, some areas of the United States of America and today it is becoming more and more popular thanks to its beneficial contribution to preventing degenerative and cardiac pathologies.

The Mediterranean diet may obviously differ slightly from country to country but it always has  characteristics in common, such as mainly favoring the consumption of cereals, legumes, vegetables, potatoes, pasta, bread, olive oil and fish, an adequate consumption of milk and dairy products and, in more moderate quantities, meat and eggs. 

The benefits resulting from this type of eating style to the state of health and to prolonging life expectancy, derive from the combined action of the various components.

The scientific world has recognized in the Mediterranean diet a series of aspects which justify the growing interest and an international consent:

• the supplying of Monounsaturated Fatty Acids, found in a generous quantity in olive oil, which carry out an important role in reducing the LDL level (the so called bad cholesterol) and at the same time positively influence the HDL level (the so called good cholesterol) in the blood;
  
• the supplying of  Omega-3 Essential Fatty Acids, provided chiefly by fish, which carry out an important role in maintaining the wholeness of the cell membrane and are involved in the blood coagulation process, in the immune system, in the contraction of the smooth muscle and in the cardio-circulatory system. They are called  “essential” because the body, not being able to synthesize them must necessarily introduce them by food;
  
• the Antioxidants, contained in olive oil and in fruit and vegetables, contrast the oxidation process that occurs when there is an excess of free radicals deriving from the body’s metabolic processes. The most well-known amongst these are vitamins A, C and E, hydroxytyrosol and oleuropeina, phenols found in olive oil, resveratrol and quercitin found in red wine;
  
• the fiber content, deriving from the consumption of cereals, legumes, fruit and vegetables, plays a fundamental role in normalizing the intestinal functions and in regulating the absorption of the nutrients; the food fiber, moreover, increases the passage speed, limiting the contact of harmful substances with the mucosa and favors the growth of the positive intestinal flora bacteria.
  
• fruit and vegetables are natural sources of mineral salts and vitamins which play an essential role in regulating the biological processes, favoring the health and growth of the organism;
  
• the consumption of cereals, legumes and vegetables and a carbohydrate supply that respects the recommended percentages proposed by the most reliable research institutes, facilitate the optimization of the Glycemic Index within the meals.

All these as well as other characteristics compete to define the Mediterranean diet as a model that guarantees a varied, balanced diet and comes closest to the indications provided by the international guidelines.