Food as Grown Health Information

			Food as Grown
			by Benton Health Promotions

The Mediterranean Diet

On the Island of CRETE

Interest in the "Mediterranean Diet" began in the 1960's when Ancel Keys and other scientists studied the health of people in seven countries. This study became known as the "Seven Countries Study".

A surprising part of this study was the health of the group in Crete, an island in the Mediterranean, not far from Italy and Greece. While consuming a relatively high-fat diet (up to 40% of calories from fat), their heart attack rates were much lower than any of the other groups. The graph on this site showing the heart attack rates is very impressive.

The fat the people of Crete ate came mostly from olive oil. Fats such as those found in avocados, olives, almonds, walnuts, cashews, sunflower seeds, flax seeds and coconut appear to be an essential part of a healthy diet.

The people of Crete also ate a lot of fruit, more than any other category of food and more than twice as much fruit as vegetables. They ate over one pound of fruit per day on average, and almost a half pound of vegetables.

More and more studies are showing that lots of fresh fruit and vegetables, along with plenty of natural fats and natural sodium contribute powerfully to health and wellness.

Source: "Food Consumption Patterns in the 1960" published in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 1989;49:889-94