The way people eat in countries like Italy and Greece has had a nutritional model patterned after it. It is called the Mediterranean diet. Studies have shown that people in these countries have a far lower rate of disease and cancer than in any other part of the world. So now, people are taking notice.

First developed by an American doctor in the 40s, this way of eating has just only recently become noticed by Americans in the late 1990s. At least it's finally well-known. There are a fair amount of differences between the average American diet and the Mediterranean diet that are worth reviewing.

It begins with the food pyramids. The US version is very different from the Mediterranean Diet food pyramid. First off, the Mediterranean Diet contains very little red meat. Red meat is used in their cooking, but not often and in very small portions. Fish also takes up a large portion of the Mediterranean Diet food pyramid, whereas the US Food Pyramid groups all types of meat together into one category.

Whole grain foods such as rice, bread, potatoes, couscous, and other things are what make up the main staple of Mediterranean dishes. Another important part of the Mediterranean diet are fruits and vegetables. So are beans and nuts. That is one thing the two different food pyramids have in common. However, the recommended quantities are a bit different.

While the Mediterranean Diet food pyramid has these separate from one another, the traditional US food pyramid has all of the forms of protein lumped together in one, making it difficult to see what specific parts each type of food should play in one's diet.

People in the Mediterranean areas have been discovered to have astonishingly low rates of cancer and diseases. This is why people are finally paying attention to this different way of thinking.

Red wine has been known to have some powerful antioxidants and the Mediterranean Diet includes a lot of red wine, in just about every meal and as often as possible. The same goes for olive oil, which is used in Mediterranean cooking and is also known to have some antioxidant properties. Check out the Mediterranean Diet food pyramid and see how it can help you live a healthier life, where you can not only look better but feel better as well.