Way back in 1958, Ancel Keys, a physiologist at the University of Minnesota, found it intriguing that rich American businessmen, thought to be some of the world’s ‘best-fed’ people (in that money and access to food was no object) also had high rates of heart disease.
Keys wanted to see how eating patterns affected health, so he initiated the Seven Countries Study that looked at food culture in the US, Finland, the Netherlands, Italy, Greece, the region formerly known as Yugoslavia, and Japan.
The big question was, who ate better?
Eating better in this case did not mean expensive or luxury foods. For the Seven Countries Study, eating better was calculated by measuring the health of people, more specifically, their probability of developing coronary heart disease and other cardiovascular disorders.
Keys discovered that the Italians, Greeks, and the people now known as Croatians (then belonging to a part of Yugoslavia), had some of the healthiest hearts of the lot, and the lowest rates of coronary diseases like atherosclerosis.
As these countries all had coastlines on the Mediterranean Sea, their patterns of food consumption became known as the ‘Mediterranean diet’.
Top Diet of 2025
Every year a panel of experts evaluates diet practices, from the long-standing mainstays to new-fangled trends, to decide which diet delivers best on its health promises. The Mediterranean diet plan has been voted top diet for 8 years in a row.
What is the Mediterranean diet
The Mediterranean Sea is surrounded by 22 countries. Each has its own lifestyle and culture, so the Mediterranean diet does not refer to any one particular national cuisine. Rather, it is a system of eating built around certain kinds of food and their proportions.
Mediterranean diet foods
The main fat component in the Mediterranean Diet is olive oil. Cold-pressed olive oil is considered one of the healthiest kinds of edible fats as it consists mainly of monounsaturated fatty acids, which help raise ‘good’ cholesterol and lower ‘bad’ cholesterol.
The Mediterranean diet also includes abundant use of fresh vegetables and fruits, while starchy vegetables and whole grains are eaten in moderate quantities.
For proteins, legumes (beans, lentils, and the like) and fish are favored over chicken and beef. Dairy is eaten, but in limited amounts and mostly in fermented form like cheese or yogurt.
The Mediterranean diet food ratios
One reason why the Mediterranean diet is easier to follow than other diets is that it isn’t based on precise measurements. You don’t have to worry about weighing out an exact ounce of nuts using kitchen scales. Instead, you can just eyeball food ratios and portion sizes.
How to portion food in the Mediterranean Diet
Generally, meals in the Mediterranean Diet are split into 3 parts.
- Fresh produce. This takes up the largest chunk of real estate on your plate.
- This should be half of your fresh produce.
- Whole grains and starches. This should also be half of your fresh produce.
How to eat a Mediterranean diet for beginners: Mark out your plate
Until you get the hang of portioning just by sight, use a food-safe marker to section off your plate.
First, draw a horizontal line across the middle of the plate, from end to end. This will give you two equal halves.
Then, draw a vertical line down the center of the upper half, dividing it into two quarter sections. Your plate should now look like this:
On the half-plate
The large half section marked on the plate is where you pile on fresh produce. This includes all non-starchy, water-rich vegetables such as:
- Lettuce, spinach, kale, and other leafy greens
- Tomatoes, cucumbers, celery, leeks, and asparagus
- Carrots, radishes, beetroots, turnips, and mushrooms
- Eggplant, peppers, okra, and green beans
- Cabbage, cauliflower, and broccoli
Your serving of fresh produce may be either cooked or uncooked. Good cooking methods for vegetables that retain nutrients are steaming, blanching, baking, roasting, grilling, or quickly stir-frying on high heat with a glug of olive oil.
Also, don’t be thrown by the word ‘fresh’ — frozen or canned vegetables will do in a pinch.
Add lots of flavor by using herbs and spices, light vinaigrettes made with citrus juices, or a spoonful of egg-free garlic aioli. Avoid salad dressings made with mayonnaise or cream.
The first quarter
One of the quarter sections on your plate is for proteins, such as pan-fried salmon, fresh or canned tuna, maybe some shrimp. Other good choices are three-bean chili, chickpea burger patties, or grilled skinless chicken.
In the mood for a protein-packed omelet? You can have as many egg whites as you like, but limit yolk intake to 4-7 yolks a week.
Cook proteins in olive oil. Avoid saturated fats like butter, coconut oil, or palm oil.
The second quarter
The other quarter section on your plate is for whole grains and starchy vegetables.
Wholewheat pasta, a scoop of brown rice, some quinoa, a multigrain dinner roll, mashed potatoes, roasted pumpkin, or corn on the cob are all good options.
Outside the plate
For good Mediterranean diet snacks or desserts, a half cup to 1 cup of fresh or frozen fruit, 3 times a day, is ideal. Should canned fruit be your only option, either drain off the sugar syrup or choose fruit that has been canned in juice or water.
Is the Mediterranean diet healthy
As Ancel Keys learned, people who ate the Mediterranean diet had a much lower risk of developing coronary heart disease and other cardiovascular disorders. Other benefits of eating the Mediterranean diet include:
- Better weight management: With its emphasis on whole, mostly plant-based foods and reasonable portions of fish and meat, the Mediterranean diet for weight loss is satiating and satisfying. As a result, it may help cut down on cravings for sugary drinks, highly processed foods that are packed with unhealthy trans fats, and snacks drowning in excess sodium added to prolong their shelf life.
- Better control over diabetes: Most Mediterranean diet foods are high in fiber and rank low on the glycemic index. This helps to slow down digestion, and as glucose is released into your bloodstream over a longer period of time, at more steady rates, it stabilizes insulin production and prevents spikes in blood sugar.
- Better sleep: Foods such as leafy greens, nuts, and whole grains are rich in magnesium, vitamins, and other minerals that help relax muscles and nerves, regulate the stress hormone cortisol, and promote good sleep.
Starting the Mediterranean diet
For some people, starting the Mediterranean diet might not be a drastic change from their usual eating habits.
All you have to do is eat more vegetables and fruit, cut down on red meat, refined grains, and processed foods, and replace butter and butter substitutes with olive oil.
As always, speak to your doctor and let them know of your plans to eat better. A good doctor will be thrilled with your decision, may want to track your health progress to ensure you remain motivated and committed, and may also provide you with additional useful resources.