So you have finally decided you need to go into diet and live a healthier life. And, you just heard about the popular Mediterranean diet that’s been the talk of many of today’s nutritionists. You went excitedly to the bookstore to find the most highly recommended Mediterranean diet book and boom—you’re bombarded with bookshelf after bookshelf of books. There are books with Mediterranean recipes, those with Mediterranean diet guidelines, and many others. Which do you choose?

Mediterranean diet is one of the oldest existing eating patterns known today, originating from some parts of Greece and Italy. It is popular among those who want to lose weight and even among those who simply want a healthier life. What makes this diet tick? How credible and reliable are its assumptions? Well, the health benefits of Mediterranean diet are backed by different studies and researches.

The Mediterranean region is a big place that features diverse local traditions and offers a wide variety of cuisine with the 13 different countries that make it up. The Mediterranean diet recipes and cuisine are typically considered “unique plates.” Meaning, they have been prepared by combining and cooking different healthy foods. The recipes predominantly include ingredients that are specific to this region. Among these ingredients are olive oil, fish, legumes, and nuts.

No pain, no gain—this is one of the principles behind many of the diet programs you’ll encounter today. These programs work by removing some foods in the eating pattern, foods believed to have harmful effects due to their sugar and fat contents. Ironically, these foods are commonly the delectable ones. There’s just one exemption among these diets—the ever popular pattern that originated in the Mediterranean region, which consists of pleasurable foods. This is probably the main reason that makes more and more people show interest in Mediterranean diet, Mary Flynn is one of these people.