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.

With obesity on the rise, serious diseases becoming common among people, and some groups of individuals in certain areas around the world seeing a significant reduction in their average life expectancy, it’s no wonder today’s era is seeing a strong preoccupation with diet and lifestyle change. You’ll see different diet programs on magazines and televisions today promising to offer great health benefits. But, how do you know which is the best? You might want to look at Mediterranean diet, a very old eating pattern that’s a product of a study conducted around five decades ago.

If you closely look into the increasing number of diet programs today, you’ll find out that the Mediterranean eating pattern stands out from the rest. Why? Well, this is because this diet aims to keep people healthy without imposing a lot of pain.

How do you determine the diet that’s right for you? What factors do you have to look into before you decide which eating program to follow? One that you must consider is the history of any diet. History will tell you how reliable and how proven a certain diet program is. If you look at the history of all the diet choices today, you will find the Mediterranean diet history one of the richest and most credible.

Starting on a new diet is exciting. But, before you head out to your favorite supermarket looking for the right products, it would be wise that you prepare a list so that you won’t be confused with the different food varieties. If you’re new in Mediterranean diet, you may need a long Mediterranean diet shopping list with you the first time you shop. This diet covers a wide variety of foods, from fruits to wine. Most of the foods included in the diet are not difficult to find, so you’ll have no problem.