citation neededThis diet is not typical of all Merranean cuisine. In central Italy, for instance, lard and butter are commonly used in cooking, and olive oil is reserved for dressing salads and cooked vegetables. In North Africa, wine was traditionally not consumed by Muslims. In both North Africa and the Levant, along with olive oil, sheep's tail fat and rendered butter (samna) are traditional staple fats. Medical researchThe Seven Countries Study found that Cretan men had exceptionally low death rates from heart disease, despite moderate to high intake of fat. The Cretan diet is similar to other traditional Merranean diets: consisting mostly of olive oil, bread, abundant fruit and vegetables, fish, and a moderate amount of dairy foods and wine.The Lyon Diet Heart Study set out to mimic the Cretan diet, but adopted a pragmatic approach. Realizing that some of the people in the study (all of whom had survived a first heart attack) would be reluctant to move from butter to olive oil, they used a margarine based on rapeseed (canola) oil.

The dietary change also included 20% increases in vitamin C rich fruit and bread and decreases in processed and red meat. On this diet, mortality from all causes was reduced by 70%. This study was so successful that the ethics committee decided to stop the study prematurely so that the results of the study could be made available to the public immediately.This article is about food of the areas around the Merranean Sea. For the dietary recommendation made popular by C. Walter Willett in the 1990s, see Merranean diet.Merranean cuisine is the food of the areas around the Merranean Sea. Whether this is a useful category is disputed:The idea of the ‘standard Merranean diet’ ... is a modern construction of food writers and publicists in Western Europe and North America earnestly preaching what is now thought to be a healthy diet to their audiences by invoking a stereotype of the healthy other on the shores of the Merranean. Their colleagues in Merranean countries are only too willing to perpetuate this myth.

The fact of the matter is that the Merranean contains varied cultures...Around 1975, under the impulse of one of those new nutritional directives by which good cooking is too often influenced, the Americans discovered the so-called Merranean diet.... The name... even pleased Italian government officials, who made one modification: changing from diet—a word which has always seemed punitive and therefore unpleasant—to Merranean cuisine.Given the geography, these nation-states have influenced each other over time and the cooking evolved into sharing common principles. Merranean cuisine is characterized by its flexibility, its range of ingredients and its many regional variations. The terrain has tended to favour the raising of goats and sheep.Fish dishes are also common, although today much of the fish is imported since the fisheries of the Merranean Sea are weak.citation needed Seafood is still prominent in many of the standard recipes.Olive oil, produced from the olive trees prominent throughout Portugal, Greece, Turkey, Italy, Spain and other Merranean nations, adds to the distinctive taste of the food.It is believed that ingredients in this kind of cooking, especially olive oil, are a major contributor to the longevity of the Merranean people.citation neededBarbecue or grilled meats, pita bread, hummus, and falafel are very popular forms of the eastern type of the cuisine.

 

Merranean diet

The Merranean diet is a modern nutritional recommendation inspired by the traditional dietary patterns of some of the countries of the Merranean Basin. The most commonly-understood version of the Merranean diet was presented by Dr. Walter Willett of Harvard University's School of Public Health in the mid-1990s. Based on "food patterns typical of Crete, much of the rest of Greece, and southern Italy in the early 1960s", this diet, in addition to "regular physical activity" (e.g. farm labor), emphasizes "abundant plant foods, fresh fruit as the typical daily dessert, olive oil as the principal source of fat, dairy products (principally cheese and yogurt), and fish and poultry consumed in low to moderate amounts, zero to four eggs consumed weekly, red meat consumed in low amounts, and wine consumed in low to moderate amounts". Total fat in this diet is "< 25% to > 35%" of calories, with saturated fat at 8% or less of calories. The diet is often cited as beneficial for being low in saturated fat and high in monounsaturated fat and dietary fiber.

citation neededAlthough it was first publicized in 1945 by the American doctor Ancel Keys stationed in Salerno, Italy, the Merranean diet failed to gain widespread recognition until the 1990s. It is based on what from the point of view of mainstream nutrition is considered a paradox: that although the people living in Merranean countries tend to consume relatively high amounts of fat, they have far lower rates of cardiovascular disease than in countries like the United States, where similar levels of fat consumption are found. A parallel phenomenon is known as the French Paradox.One of the main explanations is thought to be the large amount of olive oil used in the Merranean diet. Unlike the high amount of animal fats typical to the American diet, olive oil lowers cholesterol levels in the blood. It is also known to lower blood sugar levels and blood pressure. Research indicates olive oil prevents peptic ulcers and is effective in treatment of peptic ulcer disease, and may be a factor in preventing cancer.

In addition, the consumption of red wine is considered a possible factor, as it contains flavonoids with powerful antioxidant properties.The principal aspects of this diet include high olive oil consumption, high consumption of legumes, high consumption of unrefined cereals, high consumption of fruits, high consumption of vegetables, moderate consumption of dairy products(mostly as cheese and yogurt), moderate to high consumption of fish, low consumption of meat and meat products, and moderate wine consumption.Michael Pollan suggests the explanation is not any particular nutrient, but the combination of nutrients found in unprocessed food.Dietary factors may be only part of the reason for the health benefits enjoyed by these cultures. Genetics, lifestyle (notably heavy physical labor), and environment may also be involved.citation neededAlthough green vegetables, a good source of calcium and iron, as well as goat cheese, a good source of calcium, are common in the Merranean diet, concerns remain whether the diet provides adequate amounts of all nutrients, particularly calcium and iron.