Mediterranean Food Tips

Olive Oil

Olive oil is a vegetable oil obtained from the fruit of the olive tree. Olive oil is regarded as a healthful dietary oil because of its high content of monounsaturated fat and polyphenols.

Shown to help reduce death from heart disease and cancer. Recent research also shows that heart-attack survivors on a Mediterranean diet had half the death rates of those on an ordinary low-fat diet. Olive oil is also high in antioxidant activity.

Tomatoes

Tomatoes contain compounds that have been proven to help prevent cancer, heart disease cataracts and many others. Tomatoes are also a major source of the antioxidant lycopene that reduces the risk of cancer by 40% -- notably prostate, lung and stomach cancers -- and increases cancer survival.

In addition, regular tomato eaters function better mentally in old age and suffer half as much heart disease. Concentrated tomato sauces have 5 times more lycopene than fresh tomatoes, and canned tomatoes have three times more than fresh.

Red Grapes

Red grapes are antibacterial and antiviral. Red grapes have moderate antioxidant power, while purple grape juice has four times more antioxidant activity than orange or tomato juice.

Red wine made from red grapes has about the same antioxidant capacity as purple grape juice or tea. French research shows that drinking red wine in moderation increases longevity, but excessive drinking has the opposite effect, so limit to two glasses per day.