Love the rich, flavourful, fresh cuisine of Greece and Italy? Eat up! Not only is the Mediterranean diet effective and recommended by medical professionals, but a recent study shows that it protects against all major chronic diseases, according to this article from the Daily Mail.

That's a pretty bold claim, but it seems to be legit. Researchers in the UK analyzed data from 12 different studies worldwide that took place over time periods of up to 18 years and found that those who followed a Mediterranean diet closely had a significantly longer lifespan and a lower risk of diseases like cancer, Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and heart disease.

The Mediterranean diet is high in nuts, fish, whole grains, healthy fats, fresh fruits and veggies and even red wine in moderation. To find out how you can incorporate it into your diet, click here.

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When I headed off to Greece a few years ago, I was excited for all the healthy eating I would do. After all, the Mediterranean way of eating has even inspired one of the most successful diet plans out there, so eating well there should be no problem, right? An added bonus? Mediterranean food is delicious -- souvlaki, pita bread, tzatziki, baklava ... I love it all.

But by the time I came back, my pants were a little tighter. OK, a lot tighter. Where did I go wrong? I ate lots of healthy stuff. Maybe Mediterranean food is not as healthy as we imagine?

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Basil is one royal herb. The leaf, Greek for "king," has become a must-have in kitchens across the globe because of its versatility and clean taste. If it hasn't yet made it to your kitchen, give it a try. Here's how.

• Add whole or snipped leaves to salad

• Lay leaves on a frozen or homemade pizza
  

• Chop and add to tomato or spaghetti sauce

• Snip and stir into scrambled eggs before cooking

• Finely chop and stir into a base of mayonnaise and sour cream and use as a sauce for fish

• Place a few leaves in a bowl of salt -- after a few days, the salt will take on the flavor of the basil and can be used for seasoning

• Add leaves to bath water for a refreshing soak

Keep in mind these great stats: Basil contains one calorie per five leaves and is almost entirely void of fat, cholesterol, sodium, carbohydrates, and sugar. It's also chock full of protein, Vitamin E, Riboflavin and Niacin, Dietary Fiber, Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Vitamin K, Vitamin B6, Folate, Calcium, Iron, Magnesium, Phosphorus, Potassium, Zinc, Copper, and Manganese.

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College was great for many reasons, some of which have no place being mentioned on this blog. Of those that do, however, I immediately think back to the afternoon nap I occasionally took. Living on campus, it was easy to squeeze in a quick, forty-five minute power nap before my next class and recharge my batteries a bit. But, with that easy, college life schedule years behind me, the best I can do these days is enjoy the mere thought of a mid-day nap. Amazingly, though, a thought, or that anticipation, of sleep has been shown to lower blood pressure.

Studying more than 23,000 people, Greek researchers studied the health benefits of taking a daily nap. Not surprisingly, they found that people who caught some Z's in the middle of the day reduced their risk of heart attack by 37 percent. What was surprising, however, was the discovery that anticipating a nap produced the most beneficial cardiovascular effects.

Measuring the heart rates of study volunteers during two separate stages: 1) the stage between turning the lights off and the onset of sleep, and 2) during actual sleep, researchers found that heart rates were lowest in the first stage. This suggests that the anticipation of sleep may create a calming affect equal to, or even more powerful than, actually sleeping.

Yawn. Sorry ... I was busy thinking about taking a nap.

Being healthy and fit is a complicated thing to achieve these days, given all the studies that seem to contradict each other on an almost daily basis and all the "diets" out there vying for your attention and claiming to be the best. But what if it the diet part of it could be simplified into a list of just 10 foods that could help you lose weight and be healthy -- would that make it easier?

Dr. Michael Ozner seems to think so, because he wrote the book The Miami Mediterranean Diet. Obviously it's a spin of the more well-known Mediterranean Diet, and not only does he think it will simplify things for people interested in being healthier but it will also help them actually be healthier. People in the Mediterranean following a Mediterranean diet naturally have much smaller risks of heart disease and other ailments like obesity, and he thinks he knows why. According to him, incorporating these 10 ingredients into your diet and lifestyle will result in improved fitness and health:

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At the office the other day I was talking with a co-worker about the kind of crap I used to eat at the mall when I was a teenager. Cinnabuns with extra icing (the entire bun) and poutine (a French-Canadian specialty that consists of fries covered in cheese and gravy -- trust me, don't knock it until you tried it because it's indescribably delicious) were always the order of the day. I finished my end of the chat with the statement "no wonder I was so chubby in Jr. High".

I tend to avoid mall food altogether now but when I do need to grab a bite from the food court, I skip the fries and sugary stuff and stick to the healthy options that are available. These days there's way more variety with wraps, soups, sandwiches, salads and more on offer at most shopping centers.

As this article points out, lots different cultures are represented these days including Mexican, Greek, Italian, Chinese and Japanese. If you're willing to skip the fried stuff, ask for dressing on the side, opt for whole-wheat rather than white bread and avoid extra sauces like mayo and ketchup, you can cut calories while still consuming healthy veggies and protein. For ideas on the best items to order at the food fair, take a look here.

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This article is one of my recent favorites because I love to travel and I love to eat, but I'm always afraid of coming back from a trip to hear a chorus of "well, you certainly didn't starve!" So I took heart when I read about the author's 3-month journey to Greece nearly 2 decades ago. She had the same fears as I do when she set off, but found that eating well on holiday does not necessarily equal a rounder, fuller figure.

Sure she was eating a traditional Mediterranean diet, which is now considered one of the healthiest in the world, but she also discusses how what she ate didn't matter as much as how she ate. Fresh, organic foods straight from the garden were the norm, as was cooking with heart-healthy olive oil instead of fatty butter. She found that the Greeks tend to incorporate lots of healthy vegetable dishes into each meal, making them a regular part of the diet rather than an afterthought. Meals took several hours to eat, so everyone was able to fully enjoy the flavors in the food, as well as their dining company. Plus, not rushing allowed them to realize when they were full, rather than gorging on too much too fast.

If you love the idea of the eating the Mediterranean way as much as I do, take a look at the article to see ideas on how to make it a reality in your life. There are also a number of recipes for delicious-looking Greek dishes you can try at home.

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There are a plethora of weight-loss plans to choose from these days, and here's another to add to the list: The Mediterranean Diet. What exactly is it? It's not so much a weight-loss plan as it is a healthy lifestyle choice to be followed indefinitely, not just for a few weeks or so. Based on the eating habits of people living in the Mediterranean, the diet is rich in whole grains, fresh produce, fresh meat and fish, nuts, moderate amounts of healthy fats like Olive Oil, and even the occasional glass of wine. The Mediterranean Diet also focuses on lifestyle, encouraging people to eat smaller portions more slowly, surrounded by family and laughter.

The Mediterranean diet has earned a lot of good publicity in the last little while, being linked to both a healthy heart and a healthy brain.

For more information on the Mediterranean Diet, check this out.

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