The Mediterranean diet emphasizes vegetables, fruit, whole grains, legumes, nuts, olive oil, and fish, with less red meat and few ultra-processed foods. It's the most-researched dietary pattern, and the evidence is unusually strong. The PREDIMED trial, a large randomized study in Spain, found that people assigned to a Mediterranean diet rich in olive oil or nuts had about 30% fewer major cardiovascular events than a control group.
Beyond the heart, this pattern is linked to lower risks of type 2 diabetes, certain cancers, and cognitive decline. It isn't a strict rulebook — it's a flexible, mostly-plants pattern with healthy fats. That flexibility is part of why it's sustainable.