Different dieting programs are in demand these days - the more revolutionary the better it seems -- due to the fact that many so many people want to lose weight. And they usually want to lose it very fast. Different diets which allow weight loss FAST are available in a great number. Problem is, the failure rate of these diets is huge. Fad-diets are not effective because they are usually based on different restriction - so in most cases people suffer from not eating many different products they like. And if they do lost weight, they gain it back the minute the diet is stopped.

 Low cal diets on the other hand force body to burn muscle and lose water - that is the main reason for weight loss. But when the diet is finished, again the body tends to gain weight (and in many cases even more than actual loss).

All these results are very sad, as these diets are not effective and can harm an individual's health. That is why many people look for healthy programs instead of these new fangled diets. One such program that is becoming more and more popular today is the so-called Mediterranean Food Pyramid. Dietary traditions of countries such as Italy, Greece and France, along with several diet variations are the basis of this system. But different recipes of other Mediterranean countries are also represented. Even African countries, like Morocco and Tunisia, influence the Mediterranean Food Pyramid.

But what is the reason of the growing popularity of this diet system? The Med has always been known for its very healthy lifestyle. The rate of different chronic diseases in the Mediterranean is probably the lowest in the world. And people (even those who came from other parts of the world) live longer in the med than in other regions. Different studies lend credence to the fact that a Mediterranean diet which is low in saturated fats and high in the consumption of olive oil, fish and vegetables are all factors why individuals living in the Med live longer and healthier lives.

As it was said before, the Mediterranean Food Pyramid diet has no certain restriction on the calories you consume. And the variety of food is also pretty wide. Mediterranean diet variations can be significant in different countries of this region but it is possible to single out major components.

Despite all these diet variations, daily food consumption is based on lots of vegetables. The consumption of different sorts of vegetables, fruits, beans, and seeds is pretty big. All the consumed fat is also vegetable - and in most European countries it is olive oil. There are no diet variations here, and this product is always popular. Other sorts of fat (animal and saturated fats) are not consumed in many countries of the region at all. Total consumption of fat is usually less than 25 percent.

The protein in the Mediterranean diet is very lean as the sources of this protein are fish and eggs. These products must be limited to not more than a few times a week.

But probably the key element of the entire Mediterranean Food Pyramid diet is physical activity. Everyday, aerobic activity of some kind is necessary to keep one's metabolism at the proper level. It allows avoiding different calories restrictions in the diet. But to burn all these calories you have to be pretty active during the day - so a simple physical activity is a must.