The Mediterranean is an area with a rich culture. The diet here is equally rich, and recently has been gaining notice for being a healthy way to live.  Popularity of diets such as the Aegean diet speak toward this.  There are foods that are common to this area. For example, fish is a main staple.  Seafood appears in a great many of the dishes found throughout the Mediterranean area and is still very popular. However, other meats are also consumed, such as sheep and goat. The area itself is quite flexible and it incorporates a great variety of flavors.  One important part of the diet in this area is olive oil. This oil is commonly used in most dishes, is consumed with vinegar as a bread dip, is used as a salad topping, and is the go-to oil for cooking. This oil has been proven in numerous studies to be highly beneficial to health and is one of the main reasons this diet is said to be so healthy.  Garlic is another huge part of the flavors found here, and garlic has a great number of health benefits.  It has also been gaining a lot of attention because losing weight on the Aegean diet or Mediterranean diet is not out of the question. This diet is rich in healthy foods, and although olive oil is not low in calories, it can help to speed up metabolism and thus may help you lose weight. Either way, this is a delicious, healthy way to eat and nearly everyone could benefit from a change in their eating habits towards a Mediterranean outlook.