It is often said that the most important ingredient in the Mediterranean diet is extra virgin olive oil. However, some would argue that. Most of the notoriety of the Mediterranean diet is due to research unlike other high profile diets which have normally received their promotional thrust through commercial vehicles. The facts remain that hardly anyone would take any notice of the Mediterranean diet except for the highly satisfactory findings that have resulted from universities and food research foundations across the globe.

The reason I mentioned extra virgin olive oil first up is because it's always present in any of the many countries who are labeled with using the diet. You would think that this would make the diet high in fat. The calorie intake from the Mediterranean diet that comes from fat is over 30%. However, all the fat is 100% unsaturated fat and is a product of olive oil. This means (in general) that the fat that comes from extra virgin olive oil is a healthy type of fat.

From another angle, it means that the fat from olives does not trigger unhealthy consequences which are said to come from animal fat. This is also supported by several scientific studies in the USA and Europe in the last decade which indicate that extra virgin olive oil and a diet high in fruits and vegetables can work to lower the incidence of breast cancer in women.

Extra Virgin Olive Oil differs to day-to-day olive oil in that extra virgin olive oil comes from the first crush. Thereby retaining many of the nutrients. If you decide to work with the Mediterranean diet, you would be wise to shop only for extra virgin olive oil and make that a discipline.

I hope this tidbit of knowledge helps.