Murdock eats only fruits, vegetables and fish, exercises regularly and shuns saturated fats and sugar.

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Participants in this study who ate the Med way consumed about 200 calories more per day than the participants who ate a low-fat diet heavy on bread, potatoes, pasta, rice, fruits, vegetables and fish and light on baked goods, nuts, oils and red meat.

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Lots of easy movements, beach strolling, swimming, hiking, daily yoga or Pilates, yummy fresh local selections, lots of tropical fruits and vegetables, grilled fish or chicken, nothing complicated.

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The authors said the benefits of the Mediterranean diet may be explained by several different factors, including moderate alcohol consumption, low consumption of meat, and high consumption of vegetables, fruits, nuts, legumes, fish, and olive oil.

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There isn't a lot of money for meat, fish, fresh fruits and vegetables.

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The Mediterranean diet began to gain heart health advocates, with its high content of olive oil, fruits, nuts, vegetables, cereals, moderate amount of fish and poultry, and low intake of dairy products, red meat, processed meats and sweets.

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To keep inflammation to a minimum, Dr. O'Keefe recommends a restricted-calorie diet (similar to the Mediterranean diet), consisting of fruits and vegetables, lean protein, nuts, vinegar, tea, and fish oil, as well as low to moderate alcohol intake.

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The other was told to eat 30 grams of nuts (walnuts, almonds and hazelnuts) every day. (The participants were given the olive oil and nuts.) The control group was told to follow a low-fat diet consisting of fruits, vegetables, low-fat dairy products, bread, pasta and fish.

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The staples of the Volumetrics plan -- water-rich foods like brothy soups, fruits and vegetables, whole grains, low-fat dairy, lean meat, and fish -- not only help control hunger by filling you up, but they also do it on fewer calories.

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The most effective overall strategy to control sodium intake is to cook food at home as often as possible using fresh fruits and vegetables, grains, low-fat dairy products, fresh meat, poultry, and fish.

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