What goes into a Mediterranean diet, and how to get started

Consuming more fish, such as salmon, and vegetables is key to a Mediterranean diet. (stock.adobe.com)

If you know anything about healthy eating, you’ve probably heard about the benefits of Mediterranean-style eating.

For someone testing the waters of heart-healthy eating, such a diet can vary. Mediterranean-style eating is not necessarily about eating so many servings of a particular food at each meal, said Catherine M. Champagne, a professor of nutritional epidemiology and dietary assessment and nutrition counseling at Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge. “It’s more of a pattern.”