Intro -- Contents at a Glance -- Recipes at a Glance -- Table of Contents -- Introduction -- About This Book -- Foolish Assumptions -- Icons Used in This Book -- Beyond the Book -- Where to Go from Here -- Part I: Getting Started with the Mediterranean Diet -- Chapter 1: A Guided Tour through the Mediterranean Diet -- Introducing the Mediterranean Diet -- Getting Started -- Enjoying the Health Benefits Linked to the Mediterranean Diet -- Chapter 2: Opa! Reasons to Celebrate the Mediterranean Diet -- Highlighting the Main Nutrients of the Mediterranean Diet -- Reviewing Health Benefits Associated with the Mediterranean Diet -- Part II: Common Ailments and the Positive Effects of the Mediterranean Diet -- Chapter 3: Heart Disease and Heart Attackackackack: What You Ought to Know by Now -- Taking a Closer Look at the Heart -- The Rogues Gallery: From Heart Conditions to Heart Failure -- Taking Charge of Your Heart Health -- Understanding How the Mediterranean Diet Can Minimize Your Risk -- Chapter 4: High Blood Pressure and Stroke: A Lowdown Dirty Shame -- Understanding High Blood Pressure -- Identifying Kinds of Strokes -- Paying Attention to Signs of Stroke -- Taking Steps to a Healthier You -- Discovering Diet Components That Reduce Your Risk -- Chapter 5: Digging into Facts about Diabetes -- Defining Diabetes and Its Types -- Complications Associated with Diabetes -- Using Diet and Exercise to Prevent or Help Control Diabetes -- Components of the Mediterranean Diet That Help You Avoid or Control Diabetes -- Chapter 6: Wrestling with Obesity -- Understanding Healthy Body Weight -- The Tolls of Extra Weight -- Assessing Your Current Level of Health -- Custom-Designing Your Plan with Balance in Mind -- Succeeding at the Hardest Part: Maintaining Your Healthy Weight! -- Seeing How the Mediterranean Diet Helps with Weight Management.

Chapter 7: The Topic of Cancer -- Demystifying the "C" Word -- Considering Risk Factors -- Fighting Back: Your Immune System and Treatment Options -- Linking the Mediterranean Diet to Cancer Prevention -- Part III: Digging Deeper into the Mediterranean Diet -- Chapter 8: The Miracle of Olive Oil -- Taking a Deeper Look at Olive Oil -- Olive Oil and the Mediterranean Diet -- Consumption 101: How Much Is Too Much? -- Cooking and Baking with Oils -- Chapter 9: Nuts, Seeds, and Legumes -- Getting the Basics on Nuts, Legumes, and Seeds -- Cracking Down on the Nut and Seed Varieties -- Integrating This Winning Combo into Mediterranean Fare -- Storing and Preserving Nuts and Seeds -- Chapter 10: Fruits and Veggies: Key Parts of This Plant-Based Diet -- Eating Local: An Overview of Mediterranean Produce -- Understanding the Benefits of Fruits and Veggies -- Zoning In on the Top Mediterranean Fruits -- Zoning In on the Top Mediterranean Vegetables -- Striving for Health with Seven to Ten Servings -- Chapter 11: Great Grains -- Comparing Whole Grains to Refined Grains -- Exploring the Benefits of Whole Grains -- Understanding the Grain Stars of the Mediterranean -- Getting Practical: Ways Everyone Can Eat More Grains -- Cooking with Grains -- Chapter 12: Seafood and Animal Protein -- Go Fish! The Lowdown on Types, Toxins, and Fish Oil Supplements -- Seafood and the Mediterranean Diet -- Meeting the Sealife Central to the Mediterranean Diet -- Cooking Up Seafood -- Fitting Other Protein Sources into Your Diet -- Chapter 13: The Wonders of Wine -- Going Together: Diets and Wine -- Factoring Wine into the Mediterranean Diet -- Choosing the Best Reds -- Raising a Glass in Moderation -- Part IV: Enjoying Life the Mediterranean Way -- Chapter 14: Integrating the Mediterranean Diet into Your Life -- Making the Switch to the Mediterranean Diet - Happily.

Boning Up on Cooking Techniques That Are Mediterranean Diet- Friendly -- More Than Food: Changing Your Life for Health and Happiness -- Chapter 15: Eating Mediterranean When Money and Time Are Tight -- Staying within Your Budget at the Grocery -- Hassle-free Ways to Get Hard-to-Find Ingredients -- Making Time in a Fast-Paced Lifestyle -- Chapter 16: Recipes to Tempt Your Tastebuds -- Waking Up to Breakfast, Mediterranean-Style -- Mediterranean Toast -- Overnight Muesli -- Spinach and Sausage Breakfast Casserole -- Avocado Smoothie -- Lighter Fare: Soup, Salad, and Sandwiches -- Avocado and Strawberry Salad with Sweet Balsamic Dressing -- Spiced Chickpea Soup -- Prosciutto and Fresh Mozzarella Panini -- Fun Snacks -- Fig Bundles -- White Bean Dip -- Apricot Canapes -- Minty Yogurt Dip with Fresh Berries -- Enjoying More-Substantial Fare: Dinners -- Grilled Tuna with Avocado and Citrus Salsa -- Swiss Chard and Chicken Gratin -- Chickpea and Lemon Parsley Salad with Grilled Pita -- Tortellini with Tomatoes and Spinach -- Shrimp, Tomato, and Basil Pasta -- Diving into Desserts -- Chocolate Avocado Cake -- Semolina and Coconut Cake with Almonds -- Dark Chocolate Almond Bites -- Grapes and Pistachios over Greek Yogurt -- Part V: The Part of Tens -- Chapter 17: A Taste of the Mediterranean: Top Ten Herbs and Spices -- Basil -- Cilantro -- Cinnamon -- Dill -- Garlic -- Lemon -- Mint -- Red Pepper Flakes -- Saffron -- Thyme -- Chapter 18: Ten Studies on or Related to the Mediterranean Diet -- The Seven Countries Study -- The SUN Project -- The PREDIMED Trial -- The EPIC Project -- Research from the University of Louisiana's College of Pharmacology -- The NIH-AARP Diet and Health Study -- The ATTICA Study -- Harvard School of Public Health Study -- 2008 Study Reviews Regarding Cancer Risk -- Study from Second University of Naples.

Chapter 19: Ten Easy but Effective Ways to Give Your Life a Mediterranean Boost -- Snuggle Up to Olive Oil -- Reapportion Your Plate -- Reduce Portion Sizes -- Opt for Whole Grains over Refined -- Keep Fruit and Veggies Handy -- Toss Nuts into Everything -- Commit to Eating Seafood at Least Twice a Week -- Move Your Bones -- Laugh, Deeply, Once a Day -- Eat Your Veggies First -- Include a Fruit or Veggie at Every Meal and Snack -- Appendix: Metric Conversion Guide -- Index.