Rethinking the Mediterranean Diet

I PLEAD GUILTY — WHEN I THINK ABOUT the Mediterranean diet, my mind goes to Italy. Or maybe to Spain or Greece. An astute reader reminded me that we should think broader about the meaning of a so-called Mediterranean diet.

Of course, there is no single entity that defines the approach. My critic reminded me of the number of countries that ring the Mediterranean Sea. There are sixteen nations that fit the bill.

Let’s look at the Mediterranean countries:

• Europe has six (France, Spain, Monaco, Italy, Greece, and the island…