What is the first thing that comes to mind when you think about the word “diet?“ For most people, diet means giving up enjoyable foods, regimented eating hours, and counting calories. Dig a bit deeper into the origins of the word and it becomes more palatable: The word "diet" comes from the Greek word "diata," which means a way of life or living.

For Ancient Greeks, diata meant visits to healing temples, saunas, meditation rooms, and most importantly, enjoyment of a variety of foods in a social atmosphere. This pattern of eating and living created a blueprint for what would eventually be coined the Mediterranean Diet, a holistic approach to life where the whole is much greater than the sum of its parts.