StenoLady1

Yes, wine is a common denominator, but in the year I've been eating/living the Mediterranean way, other differences I've found are:

Folks in that part of the world walk everywhere. They walk to school, work, they live in skinny four-story buildings where they have to walk up steps. They don't have a machine for everything to make their life easier.

Red meat. Here we eat red meat a lot. Folks in that part of the world view red meat as a once or twice a month treat. The centerpieces of meals tend to be veggies (I'm talking about Greece, Italy, Spain, France...not Turkey or Africa, although when I was in Turkey, we ate a tiny smidgeon of lamb every other day with our basmati rice).

Stress. We're very stressed out. Not good for our hearts. We work through our lunches, eat our breakfast sitting on an expressway in traffic on the way to work, multi-task during dinner. Our kids don't go outside and play anymore after school. They're enrolled in constant extra-curricular activities, and the homework given to even kindergarteners is often staggering. American kids, as well as parents, have very little relaxation time. I'm not saying everyone who borders the Mediterranean doesn't have stress, but we're talking about countries where often its inhabitants still take a midday siesta. I was chatting with a client of mine (lawyer who works 12-hour days) who was visiting Greece. He was in a store ready to buy something for his wife -- I forget what...maybe jewelry or a nice dress -- and the owner of the store told him he'd have to come back after two o'clock; that it was siesta time. He shut the store down and went home to be with his family for lunch.

Lastly, balanced diets. We've been told for years to eliminate foods from our diets. First it was sugar. So we strived for "sugar-free" foods. Then it was fats. All fats are bad. So we went out and bought fat-free stuff. Then it was carbs. All carbs are bad. Then we went out and and bought carb-free foods. One of the first things I noticed about this diet was you eat everything in moderation, the focus being on preparing your meals with fresh ingredients, not Hamburger Helper, not Stouffers, not Pasta Roni, not Lean Pockets.

Just what I've observed

Oh...it's only a small part of Italy that lives on pasta and cannolis, the southern portion. Northern Italy is very different. The focus there is on fresh breads (focaccia), garden-fresh veggies, legumes and lean meats/fish. It's also way cold in northern Italy. Remember the last winter Olympics?