NPR had a super interesting story this morning from Pioppi, Italy -- home of the "Mediterranean diet." It's a simple path to a healthy lifestyle: fresh veggies, fruit, olive oil, a bit of good wine and meat or fish occasionally. 

Turns out that even in Pioppi, the Mediterranean diet increasingly is being replaced by the "industrial global diet": processed food, sugar, fat. And guess what? NPR sums it up:

"Italy now tips the scales as the fat man of Europe; maybe 36 percent of 12- to 16-year-olds are overweight or obese, according to [Dr. Angelo Pietrobelli, associate professor of pediatrics and nutrition at the University of Verona].

"Nor is the problem confined to Italy. Spain and Greece are also abandoning the traditional Mediterranean diet and lifestyle and seeing much heavier young people."

As NPR points out, the irony is that the Mediterranean diet is traditionally a peasant diet, yet today it's cheaper to eat fast food.

Sure, we indulge in junk food sometimes. And while we celebrate all cuisines on TDAC, this story inspired us to give a special shout out to the Mediterranean diet! Francisco Casquero's illustration above sums it up pretty well! 

There are tons of recipes on TDAC utilizing Mediterranean ingredients. On our search page, you can browse by ingredient -- olives, tomatoes, seafood, beans, and so much more -- for some healthy Mediterranean inspiration! 

Or better yet, go experience the Mediterranean lifestyle yourself! Over on our sister site, They Draw & Travel, we've got some great illustrated guides to Mediterranean locales like Spain, Portugal, and Italy. 

It's such a basic premise: eat well, live well.