eady to try a tasty and healthy eating plan you can continue for life? On your mark, get set, go Mediterranean. Most Americans are familiar with the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food Guide Pyramid. The pyramid goes beyond the four food groups. It helps people maintain healthy weights and reduce their chances of getting certain diseases. But the pyramid pictured here is a different one. It's the Mediterranean Diet Pyramid. This pyramid offers a different approach to healthy eating. It's a traditional Mediterranean diet from 1960 -- when, in the Mediterranean, rates of chronic diseases were among the lowest in the world and adult life expectancy was one of the longest in the world. The Mediterranean diet is plant-based instead of meat-based, which means it's high in fiber and low in saturated and trans fatty acids. The eating plan emphasizes minimally processed and fresh foods and uses olive oil as the principal fat. (Canola oil can be substituted.) About half of the diet is made up of a daily consumption of fruit, vegetables, legumes, nuts, grains and low-fat yogurt and cheese. Fish, poultry, eggs and sweets are consumed only a few times a week. Red meat is eaten only a few times a month. As in the USDA Food Guide Pyramid, the foods listed at the bottom of the pyramid are to be eaten most frequently and in the greatest quantities. Foods that appear higher up in the pyramid are to be eaten less frequently. Incorporating this eating plan into your normal diet is easy. Go whole hog or alternate the Mediterranean eating plan with your typical Western diet. Doing so is a delectable way to stay heart healthy. Note: Regular physical activity is more common in the Mediterranean than in the U.S. This fact also may account for a lower heart attack rate in the Mediterranean. © Your HealthStyle, 2000.