Welcome  to  Public  Health  moment from  the  University  of  Minnesota. May  is  Mediterranean  diet  month. What  is  the  Mediterranean  diet and  why  is  it  good  for  you? We  asked  Dr.  Henry  Blackburn, Professor  Emeritus  at  the  University  of  Minnesota. Blackburn  worked  with  Ancel  Keys, the  famed  U  of  M  scientist  best  known  as  the  man  who linked  a  high  fat  diet  to  cholesterol  and  heart  disease. Keyes  was  a  proponent  of  the  Mediterranean  diet. Actually,  it's  many  eating  patterns in  the  traditional  cultures  around  the  Mediterranean  Sea. It's  characterized  by  a  predominance  of  plant  foods, far  greater  focus  on  vegetables  and  fruits  and  grains, and  it  has  certain  other  commonalities  in terms  of  wine  and  olive  oil  being  important  parts, and  wild  weeds,  Wild  greens  in  other  words, and  focus  on  legumes, peas  and  beans  with  lesser  emphasis  on  meat  and  dairy. What  makes  it  healthy  is apparently  the  plant  emphasis  and predominantly  a  low  intake  of  saturated  fats, which  are  usually  animal  fats. Blackburn  provides  advice  for those  wanting  to  eat  the  Mediterranean  way. It  takes  some  effort.  There  are whole  food  resources  in  many  communities  now, and  there  are  local  farms  and  farmers  markets. Usually,  you  couldn't  find  those  in rural  cultures  20  years  ago.  Now  you  can.