We're all aware of the importance of a healthy diet, but the question is why it seems so hard incorporating it into our lifestyle. Based on the age-old dietary traditions, a healthy eating pattern is all about lots of fresh fruits and vegetables - yes just that. So if you look at it, there actually is nothing that much hard to begin with.

In cultures like Greece, a good diet spares a menu from meat but fill it daily with red wine. In Mexico, tomatoes, beans, peppers, corn and chili are the most basic ingredients in almost all of their dishes. Asians go for the balance of greens, carbohydrates and seafood in their recipes, Italians almost always love eating raw veggies, and Mediterraneans excel in their quest for low-calorie dishes.

All studies support these ways of eating. In fact, the New England Journal of Medicine published a study showing how a Mediterranean-style reduced-calorie diet can be as effective as a low-carbohydrate diet. The study proves that this Mediterranean eating pattern helps a lot of people lose more weight than a conventional low-fat diet. This even helped people with diabetes better control their blood glucose levels. Low-fat and low-calorie ways of eating has documented actual realities of reduced rates of heart disease compared to the red meat and dairy-based regimens.

If we only stay away from too much frying, we would be cutting fat and lessen our chances to heart disease, obesity, certain cancers and other health problems. But that doesn't mean that all fats are bad. There are actually fats considered to be healthy. Omega-3 fats found in fish for instance, are believed to be good for the heart. Monounsaturated fats, such as those found in olive and canola oils, are proven healthy for the heart than saturated fats found in animal products and processed foods. Olive oil for dipping has become a staple on a healthy dinner table of meatless but red wine inspired meals - a pattern that could also be ours.

Adapting a healthy eating pattern doesn't have to be "ironclad" eating, but something that can be sustainable, enjoyable and worth relishing for a long term. The only thing we need to do is to pick which eating pattern could be ours. Remember that it's not Italian, Mexican, Greek, Asian, and Mediterranean foods can help us build our bodies, but it's the right approach of giving our body of what it needs. By the time we understand what we need and take if from our hearts to begin a good eating lifestyle, we surely can stick to it and like it year after year.

Now, don't you think it's worth returning to the old ways of eating and enjoy it much as we can?