Commercial Feature – For many of us, it has often been a choice of either the healthy option or the best tasting one when choosing what we eat.

However, those living a Mediterranean lifestyle don’t have to choose between the healthiest and the best tasting because with Bertolli spread and other Mediterranean foods the two are one and the same.

Researchers from the University of Michigan Health System conducted a study in 2008 that suggested eight to ten servings a day of foods high in monounsaturated fat is what’s best for you. But wait, food high in fat is good for you? Surely that can’t be right? Well, food high in monounsaturated fat, which can be found in olive oil, taken in the right amount is beneficial to your body as it can lower cholesterol and is a good source of vitamin E.

This is why Mediterranean food lovers generally have a lower rate of heart disease and cancer as their cuisine is based on olive oil.

The words ‘healthy’ and ‘tasty’ are often seen as mutually exclusive; it’s almost as if you can’t have one with the other. Well the people of the Mediterranean would beg to differ as not only do they enjoy some of the tastiest food of anywhere on the planet, but they also live longer than many others as their cuisine is among the healthiest anywhere.

A Mediterranean diet is well known for helping to prevent heart disease and lower the risk of cancer. Most Mediterranean cuisine is based on food such as olive oil, fish and mention red wine, vegetables and red meat; all taken in moderation of course.

Part of the reason the Mediterranean diet is so healthy is that olive oil contains a good amount of monounsaturated fat, which can lower cholesterol and is a good source of anti-toxins and vitamin E. Rather than being a set diet, the Mediterranean way of eating is more an adherence to certain tastes and foods, some taken with a degree of moderation which causes them to be good for the consumer.

Fish makes up part of the Mediterranean way, and is a good source of omega-3. This is often complemented by red wine (taken in moderation of course), which is good for helping to prevent blood clotting.

One of the biggest contradictions of the Mediterranean way of eating is how a diet or preference for foods which are considered ’fatty’ can be so good for someone.

Part of the reason isn’t just moderation; after all a Mediterranean zest for life, as well as food, means that not everything is taking moderately. The real reason behind, there being a general consensus among scientists that the Mediterranean way of eating is much healthier is that each food contains certain things which are good for prolonging life. It’s not just good for the physical side of life but eating the right way can also decrease the chances of depression, as psychiatric studies have shown- it isn’t just the warm climate that makes Mediterraneans a generally happy group of people.

Bertolli spread, which contains olive oil, helps to capture the Mediterranean way of eating and contains the healthy goodness which is conducive to a longer life.

The fact that olive oil comes from over 30 plant compounds is part of the reason it is much better for you than polyunsaturated fats and oils. It is these plant compounds which help to reduce the risk of cancer.

Bertolli spread is not only great tasting but is much better for you than other butters or margarines. While Bertolli contains olive oil which has the monounsaturated fats that are good for you, many other spreads contain polyunsaturated fats which are not.

With Bertolli passion makes perfect, and as one would expect from the Mediterranean people, there is a lot of passion involved in making their spreads, and therefore ultimately a certain amount of perfection.

It’s easy to get baffled by science with all this talk of monounsaturated fats and omega-3. The fact remains though that not only does Bertolli have a great taste (and let’s be honest, despite seeking the healthy options, for many of us this is arguably the most important factor when it comes to food), but Bertolli also is one of the healthiest spreads available, something that has been proven with the tests and research that has been done by various scientific bodies into the benefits of the Mediterranean way of eating.

Historically, Mediterranean cuisine has always contained many ingredients which are good for you. It is only recently though with breakthroughs in food research and more concerted efforts by the scientific community (not to mention by consumers themselves) to find out which cuisines are the best for us, that we have been able to understand the real benefits of Mediterranean cuisine.

The Mediterranean diet also benefits from containing the nutrients and proteins which are naturally good for the body. It’s no wonder that many people who follow the Mediterranean lifestyle, including their way of eating of course, tend on the whole to enjoy a longer-lasting life.

While in the past many people, be it scientists or laymen, have considered the idea of living healthier meaning you needed to make sacrifices when it comes to taste, this is no longer the case.

While not everyone may be willing to, or feel the need to change their entire lifestyle to a Mediterranean one, at least by enjoying Bertolli spreads you can be taking a step in the right direction while maintaining a preference for the finer tasting things in life.

Although you should be warned that once you do start enjoying the Mediterranean lifestyle, whether that’s through Bertolli or however else, you may find it difficult to stop! After all, it’s not very often, if eve, that we find that something good for us, that contains the nutrients and goodness we need for a longer and healthier life, actually tastes better and is more enjoyable than the other foods on offer.