The Mediterranean diet is known for its health benefits. A study of texts written by ancient Hippocratic doctors and philosophers show that it may have been first developed by ancient Greek doctors trying to find a way to cure their patients. Some of these ancient doctors even wrote cookery books, such as Galen of Pergamon who emphasized cooking with simple ingredients and particularly used garlic and onions to readust the four bodily fluids that he believed influenced health. He saw nutrition as a third of the medical art, along with pharmacology and surgery.

He also spoke of the dangers of milk that he believed could block the narrow channels in the liver in susceptible individuals. He considered lentils and recommended boiling these only once and seasoning them with fish sauces and olive oils so that they would have a laxative effect, whereas boiling them twice would give them a “drying effect”. In another text, Galen suggested boiling snails twice in water to reduce their laxative properties.

Plato also wrote about the link between food and health. And it was Hippocratis who said, “Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food.”

Early research on the diet led to the creation of the Mediterranean diet that is now considered the healthiest in the world thanks to the basic principals laid down by the early doctors.