What's bathed in olive oil, seeped in wine, a perfect balance of vegetables and fruits and beans and grains and fish, with smaller portions of dairy foods and just a little red meat? It's the Mediterranean Diet and the closer you adhere to it, research suggests, the longer you'll live. Now the latest study finds that certain components are more protective than others: Plenty of vegetables, fruits, nuts, legumes and olive oil, moderate alcohol intake and only small amounts of meat are associated with longer life. But eating more fish and grains and going light on dairy products may not keep you on the planet longer. Yes, it's just one study, so don't write off fish or whole grains or moderation in dairy foods just yet. But it does raise an interesting question: Does olive oil make it easier to enjoy a plant-based diet?

That's certainly what study author Antonia Trichopoulou, Ph.D., an epidemiology professor at the University of Athens, believes. She's not only studied the Mediterranean Diet but embraces the lifestyle of her native Greece. When I spoke with her last year at a conference on the Mediterranean Diet, she told me, "Olive oil is why we consume so many vegetables: tomatoes, zucchini, garlic and onions. Plus we add it to legumes, lentils, peas, and bread. Without olive oil, it's not easy to adopt the Mediterranean diet."

But it doesn't need to be the pricey kind, she says. "Yes, extra virgin tastes better and has extra-healthy antioxidants and other compounds, but cooking with it destroys much of those. So save the virgin for your salad, and use cheaper olive oil for cooking." The main benefit to switching to the oil of the olive, says Trichopoulou: "Vegetables taste better."

Bookmark Health Beat and follow us on Twitter