Year after year, the Mediterranean diet is ranked as one of the top diets by a panel of health experts at U.S. News & World Report, and an overwhelming amount of research shows it can lead to sustainable weight loss, improve heart health and brain function, and even prevent chronic conditions like diabetes and cancer. Maybe it’s because the Mediterranean diet doesn’t fit into the restrictive calorie-driven framework of an actual “diet.” But it’s not quite as simple as chowing down on pasta, pizza, and hummus, either. Here’s everything you need to know to embrace the number diet in the world.