Although the human body needs a certain amount of carbohydrates, too much can cause a number of health  problems such as:

1. Excess weight

2. Bloating

3. Low blood sugar

4. High blood pressure

5. Fatigue

Grains, potatoes, sweets and other starchy and sugary foods are extremely popular and like any popular food, on the whole we generally consume far too many. The body's storage capacity for carbohydrates is low and as a result any excess carbs that cannot be properly digested are stored as fat.

Any meals high in carbohydrates also generate a rapid rise in blood sugar levels. To adjust for this rise, the pancreas secretes the hormone insulin into the bloodstream, which lowers the glucose. Insulin stores the excess calories from carbohydrates in the form of fat and as a result is responsible for making us put on weight.

High insulin levels also suppress 2 other hormones - glucagons and growth hormones These 2 hormones are responsible for burning fat, sugar and promoting muscle development. So insulin from excess carbohydrates promotes fat, and then wards off the body's ability to lose that fat.

Excess weight and obesity lead to heart disease and a wide variety of other diseases. But the ill effect of grains and sugars in our diet does not end there. They also suppress the immune system and are responsible for a large number of digestive disorders. They contribute to depression, and their excess consumption is associated with many chronic diseases such as cancer and diabetes.

As a result, the Mediterranean Diet is low in sugary and starchy food.