Sophia Loren may never have said, "Everything you see I owe to spaghetti," but that hasn't stopped the quote from becoming as ubiquitous on Instagram as the photos it's usually used as a caption for - hot girls eating pasta à la Caroline Vreeland, whose own spaghetti posts have spurred a viral hashtag, #CaroCarboLoad.

Whoever did coin the phrase, however, isn't wrong. For years nutritionists have hailed the Mediterranean Diet as one of the best ways to stay healthy and, we have to admit, it's a lot more fun than the cheese-cube-and-cigarette meal plan of the French girls. From red wine to pasta, click through for a guide to La Dolce Diet.