This is why Italians aren’t fat
Italy is a foodie paradise where our colleagues at Italiamo eat a pistachio cornetto every day, where burrata and ham are part of their lunch, and where every evening revolves around a good glass of wine. And yet their jeans fit more loosely than they do in the Netherlands. It’s not just that they stay slim here; you don’t see overweight people there. Are Italians all blessed with Gisele Bündchen’s metabolism, or is something else going on?
Surely it can’t be that the land of pizza and pasta has a lower obesity rate than the land of “I cycle everywhere, even in the rain”? Strange but true: in Italy, only 12 percent of the population is overweight, while in the Netherlands it’s half. Huh?
The Mediterranean diet
The secret is the Mediterranean diet, which consists of plenty of beans, vegetables, fruit, whole grains, poultry and wine, and little red meat. Italians often start the day with a small breakfast consisting of black coffee and a cornetto (a type of croissant). A cornetto may not be particularly healthy, but surprisingly enough, it’s much better than the bowl of cereal we shovel down in the morning. And instead of two slices of bread with cheese for lunch, they turn it into a celebration with a salad, pasta, fish, or chicken with vegetables. Filling enough that you don’t reach for that Cup-a-Soup at four o’clock. They don’t do salad dressings here, and if anything is drizzled over a dish, it’s pure olive oil or balsamic vinegar.
Italians love cooking for themselves with the freshest ingredients, varying by season. No frozen pizzas or ready-made lasagnas, but home-cooked meals whose recipes are passed down from generation to generation. The streets of Italy are therefore packed with greengrocers and fruit shops, where everything is displayed in all its glory. Juicy tomatoes, oranges practically bursting apart, and courgettes that taste better than those bland ones from the Netherlands. Here, cherry tomatoes are my favorite snack, instead of a large bag of paprika crisps.
Beans are also popular in Italian cuisine, especially in Tuscany, where you’ll find plenty of dishes made with them. These legumes are high in fiber and protein, keeping you feeling full for longer. Famous dishes featuring these superfoods include pasta e fagioli and ribollita. Pasta isn’t drowned in supermarket sauce; fresh vegetables, tomatoes, lemon and herbs are used to add flavor.
Enjoying food
Of course, they also eat cheese, the finest hams and Italian gelato, but the same rule applies: enjoy! Italians aren’t big on dieting or counting calories, which means food is a pleasurable activity rather than something to stress about. Have you ever tried dieting and found yourself thinking only about that one hidden Tony’s bar? I’d bet it would still be gone in the evening during a binge. So the Italians’ secret is to enjoy their food and stop just before they feel full.
Italians also lead active lives, and after eating they go for a passeggiata, a sort of Dutch-style stroll. I can’t blame the Italians, because with so much beauty to see, there’s nothing better than strolling through the country’s streets.
Read also:
- Tip: go on a wine trip to Italy with one of the Netherlands’ best sommeliers
- Here you’ll find the cheapest coffee in all of Italy
- Let’s go: in Italy, there’s a fountain that pours free red wine
Source: Italiamo
