Diet...?

paulamathers · Posted: Sat Feb 02, 2008 9:54 pm Post subject: Diet...?

How come Italians eat more than Brits and drink more wine, but tend to live longer and be healthier than us? Italians also seem to ad more oil to their cooknig too? Is that right Guido?? or am I way off?
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guido · Site Admin Joined: Oct 18, 2004 Posts: 377 Location: Italy

Paula,
Mediterranean diet is well known to be more balanced then any of north Europe diet.
We eat more, that's true, but much less junk food.
A salad condiment here is just a drizzle of olive oil, salt and few drops of vinegar. No creamy dressing!
Fat from EVOO (extra virgin olive oil) is not as bad as butter or margarine.
Kate have seen it: in our stores there isn't all those kind of snacks, sweets you can find elsewhere.
We also eat more carbs, and less protein.
You get a bacon sarnie (lot of fat) and we get prosciutto.. Wink

Moreover we drink more wine, but much less beer, sodas and super alcoholic then the rest of Europe, and our wine have no competitors... not even the French LOL!
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In vino veritas!

paulamathers · Posted: Sun Feb 03, 2008 6:40 pm Post subject:

well i love my food and wine, so maybe ill have to try the Italian diet for a while then Smile

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paulamathers · Posted: Sun Feb 03, 2008 8:34 pm Post subject:

if you don't use butter, what do you spread on sandwiches?
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guido · Site Admin Joined: Oct 18, 2004 Posts: 377 Location: Italy

We use butter, but not so much!
For example, on our tramezzini, we put a very little mayo.
On a classic panino with prosciutto or mortadella, there is no spread.
As another example, most used pasta sauce, tomatoes butter and basil, there is a very little amount of butter, 50 grams for four people. Of course some dishes have a huge amount of butter and other fat, (ravioli butter and sage just float on butter LOL) but it's not something you eat on daily basis.
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In vino veritas!

paulamathers · Posted: Mon Feb 04, 2008 1:37 pm Post subject:

what would you have for breakfast then? Here, toast with butter is commonplace, or cereal like rice crispies, cornflakes, cheerios etc which all are pretty bland and have pretty much no nutritional value at all! I would love to try the American version of breakfast - doughnuts and a coffee or apple crumble! But I think my waistline would never forgive me!! Smile

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guido · Site Admin Joined: Oct 18, 2004 Posts: 377 Location: Italy

OK, Breakfast here is coffee or cappuccino, with cookies or croissant or a piece of cake. Something you can dip in....
Sometimes I get my cappuccino and get a piece of bread sink in i it. Smile

Actually I'm still eating panettone for breakfast, because you can find them cheap....
Keep in mind that then we have lunch around 1pm, and dinner around 7/8pm.
Maybe that's why we do not need junks during the day?
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In vino veritas!

paulamathers · Posted: Mon Feb 04, 2008 3:42 pm Post subject:

Here, typical meal times are (in a working day): breakfast around 6-7am, lunch 12-1pm, and dinner 6-7pm ish. So we have the same kind of meal times. I can't believe there's another country that have cake and cookies for breakfast! I think i'll have to try that for a change!! Smile

I don't know anyone who has a "full English" breakfast as a matter of course because they're just gross - dripping with fat and sliding all over your plate in grease, yuk!

At my work, there's a sandwich van which comes around 10.30am with sandwiches, baguettes, crisps, fruit and chocolate bars etc, and a lot of people buy their lunch from there. The only thing is, they eat it before lunch time, then when the late sandwich van comes at about 2pm, they're hungry again, so buy another sandwich. Then they have an evening meal as well ( I only do that on Friday's when the office is dead and i'm hungry from being bored!!). Also, sandwich vans sell crisps etc at a lower price than fruit which is really annoying. I bought a little pack of 5 grapes from the late van one day, and was charged over £1 for 5 tiny little grapes!!!!! A Mars bar would have cost me 50p!
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guido · Site Admin Joined: Oct 18, 2004 Posts: 377 Location: Italy

Are you another Mars bar freak just like me???
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In vino veritas!

paulamathers · Posted: Mon Feb 04, 2008 9:47 pm Post subject:

o yes!!

In Northern parts of England, you can buy deep fried battered Mars Bars from chip shops! I've never tried one but i'm told that they're really addictive and gooey!
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