Somebody thought of that
And someone believed it
And look what it's done so far
-from The Rainbow Connection, Kermit the frog
Someone wrote it, someone believed it. And now even dietitians spread these myths.
According to Becky Hand (Sparkpeople Dietician) The italians are eating healthy foods at every meal. To be fair, she's not the only one who believes this, you'll find this written all over the internet. Sounds great but its not true.
I live in Italy, they eat cookies for breakfast. Seriously. Or pastries or donuts. Italians believe that we need sugar in the morning to 'wake up our brains'.
And they NEVER eat healthy whole grains. All the fresh breads, pastas, pastries, etc. are from white, refined, simple-carb flour. They do eat more veggies and fruits, maybe 3 servings a day. Not 5.
They eat a LOT of cheese, and drink wine (white and red) at lunch and dinner. They eat cured meats (salami, bacon, ham, etc.) EVERY DAY.
Some other misconceptions: They eat a lot of fish. No, it depends on where you live, but not that much. They eat lentils more often. No, actually only on New Year's Eve. They eat red meat only a few times a month. No, if they can afford it at least 3 times a week.
Is the food better? Oh yeah. It's all fresh. What's better than freshly made pastries that melt in your mouth, or young sparkling white wines made in your own vineyard?
Is it 'oh-so-incredibly-healthy'? No, not like they'd have you think. It's healthier because they don't use all the preservatives, hormones, etc. A fresh pastry is healthier than a pastry off the shelf, sure. But wouldn't a bowl of yogurt and berries be even healthier?
They are thinner, but not necessarily healthier. They have a huge rate of diabetes in people 60 and older. And all the other human conditions common in America. Except obesity.
This is the article that set me off www.sparkpeople.com/reso