You and me, me and you. All of us that have visited Italy have wondered, “Why are the Italians so hot?”. It is true, they are studded with their louis vuitton hand bags, their Dolce & Gabbana jeans, and obsession with personal care. A few days ago, as I was catching the train back to Rome, I could not help but notice that my cabin was packed with Italian military. At first sight I was intrigued by the fact that the entire continent of Europe must have run out of hair gel that day. Perfectly styled hair, some manicured eyebrows, uniforms that were perhaps custom made and custom fit. Then there was more, in addition to a bedazzling pizazz, there was the ultra tan skin that said, “the summer has only arrived.” Then there were the bellaragazzas, and the signoras - beautiful girls and the women. While the men put up a solid fight for beauty in Italy, the women are a whole new game. Every place is a haute couture runway, life is a show. Huge sunglasses, layers of perfectly applied make-up, hair streaked, permed, or feathered. A l0t of flash and a unparalleled variety of scarves and accessories. As their pencil-heel high-boots clicked away, the frenzy for being the center of attention continues. The only thing missing was some techno music, and you could easily think you were in an upscale nightclub.
Rome is truly an eternal city, and its citizens beautiful. But still, there was something more, something not so obvious that makes Italians everywhere look very healthy.
So, I had an hour to sink deep into my thoughts to think about what are some of the key things that I have noticed about the eating habits of the Italians that may add to their ultimate glow. “Cannot be the diet, it is not nutritionally balanced” was my immediate reaction. I can go on and on about this; low protein breakfast, too much refined carbohydrate in form of pasta and pizza that would spike your GI and store belly fat, additionally, at my gym people literally pour olive oil onto their meals, so what is it? Wait, or is that it? Well, somewhat. Let me explain.
Italian diet is excellent. Its not only structured around incredible freshness of natural ingredients, but its also very smart. The first part is how they eat. Unlike the United States, Italians do not start with a soup or a salad course. Actually, pasta is the first course. It is called the primo. They start out with the pasta or a risotto, proudly intaking those carbohydrates. Then comes the secondo, the main meal course that your French friends would call an entrée. It is usually accompanied with one or two sides called contorni. The entree is usally a pure protein and contorni a complex carbohydrate such as vegetables, fresh salad, or a whole grain or bean. Finally, the progress to the finish line with a dessert.
Did you notice something? Yes, the Italians just ate a massive meal, smiled in your face and said “I can eat twice as much and weight half as much”. But that is not my point. My point is, did you notice the order of intake. So, your body breaks down carbohydrates and sugars first, then it breaks down proteins, and finally the fats. Thats what Italians play so well on. They give your body carbohydrates and kick-start your metabolism. Then, they introduce proteins but alongside a lot of fiber which slows digestion and gives your body more time to process carbohydrates and utilize proteins. The last course is the fat, and honestly, in most cases for the Italians, its just fresh fruit anyways. But they play of body’s natural way of metabolizing food and use it to their advantage.
Now they have gotten the science down, planned or fluke, I think it works. But, they also have the art down. Unlike widely Americanized Italian food, the real Italian food is very healthy. They do not have creamy sauces that weigh in at hundreds of calories by tablespoons such as Alfredo or Vodka sauces. They also do not toss their salads into unhealthy chemicals, often called salad dressings in America. I am sorry I do not want to be the guy who told you that Santa Claus is not real, but yes, Italian dressing does not exist in Italy. Their salads are dressed with lemon juice and vinegars. Notice what a massive calorie cut down that is? Most Italian pasta’s are egg based or just lightly tossed in omega-3 packed olive oils. Their main meals are baked or grilled. And grilled meats are grilled first and then dressed with a dash or extra virgin olive oil (EVOO). This is very smart, because, when you grill your chicken with oil, you cook your oil. This changes its structure turning it into bad fats losing out on a lot of omega-3s. They avoid that, and flavor it with EVOO in its real healthy form. They also have an extensive list of greens that extend way past just broccoli and spinach. They have chards, collard greens, chicory, cabbages and sprouts, fennel, and I can go on and on. This makes vegetables easier, and exciting, to consume. And as I already mentioned, the desert is mostly fresh fruit, but honestly, after you eat so well, I think you deserve to reward yourself with a tiramisu, panna cotta, or torta di rocitta anyways!
Also, food in Italy is highly controlled. They do not have WholeFoods style stores, because they do not need them. Their meats are generally not laden with antibiotics and hormones and fruits are not only organic, but also not genetically modified. Yes, that means that unfortunately not all your tomatoes are going look bright red, plump, and carbon copies of each other. But, fortunately, they not going taste like cardboard and will be packed with nutrition and will absolutely lack chemicals. I think this has an impact, because its just natural and healthier. 100 grams of beef is always less calories here than the US, and thats mostly because of how game the animal is and how low in fat it is. A gram of protein is about 4 calories, a gram of fat around 9. You get the idea.
Finally, one more element of their diet is cheese. Studies show us that women who ate one ounce of cheese everyday, lost a lot of weight in the long run than those that did not. That makes sense, because cheese is packed with calcium. It gives your bones strength and increases your metabolism. A risk of high protein low calcium diet is that your body starts to extract it from your bones to metabolize proteins. Italians do not let that happen. Their addiction to lovely pecorinos and ricottas pays off well. In addition to preserving omega-3s, incorporating antioxidants, and getting minerals and vitamins in, they essentially seize the aging process.
I am a fitness and nutrition enthusiast. I am also addicted to food. After moving here, I stopped working out for 6 months and ate obsessively and I gained, well, just 5 pounds. Thats what I gain on thanksgiving day in Philadelphia. That speaks volumes about the way in which is cooked, consumed, and served in Italy.
So, next time you see that extremely good looking Italian, rethink food. It is much more than the Prada sunglasses and a Heidi Klum walk. Its the radiance of life that comes straight from three things. Order and method of consumption, ingredients, and chemical and calorie reduction. Italy is a land of many charms. Its a place with rustic feel. Its a land where cars may be parked on the sidewalks and people may walk in the middle of the streets, but it sure is a country where its people have mastered and preserved a lovely tradition of creating mouth-watering recepies that you can eat as much as you like. Next time you eat, rethink nutrition, and tell yourself to just stick to the rules; do as the Romans do.