Their appreciation for fresh seasonal fruits and vegetables is infectious. Italians eat seasonally because they know that when the season for a certain fruit or vegetable comes around, the food is fresh and loaded with vitamins and tastes exactly as it should.
The traditional Italian cuisine is typically based on large quantities of vegetables, fruit, cereals, legumes, nuts, and limited amounts of animal products.
Tomatoes. Even the most casual fan of Italian food knows that tomatoes are one of the most popular vegetables (not a fruit!) used in the cuisine. Tomato sauce, or pomodoro, is an ingredient in many Italian dishes, including pizza, spaghetti pomodoro, lasagna, and so much more.
Italian cuisine is extremely vegetarian-friendly (probably the most vegetarian-friendly of all European cuisines). You've got pizzas, pastas, paninis, gelato and coffee. Some spots even have vegan options! But you have to look in the right places if you want the authentic stuff.
India is thought to have the most vegetarians globally, with up to 42% of the population avoiding meat products.
Vegetables in Italy are the protagonists in dishes such as eggplant parmigiana and many pasta dishes but they are also eaten as hearty side dishes. There is no steak that is not accompanied by a delicious side dish of veggies, or pasta dish that is not followed by a fresh salad.
The Mediterranean peninsula is one of the healthiest countries in the world and enjoys the sixth highest life expectancy worldwide as of 2020. Aging, as well as lifestyle choices and genetic predispositions, have a great impact on people's health.
The most common foods in the Italian diet include pasta, cheese, vegetables, olive oil, meats, and wine. Italians give a lot of importance to fresh ingredients. They use seasonal ingredients to prepare meals. The Italian diet consists of breakfast (colazione), lunch (pranzo), and dinner (cena).
Italy is known for it's very late meals - lunch is about 1.30pm (earliest!) and dinner depends on the season - it can be as late at 11pm! One of the reasons for such late dinners, is so that the members of the family can wait for each other to come back from work and sit down at the table all together.
Italy is a major exporter of rice, which is grown mostly on the Po plain. Corn (maize) also is grown in that area. Of the other field crops, tomatoes are the most important for domestic and export markets.
The most popular vegetables are tomatoes, potatoes, carrots, mushrooms, and sweet peppers. In Europe, tomatoes are at the top of this list. For 67% of Europeans, a nice piece of fruit is the ideal snack.
The strawberry tree began to be considered one of the national symbols of Italy in the 19th century, during the Italian unification, because with its autumn colours it recalls the flag of Italy (green for its leaves, white for its flowers and red for its berries).
Well, it is because of the Mediterranean diet! People in Italy enjoy a diet rich in vegetables, fruits, beans, tomatoes, poultry, whole grains, olive oil, red wine, dairy ― and they consume very little red meat. They usually satisfy a sweet tooth with fruits instead of sugary desserts as well.
Italians, French, Greeks, Spanish, Croatians, and Israelis all enjoy high life expectancy, and good health with overall fewer health problems than their American counterparts due to their very simple common sense approach to food and lifestyle.
Real Italian cooking, like the cooking of Italian grandmothers everywhere, relies on the freshest, often local, ingredients. Eating fresh, not frozen vegetables, seafood, and pasta is healthier because there are fewer processed ingredients.
Ideally, lunch includes courses; a primo piattoor first course, like pasta, gnocchi, or rice, a protein, and vegetables. Normally, lunch is Italian's biggest and most sustaining meal of the day.
Foreign visitors are often struck by Italians' regimented eating schedules. We're no panino-on-the-go people, unless we're on a diet or catching a plane. We like to sit down at the table and enjoy three meals a day with at least two courses, even during the working week.
Italian pasta typically has strict government quality standards and control around it, and is made with 100% durum wheat, called semolina flour, or semola di grano duro in Italian. This means that not only is the pasta higher in protein, but more importantly it stands up to the rigours of cooking well.
Most of the factors about life expectancy in Italy are positive. The lifestyle and the Mediterranean diet has consistently been cited as a strong influence in their life expectancy. Also, the national health system is among the best in Europe and the world, depending on which metrics you use to rank countries.
In the 'health' department, Greek is in fact superior to all cuisines when considering nutritional and health benefits which lead to longevity as confirmed in many scientific studies. With fewer sauces and more vegetables than Italian, the Greek cuisine is very attractive to vegetarians as well.
The main causes of death in Italy are cardiovascular diseases and cancer, like in most other high-income countries, and as of 2020, infectious respiratory disorders.
1. Obesity rates are low in Italy, relative to most OECD countries, but are very high among children. About 1 in 10 people is obese in Italy, significantly less than the OECD average of 1 in 6. More than 1 in 2 men and 1 in 3 women are overweight.
The most common classic breakfast food in Italy is the “cornetto”, or croissant. A cornetto is often filled with some kind of cream, custard, jam or chocolate spread, and accompanied by a coffee.
It is true that certain regions in Italy are traditionally more reliant on meat (Tuscany, Umbria) however it is worth noting that even in the smallest restaurants there is a whole section on the menu that is vegetarian (Contorni- we delve into this later) thus making it easy to eat vegetarian in Italy and even better ...