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 simply balance the quality and quantity of foods ― not too much fat, just a little red meat, lots of chicken, turkey, and fish, and just enough carbohydrates. Extra virgin olive oil is the preferred one, used extensively on salads and in cooking.
Italians focus on eating fresh seasonal produce and consume more fish and white meat than red meat. So, here you have it. Fruits, olive oil, vegetables, less red meat, and more fish and white meat are the reason for low obesity rates in Italy.
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.
Italians often go for a stroll after dinnner, so you do. Walking after dinner increases your metabolism and in turn, your body processes food faster. The energy used when walking after dinner burns up sugar produced by the body and this results in the production of chemicals that induce sleep.
In 2021, about 12 percent of the Italian adult population was obese. This statistic breaks down this figure by gender and age group of individuals. The demographic segment among which this condition was most common was the one comprising men between 65 and 74 years of age.
A typical Italian diet consists of three meals in a day. 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.
In 2019, only a fraction of Italian survey respondents stated that they eat meat and sausages daily. Meat and sausages were consumed multiple times a week by 38 percent of Italian survey respondents. About a third of Italian respondents stated that they do not eat meat products and sausages.
Italians eat the most pasta worldwide – about 60 pounds of pasta per person per year. Most Italians eat pasta every day but they keep their portions in check. A portion in Italy is about a cup and the meal includes a small portion of meat and a large portion of vegetables and salad.
So what makes Italians so healthy? Italy has “an excess of doctors,” said Tom Kenyon, a physician and CEO of the global relief organization Project Hope. This abundance of readily available healthcare accounts for one reason, but of course, the most likely factor is their Mediterranean diet.
Italy has been traditionally linked to the Mediterranean diet since the pioneering work of Keys et al. [12]. The traditional Italian cuisine is typically based on large quantities of vegetables, fruit, cereals, legumes, nuts, and limited amounts of animal products.
Breakfast in Italy: what to expect
Homemade breakfast in Italy is usually a straightforward affair. Traditional breakfast drinks in Italian households are coffee, tea and cocoa milk for the kids and the main breakfast foods are bread with butter and jam, biscuits and cereals.
“Based mainly on vegetables and fruit, as well as grains and their derivatives, including pasta, legumes, meat, fish, milk and eggs, it does not entirely rule out those foods that are often banished from other diets, such as pizza, desserts and cheeses, which can be consumed occasionally, at most once a week,” ...
In 2017-18, two thirds (67.0%) of Australians 18 years and over were overweight or obese. Slightly more than a third (35.6%) were overweight and slightly less than a third were obese (31.3%). Just under one third (31.7%) were within the healthy weight range and one percent (1.3%) were underweight.
Among the US-born, Whites had the lowest total obesity prevalence followed by Hispanics and then Blacks; but racial-ethnic disparities for immigrants were different. In abdominal obesity, US-born white men had the highest prevalence.
Whilst Italians may not eat quite as much as many other Europeans do, they do eat it virtually every day, and Italian cuisine has a wealth of regional bread variations. Much like the rest of Italian food culture, however, there are some important rules to bear in mind when it comes to eating bread.
In Italy siesta is known as riposo. Shops are closed midday for three hours or so, that way Italians get to go home, rest, and be with family. Riposo to Italians means enjoying a home cooked meal and spending time with family.
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.
Mediterranean diet
As the renowned medical journal Lancet points out, eating habits play a key role when it comes to Italians and longevity. A large part of the population can easily bring fresh and healthy food to the table, regardless of social status and income. This is what makes the difference.
Blacks had the highest annual total meat consumption (64.2 kg), followed by East Asians (53.6 kg), Whites (46.9 kg), and Hispanics (35.8 kg). Blacks ate significantly more chicken than the other ethnic groups (P < 0.001), and East Asians ate significantly more pork and processed meat (P < 0.001).
"Buon appetito" is an italian phrase said before and during a meal, thus, it is certainly categorized as an eating phrase. Buon appetito! Italian meals, especially dinners, are traditionally quite long.
The legal drinking age in Italy is 18, and this applies to everyone regardless of nationality or citizenship. This means that US citizens who are 18 years old or older can legally purchase and consume alcohol in Italy 3 years sooner than they can do so at home.
Since Italians have about six hours between lunch and dinner, they usually grab something in between: These snacks are called merende and are basically morning or afternoon pick-me ups that can be sweet (like fruit or biscotti, a hard cookie) or savory (like crackers or a slice of pizza al taglio).