Posted 11:21 pm Sunday, February 19, 2012
We Could Learn From The Italians
On Wednesday, Tyler Paper Food Editor Christine Gardner shared recipes for lighter Italian comfort foods.
The first thing I think at the mention of Italian food is creamy sauces, pasta and lots of garlic bread -- all spread across large white platter-sized plates. It doesn't seem like the healthiest type of foods.
The first thing I think at the mention of Italian food is creamy sauces, pasta and lots of garlic bread -- all spread across large white platter-sized plates. It doesn't seem like the healthiest type of foods.
But Christine made adjustments to Italian favorites by omitting heavy creams and butter while adding olive oil or skim milk and cheeses instead. After all, we Americans seem to have more problems with our waistlines when eating Italian food -- more so than Italians.
Although Italians -- like much of the developed world -- grapple with an increase in obesity, their obesity rates are much lower than Americans. About one in 10 Italians is obese, compared to about one-third of Americans, according to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development statistics.
How can that be when they break all the diet rules (our rules)? Breakfast is not the most important meal of the day. They may begin with a cup of coffee and something sweet. They eat white bread, use oils liberally, and rely on white pasta with thick sauces as a first course.
But they differ from us in that meals are eaten in smaller portions, are vegetable-heavy and most likely home-cooked, particularly at lunchtime. In addition, they are more active. Italians take more breaks and walk considerably more than Americans.
It all points to what health experts try to drill in us: developing a healthy lifestyle -- one that can be maintained for a lifetime.
In the case of Italian food, we don't have to abandon it or abhor it.
Limit the portions and make substitutions that will still leave flavor (see Christine's column and recipes at tinyurl.com/tylerpaperfood).
This also can be said of Mexican and soul food. It just takes some ingenuity. Beans don't have to be refried in fat, lean cuts of meat can be eaten along with veggies, and we can limit the number of tortillas we eat. As I've written before, the foundation of soul food really is good for the soul. It has vegetables, legumes and healthy starches that fill us up. If prepared without the pork fat excess salt and sugar, you've got a healthy way of eating that is easy to follow.
So whatever type of international cuisine you enjoy, just remember how the Italians do it -- in moderation, with healthier ingredients and activity incorporated.
