What Italians eat in a day? & How they stay fit in the land of pizza
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- Опубліковано 12 вер 2024
- In this video we will try to find out Italian people's diet secrets.
Italy is a Mediterranean country where obesity and overweight are rare despite an abundance of pizza, pasta, and dolce (sweets).
Italians don’t get fat is a popular saying used to describe Italian food and lifestyle. Many studies found that a Mediterranean diet has numerous health benefits, from reducing the risk of cancer and heart disease, to living a healthier, longer life. However, something must be getting lost in translation. Many of Americans’ favorite Italian foods, such as fettuccini Alfredo and cheese-laden pepperoni pizza, are everything but healthy.
So, the question is there Italian diet secret we can learn from, too?
/FAQ/
- Who am I?
My name is Elina, friends call me Eli. I am from Russia, and on my channel I share the Russian culture and my international experiences of studying, working and traveling abroad.
-What can you find on my channel?
Foreigners and expats' stories about life in Russia, explanation of Russian habits and traditions, opportunities for education in Russia and learning the Russian language.
Besides, I talk about scholarships to study abroad for free, opportunities all over the world and make interviews with people whenever I travel ;)
More videos:
• STUDY IN ITALY | Fre... - STUDY IN ITALY | Free education, scholarships, DSU scholarship for international students
• Student's day at Unive... - Student's day at University of Milan | Scholarships for international students, campus tour
• Discussing Russian vs ... - Discussing Russian vs Italian stereotypes & Making pizza
• Video - how to write a motivation letter to apply for universities and internships abroad
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We don't get fat because gesturing so much burns a lot of calories
Sono morto
and talking so much burns calories too... talking about the food instead of eating it...
LOL
✨🤌🏼🤌🏼🤌🏼✨
Lmmfaoo you ain't lyin. 😂😂
Italy is all about walking. I visited in 2017 with my husband and stayed for a month. We ate nothing but pizza and pasta. I was freaking out because I thought I was going to get fat! I never did (thank god). Also like others have mentioned they don’t eat processed foods that contain loads of the famous preservative… SUGAR!
I would visit again in a heart beat 😍😍😍
another reason why we are fit is that we don't often eat in restaurants (we only go there during holidays or on special occasions) we prefer to cook at home and if we are away for work we prefer to bring home-made food. If you go everyday to the restaurant it's normal to gain weight
I think it's also because we eat less processed food; we are used to cook our own food mostly when we have enough time, so it's healthier.
@@ElifromRussia No, generally we are used to cook our own food whenever we can.
@@ElifromRussia Plus, 90% we eat something is home-made if we have time to cook it (I have my littles portions of home-made ragù in my freezer). And generally when we're out for work we take with us a meal cooked at home. Go out to eat is something we do only once a week, but not every week in a month.
exactly, Italians and Greeks eat less processed foods than Americans and their food is not laden with fat and sugar to mask the taste of bad quality cheap foods. whole foods is the key and good quality foods is primo.
Merendine?
@@ElifromRussia no, we always do this, for example the most important part of the day (that is breakfast) we don't eat a lot because it's our metabolism
I love the idea of walking every day as opposed to intensive exercising. Definitely makes you eager to be active while also helping your mental health. Win-win!
The secret? Walking everywhere, less processed food, and less sugary drinks.
I aree with you
@@piacor1755 areevederci
Right 👏🏻
And staying active 🏃♀️
I saw that. I was thinking, hey look at how many are walking in the video. Where I live there are some people walking but it's mostly people in vehicles.
I lost the most weight when I lived in Milano for 2 years. We walked everywhere or took the trams and I always ate small portions. I had my pizza every Saturday as a treat. The lifestyle was amazing and would love to go back!
Also cocaine can keep you lean and it’s a traditional dish in Milano.
@@matteomorelli9242 You are joking?
@@nordscan9043 he thinks he is.
Italian pizza is so different from American pizza, which is greasy and full of fatty cheese and meat.
Home made Italian pizza is made of a thin dough, sauce from fresh tomatoes and fresh toppings. Just a little cheese on top, many herbs instead. 😋😋😋😋
@@ElifromRussia "molto buona" is the right term for "very good"
It doesn't sound that yummy for me so it's understandable why we change it up to fit our taste buds. We normally make it saucier and cheesier.
@@bluephoenix1652 She lost me at “just a little cheese”
Italian pizza is the best, after trying it for the first time in Italy, couldnt eat any other pizza for 2 years 🤢
so true : ) American pizza is disgusting
As an Italian (although living abroad for ages) I think that the main reasons why on average there are less obese people in Italy (many are just a bit chubby) is that food tends to be less processed, vegetables are eaten quite regularly, there is less consumption of sugary drinks and in general food portions are not that huge (unless granma is cooking).
Another important fact is that junk food, like international fast food, in America/Uk is really cheap so that poor people mostly live off that (thus getting obese). In Italy Mcdonald's etc...are not cheap at all, compared to our genuine street food or even compared to basic groceries, like vegetables.
McDonald's is much more expensive in France than it is in Italy. McDonald's is not very cheap, but affordable.
@@deepblue188 Still, but 1 dollar in USA your best bet is a value menu burger. with 1 euro in Italy you can get the same MCd's burger, but you also have the choice of a less processed piece of pizza
Hai ragione, vivo in provincia di Milano e giorni fa al McDonald's in 3 abbiamo speso €33 per una cena, che per un fast food è molto.
It's not only about the price, generally if you compare the amount of junk food in Italy is way less than in UK/US, I mean WAY WAY less.. You don't go for a walk and find 2 mcdonalds a burger king, 1 kfc and some taco bells plus other stuff you want to include in that 5 minutes of a walk.
Milano is probably the only city with the more choice of junk food and coffee shops like Starbucks (and yes I have never seen a Starbucks yet here where I live, I know there are some but they are really limited)
I think that only in the US and UK junk food is cheap.
I've lived in Italy for ten years (and my Dad and relatives were all born here), but in general, Italian portion sizes are way smaller than in places in the US, UK, Australia etc. And they don't eat things like garlic bread with their pizza or snack on processed foods. They don't have a lot of side dishes either compared to other countries. Another thing is they do definitely have a diet culture, but instead of being like 20kg overweight, they're more like to diet when they are only a few kilos overweight. Quite a few Italians weigh their pasta (dry) or eat in for lunch rather than dinner - unless they're going out. They also are really aware of their food intolerances. The real secret to why they don't get fat though is because they walk a shit load and are not afraid to take a hike with friends.
We are also a bit paranoid about health. We're constantly worried about the "colpo d'aria" etc. Also I think in general we are more educated about good nutrition and what constitutes a healthy meal
Yes Pasta sizes are small but they fill you up salads on the sides was more than enough
Carbs don't matter at all, Italians are on a liver-friendly diet every day without knowing it:
1) olive oil as a main source of fats
2) onion, garlic and shallot bring the necessary daily sulfur to the liver in order to dissolve toxins contained in food
3) we consume a lot of lemon, mandarines, oranges, grapefruits, apples and all kind of various antioxidant fruits, which help liver to prevent the deposits of metals in liver
4) broccoli, artichokes, spinach... as well as cicoria, lattuga romana... one of these natural detoxificants is consumed every day
5) fish or eggs (one girl in a video mentioned it) frequently replace meat
6) low fat cheese such as Parmiggiano or Grana padano, pecorino stagionato and ricotta are preferred to high fat cheese
7) a lot of watermelon in summer, porcini in autumn-winter bring glutathione to the liver, the strongest liver regulator in its biosynthetic, detoxificant and antioxidant function
8) Italians are not heavy alcohol abusers
9) a lot of Italians consume only a coffe for breakfasts, that's intermittent fasting, without even knowing that
The liver is a key for a good metabolism many of the interviewed people mentioned. Italian diet helps guts as well (olive oil again, yogurt, fibres...). Italians can even eat junk food but they will anyway consume sufficient liver-helpers to eliminate that junk. Btw., even if they are not practising any kind of sports, Italians generally walk or cycle a lot, they swim in summer, ski in winter etc.
Thank you sincerely for the time you spent making this list. I've never heard of the importance of liver metabolism. I appreciate it.
This makes sense. I am trying to flush my liver from stones. I’m slowly changing my diet and lifestyle and have done some on your list. I will try to incorporate more. Thank you.
Great summary, Thank you!!
Very balanced the mediterranean diet and the food is yum
Thank you for this information as I have an autoimmune illness that affects the liver. I am eating a Mediterranean diet, and have introduced my husband and 2 sons to it.
What's not to love? Delicious, fresh produce and I love extra virgin olive oil. I didn't link it, however, to liver health, just to health and longevity.
I live in France, so have access to the best fresh produce, fish, seafood and meat, and we cook every meal from scratch, in the kitchen or BBQ and eat lots of varied salads, watermelons, Citrus fruits etc. . Lots of fresh home homemade soup, too (. A French thing, to aid digestion and reduce hunger at meals. I love soup for lunch!!) I could never go back to the unhealthy takeaways and eating habits of my early life in the UK. And it's such fun to shop in markets, and cheaper, too. (Plus I've stopped drinking alcohol in favour of fresh squeezed oranges or water, and feel great, though I've never been a heavy drinker)
Thanks for this video, Elli . You're the best Blogger for sure on You Tube. Interesting, various content and enjoyable whilst educational. And you are a beautiful Blessing, inside and out. Good Luck to you 😘😍👌😁. I'm binge watching all your videos👍
I visited Italy many years ago when I was 22 years old by myself. I actually stayed with an Italian family for about a month near Naples. I remember the meals they were so balanced. Everything was fresh. Meals were thought out carefully. I love Italy. ❤
When an American says "I am so hungry I could eat a whole cow!" They actually do. That is the problem.
😄
😂😂😂 the portions here in the US are insane
I never said that or did that 😭✋
:D
Hahahaha…. Literally 😂
Italian speaking makes me very relaxed and calm, it's like ears massage.
It's food culture (education+ discipline+rules):
You eat 3/4 times per day(frequency is defined) , when you do it you sit at the table (start and end is defined) in a dish (quantity is defined), not with hands (rithm is defined)
This combined with the possibility to walk downtown and buy your next meal in multiple grocery stores and markets for vegetables / bread etc, if you cook your meals more activities are added
Last but not least, sugar is confined to breakfast so you burn it during the day, sugar added drinks are not popular, alcoholic drinks are usually limited to social activities
When your work or your daily routine introduce constraints or disorder to this food rule set you gain weight inevitably, Italian or not
@@ElifromRussia You'll be surprises to hear this, but here we go: Yes and no. We are definitely very well attached to our traditions which, at least food and diet wise, has been our saving grace. Other than that, your average Italian man is still prey of many food conspiracies. At least that's what I've learned from a food scientist perspective.
Well, thanks for the video, Elina. I hope I added a few more pieces to the puzzle
Concordo!
I think this is a big factor. I stayed in Milan at a student's apartament, and besides the fact they're young and did not have the time or the money for a nice quality and diversified meal they have a good relantionship with the food: took their time to eat, ate vegetables, didn't overeat. So, even in a everyday simple meal they have some kind of liturgy regarding to eating.
I'm Brazilian and I can understand 80% when Italian or Spanish speakers speak. Thanks god! :)
Good video! I love your channel!
I actually enjoyed seeing you speaking with the people in Italian. It is such a beautiful language to listen to.
@@ElifromRussia Elina as an Italian I can say that the "base" is very very good! Keep it up :D
Italian language spoken by ordinary people is the most filthy language in the world
@@rob5197 ...cioè?!?
@@simeto05 ha ragione dai, non a caso la bestemmia tota nostra est 😊
I agree with you. I am Italian by birth and I can proudly say that our beautiful language is worth listening to. ❤❤❤ I am not very proud of my country as far political leaders are concerned but I am very proud of my language.
The Italians who are commenting on their way of eating is astounding! I am totally impressed at their openess and intellect in describing their way of eating while commenting the pros and cons, in their opinion, of other cultures. Never insulting but just an intelligent manner of helping to answer this secret of the Italian people's way of eating. I am an American and it's so hard not to get round.
As an Italian I can say that the combination of good quality food, attentive section of fresh and seasonal ingredients, policies regarding what's imported and sold in stores, strong food culture and the mediterranean diet all contribute to a healthy lifestyle.
It might not seem much but even walking everyday is great for your body, and that's what all the people I know do, and why I don't have any fat friends.
@@ElifromRussia here in sicily they all fat :P so I do not know what you are talking about ! and ye they ride bikes haha
@@kharaf9920 my nanu immigrated to the US from Sicily and he ate a lot of bread at dinner.
Are carbs very common?
@@miyacoxlong2343 carbs + fat ye from street food
@@kharaf9920 oof street food is very tempting yeh
@@miyacoxlong2343 ye can be :p
I am italian. Once I was walking with some friends in the center of the city we live and at some point we decided to take an ice cream. Ice cream's cone size are from small €1,50 to medium €2-2,50 to big €3-3,50. We went inside and waited our turn, while waiting I decided to take the € 2 cone, not too big, not too tiny.. Before me there was an american girl, not really tall, a bit chubby. When the ice cream guy asked her what size she wanted she told him "The biggest one". She went out from ice cream place with a huge €7 or 8 cone (I don't remember well the price, I was too shocked) which is like XXXL, something that no italian would ever take, something so big you can't take with one hand. The amount of ice cream inside that cone was enough to feed an (italian) family of 4. That thing was larger than a small chihuahua. I think It was the first time they ever used that cone size.
Once upon a time ive tried a big cone of icecream (3,5€, 4 flavors) it was painful because it was delicious but also very hard to finish...
Never fucking again, i'm sticking with my 2/2,5€ cono with two flavors.
I can only imagine a cono of 7/8€
Macché dice! Io adoro il gelato, lo prendo sempre grande! Quello piccolo ormai è x neonati! Lo fanno pagare tanto
Italians eat pizza once a week. And it is an healthy version of the pizza. Starting from the fresh mozzarella.
Here some reasons, in my opinion (based on my personal experience, as I live in France):
- We eat out less frequently and we are used to cooking at home
- At work, we often bring the "schiscetta" (Milanese word for "tupperware"...) for lunch or eat a super simple meal in the company cafeteria; we don't go to real restaurants (here I see that it is normal to eat on a different restaurant for lunch every day).
- Portions are much much much smaller
- It is not compulsory to have a dessert at the end of each meal
- We usually accompany our meals with water, sometimes with a beer or a glass of wine and not with soft drinks, fruit juices or other sugary drinks.
- We have fewer and much smaller snacks.
- We keep precise times for main meals.
- Mixing too many ingredients is sacrilegious, which is why our dishes are very simple, tasty and often lower in calories (example: a salad in italy is 'a salad', consisting of vegetables, dressed with oil and vinegar. Not a mix of meat, cheese, a few leaves of lettuce topped with creams; "A dish of pasta" is simply pasta with a sauce. Not pasta drowning in a cream/sauce, with meat and vegetables).
I remember I had my first glass of coke at a birthday party when I was 7.
When I had pizza at my friends', recently, I was asked to not order coke so that their kids (6yo) could not try it out by mistake.
There is a strong perception of damage food can do especially to kids, so parents usually educate their children that coke, pizza, chips and snacks are for special occasions. And that pays off on the long run.
Honestly, what I see from almost all my friends is that in Italy there is generally no particular food addiction. We eat small portions, we move a lot during the day.
Most of Italians do not love overly sugared food, did you know that Nutella has a lot less sugar in Italy? Also, even fast food have strict regulation on the quality of their ingredients ( Mc Donalds is 3 times more expensive than other countries!)
We have good food, appreciate quality, and that's it.
I‘m german and I believe it‘s very similar here! As a child I was taught that soda is for birthday parties or special occasions and nowadays even as an adult I only drink it on nights out or when I eat at a restaurant!
Sugary drinks are definitely to blame for the obesity epidemic.
@@sanyam.3099 Same, I remember I was shocked when I went to a family friend's house with my parents for dinner and saw that Coca Cola was on the table and they let their children drink it during meals. I'm 22 now and my mom still criticizes me if she sees me having a soft drink with meals lol
My first coke I was 21.
@@idek7438 same with my family...
I was in Italy for a week and are almost exclusively bread, pasta, and ice cream. Somehow at the end of the week my stomach fat had gone down. Yes I walked a lot, but I've done that in many other places. My conclusion is there's something better in the flour they use there
YES I was going to write this, I suspect they don't use hybridisied wheat like in America and UK which has been linked to weight gain and they probably don't fortify their flour either which messes with your metabolism
Probably pasta had less fats than in other countries
Italians eat a lot of pasta yes but we don't eat bread with it and ice cream is a special treat, not something you'd have every day
first secret: never drink coca cola or other beverage with sugar
I'm Italian and I drink coca cola but I drink it once a month this is the secret 😂
That's probably the real advice, we drink them only on celebrations or holiday, I've never had a regular dinner or lunch at home with a soda on the table (even if I like them)
@@giovanniregazzo371 nothing wrong drinking it once a month
Lol ne bevo a carrellata e sono magrissimo
@@lorenzobordignon6997 Dipende molto dal tuo stile di vita, io mi bevo una coca prima dell'attività fisica anche se quando sono a dieta, tanto le calorie extra dello zucchero sono ad assorbimento molto rapido e le brucio allenandomi, il problema è se si fa una vita sedentaria
Love this video! So glade everyone can see this. It just shows how carbs is not the enemy. As long as you have portion control everything will be prefetta!
perfetto
I’m Italian, from Tuscany actually, and personally I don’t eat a lots of pizza or snacks. I don’t drink sodas, and I do lots physical activity.
In from Tuscany tooo
Dìgnene!
Italians are sports oriented also that’s why. They remain active, they don’t stay on the couch with computer ☺️
I'm from tuscany too, but i do eat a lot. My average pasta portion is around 200-250gr + ragu, salsa or whatever else i want. I don't do sport or anything. I drink a lot of cola and such, often i eat pizza 1/2ce a week, maybe a kebab too sometimes. 2/3 times a month mcdonalds or burger king. And i don't get fat one bit. I'm 1.93m x 80kg...
Ive tried for some time eating a lot more while doing gym and still nothing.
Guess i won the lottery in metabolism...
@@OG_ALviK how old are you?
The things I did when I lost most weight were:
-Avoiding sweet stuff and fatty stuff
-Not snacking inbetween, if I did it was fruit or nuts
-Not eating too big portions
-What I eat shouldn't have too much bad fats in it
I think the secret is in the portions of food... Yes we do eat pizza/pasta/lots of carbs very often but in small size. Italian pizza fits in a "normal plate" while American pizza is huge and although we do have that version of pizza, we call it "maxi pizza" and it's usually meant for three eaters, not only one.. we usually eat 100gr of pasta and I usually eat only 80gr (women tend to eat a little bit less compared to men). So yes, Italian food tradition is all based on carbs, but in small portions.
Nel sud non proprio😂
@@saraschenone4507 anch'io sono del sud. E di solito mangiamo tanto nelle occasioni speciali, ma non tutti i giorni (poi ognuno è diverso) 😁
You also get more exercise than we do for many reasons. One issue in the US is essentially you have to drive to get anything , anywhere and can't simply walk. This is another reason exercise and working out is a booming industry here which in the end could be a good thing because I think some intense exercise is needed even if you walk constantly.
Don't you get hungry eating small portions?
@@Pawpawmission no bc u eat 5 times per day:
07.30 breakfast
11.00 snack
13.00 lunch
17.00 snacks
21.00 dinner
Ofc this is just an average, but most Italians eat like this
I was living in Italy for few years and for what I saw I can say it's because:
1. They drink a lot of coffe (it helps to digest faster)
2. They eat 3 times a day so they start the digestion only 3 times (no snacks after lunch or after dinner)
3. They care more about quality than about quantity. (The dough of their pizza is very different and they don't use a lot of ingredients on the top of pizza, they care more about the quality and taste of the dough)
♥️
and most importantly: we don't drink juices or sugary drinks! when we have lunch or dinner we drink water. we sometimes drink sugary drinks (coca cola) when we go out with friends or when we eat pizza. (Personally, I don't even drink it with pizza.)
For example in teenage years when we go eat pizza togheter we drink coca cola but like once a month, not everyday
@@laurall1767 io invece conosco certi che ne hanno pure due bottiglie a casa... Ti giuro
Love this interview style vlog! Definitely love visiting Italy for all the fresh ingredients and walking around the city! I never get that “I just ate a bunch of heavy food” feeling even after carb filled meals!
The mediterranean diet is the key, balancing vegetables, pasta, pizza, meat, fish, eggs, fruits, etc. We mostly use olive oil, and we eat sauces (ketchup, mayonnaise, etc.) with junk food only, once in a while. When we eat fish, we don't add butter or something like that. When we cook meat on the barbecue, we use salt and spices only. Also, an active life counts. Obviously there is fat people in Italy, because the key is also the quantity of food you eat
My dietician spoke to me about doing this after my surgery minus the bread though. And I look forward to it because I love fresh salads, olives, fish etc. So holding thumbs.
Don't be afraid of butter it is very good for you especially if the milk is from grass-fed cows. Margarine is bad. It's a very unnatural product.
I have been to my ancestral homeland - Italia- several times and I found most Italians speak English and Italy is more than the land of pizza! Fresher,less processed and less fast junk foods , portion control, eating big meal in middle of day, evening walks. In general,healthier Mediterranean diet and lifestyle.
“How do Italians stay fit in the land of pizza?”
Just don’t eat pizza everyday...
In realtà la pizza non fa ingrassare
@@enoppp167 Se pensiamo alla genuinità delle nostre pizze, in generale alla tipica Margherita (pomodoro, mozzarella, basilico), rispetto alle pizze che fanno in giro per il mondo e alle catene di pizzerie internazionali, dove mettono di tutto e di più (incluso certe salsine molto grasse), c’è ovviamente una grande differenza.
Loro hanno pizze piene di robaccia sopra
@@enoppp167 Sono i condimenti sopra a far ingrassare, poi non è che tutti i giorni ci sfondiamo di pizza 😂
Coz you don’t know what is a chicago pizza
The sights😍😍😍😍that place is so beautiful, I’m in love
Why blaming carbs? The people in thinnest countries in the world eats A LOT of carbs. Rice in East Asia, China and Japan, pasta in Italy, ugali in east Africa (look at the Kenyan runners fueled almost only on corn, greens and fruits) , fufu in west Africa, and so on. With the traditional diets high carb and low in fat diet there is almost no obesity and diabetes. Rich western diet based on excessive fats, refined seeds oils and meat are making people fat, not carbs.
I agree. I've managed to lose over 30 pounds since lockdown by following a high carb, low fat diet. I've been living in Italy for nearly 3 years and find alot of food fattening here, they put olive oil everywhere and I limit cheese and animal products now. I think there is much less high processed foods here but I see it creeping in and a few kids I know are overweight.
It's depends on what kind of card genius..whole wheat and all purpose flour (maida) are both carbs 🙄
Eh, I blame preservatives and vegetable oils
You're absolutely wrong. Fats (except for too much of trans/saturated)
are good while carbs are not and raiee your blood sugar.
There's a reason ketogenic diets w less carbs are beneficial for weight loss
@@randomstuffs8615 "You're absolutely wrong"... oh okay I'm sorry dude can you tell me what East Asians actually eat primarily if it isn't white rice? You clearly must know a secret that the rest of the world doesn't. Do Japanese people pretend to eat white rice as a staple as a façade to trick the world?
This is the first video of yours that I have watched from before all this craziness happened. AH to see you happy and carefree. I've been teaching myself to cook for the last few years and I have focused on Italian food. The reason? Fresh high-quality ingredients and simplicity. I think that is a part of why.
One of our secrets is: we do not snack very often. Breakfast (light), lunch, merenda (4 pm snack), and dinner. But I think it's a pretty common habit in many countries, not just Italy. Добро пожаловать в италию!
As a non Italian, I was very surprised when I visited Rome in the fall, it was very strange to me that people either didn’t eat breakfast at all or that many Italians ate pastries with Nutella or crème for breakfast. I come from a small country where breakfast usually isn’t sweet or sugary. I love authentic Italian food and I have traveled to Italy many times - but I do not enjoy the Italian breakfast. (I’m sure people eat very differently depending on the region and if it is at home or out and about)
Sending love to Italy ❤️
olSEN and small country? Denmark?
Hai visto solo gente che faceva colazione al bar, che non accade tutti i giorni, in posto turistico come Roma. La maggior parte degli italiani fa colazione a casa e non con le paste.
Usually we don't eat english or american breakfast. We don't use fried eggs and bacon or beans and sausages in the morning.
@@ginger942non con le paste ma coi biscotti si! Oppure bevono un caffè o cappuccino a casa e poi fuori al bar cappuccino e cornetto.
Italy is my favorite European country
Deh pefforza
😘
@@albertoiannone6744 Un fratello
Me2
How many times have you been there and what other countries have you been to?
I think the climate is definitely a factor, but not directly on the body but rather on the produce. Fruits and Vegetables in Italy are usually local (from Italy), even in Supermarkets. That way they can ripen and develop better flavor, meaning that they taste better than imported veggies that are usually harvested unripe and then ripen during transportation. The chemical compositions are different. Moreover having a meal in itself is much more important, you are allowed to take your time, to actually cook and prepare food, and are not always on the go and running around.
the guy sitting in front of the club is crazy.. 4-5 times kebab and pizza a week
we use to call that kind of guy "Caso umano" ahah
@@OhMyShad il punto è che è anche incoerente ahah dice che gli italiani mangiano molto salutare quando mangia puzza kebab e sushi ogni giorno
the point is that it is also inconsistent haha says that italians eat very healthy when eating kebab and sushi stinks every day
@@lorenz08_ gli italiani, mica lui 🤣
And that's why he's fat.
@@OhMyShad AAHAHAHAHHAH
Dear Elina, I have a challenge for you... the topic of one of your next videos could be: «How "friendly" is Russia for vegetarians and vegans?»
I and my Russian-Italian family love your channel... keep up with the good work! ❤️
"why italians don't get fat"
me, an Italian: PLEASE TELL ME THE SECRET CAUSE I'M OBLIVIOUS!!!
It's not that big of a secret: We don't eat much processed foods, we use a lot of herbs and spices instead of salt (this is more of an health factor) and olive oil (again, still an health factor). Plus, you have the added benefit of eating at home, which again gives you more control on how much you eat and how much you want your dishes seasoned, and of course eating with friends and family makes the meal much more enjoyable, making food more sating
Ho avuto la stessa reazione hahahaha
Anche io vorrei sapere questo segreto segretissimo!
@@GabrielWarlock hai davvero risposto serianente?
@@ScreamingLikeABaby Yup!
I really enjoy your videos, so refreshing to hear new and different perspectives. You seem destined to be a television journalist or reporter. Best of luck to you!
Food is absolutely wonderful in Italy!!! I don't recall having a bad meal there.
I have ! Some of the worst crap anyone ever served me. Only Switzerland was worse. Don't get me started on Italian restaurants in other countries and the horrible attitude of the people who own them and work there. When I travel I look for Korean and Vietnamese food it is a safer bet especially in France (outside of a good hotel).
@@honesty_-no9he If you eat in "Piazza Duomo" or "Colosseo" you sure have a bad touristic meal. If you go just 500m away you will find good restaurants
@@honesty_-no9he as someone said, if you eat in tourist traps it's no surprise that the food was bad 🤔
Next time ask the locals for the best places to eat.
@@honesty_-no9he Italy has the worldly reknowned 'best restaurant in the world', the Osteria Francescana, and it has a huge amount od Michelin star restaurants.
The food found in Italy can be just about the best ever. The problem is you.
You were lucky that's all __
There has always been a special relationship between Russians and Italians, I just hope that at the end of this terrible conflict there will be time to bring us back together.
Italy is on the second place of the healthiest countries in the world, the real Italian food has more fiber and more nutritious unlike American food is based on sugars and pesticides.
Addictives and few more chemicals
Which is the first?
@@pln4679 idk but probably japan
@@pln4679 France or Spain...Mediterraneans..Italy was #1 just prior
@@pln4679 apparently it’s spain
I love Italy, my husband is Italian..🥰🥰
so he's gay...🤔🤔🤔
@@BronxiiH do u mean all italian men are gay? Or its only your carnal mentality.
FYI, immorality and or fornicators has no place in the Kingdom of God. Ephesians 5:3-5.
Mediterranean diet is the key. I also ate pizza only 1 time in a week and not all the weeks. Plus I like to walk. But, to me, the real reason is slow food and quality
Super interesting, Eli, thank you for this!!
Italian portions are SMALL compared to other nations. I think this is the key, not only to being slim but also their longevity.
Last time I went to Italy I asked for a coke and they brought me an 8 oz can. I wondered what I was going to do with the baby can.
Non Italians are convinced we constantly consume lots of carbs every single day. Pizza is usually eaten once or twice a week only, although pasta it's true that you generally have it once a day and it's probably 600/700 calories a portion.. compared to other western countries including the US where sandwiches (with bread and sugars), and fries, sodas are the main part of a daily diet.
"Many of Americans’ favorite Italian foods, such as fettuccini Alfredo and cheese-laden pepperoni pizza", are not Italian but American-Italian. Please be correct.
I've always wondered why it changed so much when they came to America. I suppose there's lots of reasons and can be said of most cuisines and people's that come to the US.
@@youtubeistrash953
Because for the most part they were literally starving peasants who had never had access to so much rich, fatty foods before. Also, they had to adapt to the lack of good quality vegetables such as tomatoes and eggplants.
@@giovanni-cx5fb that doesn't really make sense because a lot of Europe had the same access to food at similar time periods. I think it started in the 1950s at the end of the second world war... decadence was in, the people living then thought it was a sign of your society is doing well when it's actually means the exact opposite.
@@youtubeistrash953
I don't know about total productive output per capita, but life quality overall was heavily dependent upon the local social order and, in the case of Southern Italy, it was heavily feudalized. This meant that the contrast between the common folk and the nobility was starker than, say, Switzerland. This is well known and it's even tought in detail in high school here in Italy. Notice how I didn't made any judgement about "moral decline" (or progress, depending on your personal take) but I'm just talking about objective, material conditions.
Also, the South remained almost entirely agricultural until the second half of the 20th century, as opposed to the North which concentrated most of the wealth. This is still true today to some extent (just look up the GDP per capita and Human Development Index in different Italian regions and you'll notice a tremendous difference between Sicily and Lombardy or Calabria and Valle d'Aosta).
I think it's the quality of the food and the lifestyle. I am an American who lives in Rome. I have never been fat persay but I did noticed right away how pounds just fell off me once I got to Italy. You snack less here even though it seems as if you're eating rich foods. I eat a pastry with fruit with coffee for breakfast. Lunch is usually pasta and dinner is always a salad of sorts & pasta, meat or fish. I drink lots of water too, no sugary sodas. Food is more structured with less snacks. Sometimes in summer you have gelato of course but even gelato isn't like ice cream in America with additives and lots of corn syrup. You walk everywhere here which is your exercise. In the US you're eating processed foods that have unnatural chemicals that make you crave more junkie foods. You're in a car driving everywhere in America as opposed to walking all around Rome like I do. People just aren't as active in America. Italians over all have a more natural lifestyle which balances the body mind and spirits.
I guess their portions are small even if they claim "they eat a lot" - the guy said he eats 2 cookies for breakfast, so maybe his plate of pasta is also small and it still keeps him full.
Yep. We don't have like Big, XXL, Jumbo portions here in restaurants. Nothing like that
Subs in that frame are wrong. He said "ho mangiato DEI biscotti...." which means "i ate some biscuits". Probably they heard "ho mangiato DUE biscotti..." which means "i ate two biscuits".
The exact amount of biscuits is not specified.
And just a little extra note for the curious, in some places of Italy (at least in my case) we use "due (the number)" to say "some of them", we do not mean exactly 2.
As an example i sometimes say "mi sono mangiato due rigatoni" (this is not strictly Italian, it's dialect)
Regarding the "size" of our meals, you're kind of right. Just as an example, if you go to Mcdonald in Italy or any Mcdonald in the US, the small coca cola in the US is like 3 times the small coca cola you order here in Italy ahah
And that's not true, it depends from where you are from, in the south we eat way more, for exemple a nornal dish of pasta for a man is about 150 gr, so for 3 people we cook almost 500gr
Exactly that.
Also, if you're interested, do a quick google search about added sugar in food and the difference between US and Europe. For the same slice of bread you will find 3 times more sugar in the american ones.
It's already different from US to England, that has lower standards than other european countries.
Haahahaha....portion too small????
I sincerely want to invite you to live with a radical Italian family and you'll see....hahaha
P.s. I am from the south and we say "once you come to the south you'll cry twice. When you arrive and when u leave" in my opinion you'll cry three time...the third time is when u are at the table already full and you realize you are only at the appetizers 🥰💚🤍❤
Итальянская кухня очень вкусная!!) Готовлю сам около десятка лет. И да, с нее не толстеешь) Эли, привет из Сибири!!
When we say we're eating 'a lot of food' you have to check our plates because 'a lot' for us is less than half the size of american's dishes.
'A lot' means we're full, and we're full relatively easily because we eat very high quality food (for the majority) even when we eat fast food too, we always add quality food, so we're not just 'fed' but 'nourished' as well. That helps the body to stop asking for more. Also our food is usually eaten as we sat down at the table, chatting with one another, and it's known that our body recognize the feeding process within 20 minutes from the start, so we 'buy ourselves time' to have the chance to feel full, and when we're full we stop eating...the ones who don't get fat.
Fat people in Italy are told to get to the right range size again from their doctors, parents, friends, colleagues. We know that being fat is dangerous and less funny because it limits our movements while restrain our will to do different activities too. We like to do things, going places and enjoy life, so we stay relatively fit to have a good time with every pleasure around, even food.
The man on a diet who's running once a week...it's strange isn't it? It's because he's planning a big meal for sunday so he work out before and after, he's earning his extra food, he's not sitting on the couch thinking 'I deserve it' but 'I will earn it'. It's a different mindset we have, and a little bit of 'shame' when we're not healthy it's ok, keep us in check.
We have the 2nd longest lifespan on the planet, we want to be healthy to grow as old as possible because we have great examples of elderly people with a fuller life, they're travelers, they live in peace. Our grandparents are our examples.
E poi se mangi primo e secondo alla fine mangi magari la stessa quantità di cibo ma hai più varietà. Mangiare 200g di pasta è meno sano che mangiare 100g di pasta e una bistecca con l'insalata. All'estero invece oltre ad avere porzioni più grandi solitamente hanno una sola portata.
A fun fact about fastfoods in italy:
We have strict rules with foods import and other things, like meat and vaggies. All the ingredients are from italy and the meat is monitored.
Even the fastfoods have goods ingredients, the only thing about Mcs or Burger kings are the sauces or the high calory burgers, but if u take the same burger in a US fast food and in an italian fast food u will see the difference, the italian is MUCH MORE healty, even as a fast food burger :)
Honestly, I'm from Rome and I think we do drink alcohol very often, even sugary drinks, and there's all the pizza/pasta/cake vibe but the main difference with the American, British or even Irish diets is the fact that we eat varied foods every day (we don't stick to the same few ingredients), cook mostly at home and don't buy a lot of unhealthy snacks. But hey, there's a lot of overweight people here too, actually I believe half the population must be kinda overweight or at least not fit. We're definitely not as healthy as the Japanese, for example.
You’re being modest! Italy is right behind Japan for healthiest people. Like, a very close second.
We don't drink alcool every day like in USA! Or england. Che stai a di? La maggior parte delle persone che conosco bevono un po' di vino solo durante il pranzo e non vanno tutte le sere a farsi i drink superalcolici!
A2 Vuol dire ottimo italiano !! Bravissimaaaaa… Eli !!! 💪🏻❤️🇮🇹
Hello. The Italians are very good at food. It's a beautiful video. Thanks. And everyone's out . How beautiful.
@@ElifromRussia ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️🙏🏾🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🙏🏾🙏🏾🙏🏾🙏🏾🙏🏾🙏🏾 how are you
WOW Eli! I didnt know that you speak Italian... Good. Im following all your episodes filmed in several parts of beautiful Russia. Thank you. 😘💋❤ love Russia.
When I lived in Firenze, what I saw was... emphasis on small and flavorful rather than super-sized and calculated to be addictive. Also, people walked or bicycled... a lot.
Love it! I admire you for being a multilingual speaker. Bravo!
I must add one fundamental thing, the habits on food and what Italians eat in general, changes from region to region.
one of the few things in common is that they generally eat pasta for lunch.
in fact, to get to know the Italians in depth, one should visit every single region.
I'm right now at the 4th minute and kinda laughing just at how they are all only listing their food, you're great Eli! This is pure "show don't tell"... there is some "omg ALL these carbs" in the air even though you're just smiling heheheh
For all the people who are not italian, the place that you see in the video is the central university location of the umanistic studies in Milan. It is called "Festa del Perdono" and for us, for the students who study there, is our second home.
Sorry but this pandemia made me stay away from university way too long, and every time I see my university is a time of joy😍❤️
(Awesome video!☺️)
1. Young people, which usually don't own cars, are used to walking and biking long distances. Taxis are used as a last resort since they are so expensive.
2. Breakfast, while made entirely of sweets, is usually quite light and could even be skipped altogether.
4. Pasta portions are small and generally have nothing but sauce (depending on the type).
5. Red meat is consumed less often as it is expensive. Meat portions tend to be small by American standards anyways.
6. Pizza is thin and the amount of toppings is reduced. Cheese usually doesn't cover the entire surface.
7. Grilled and barely seasoned meat tends to be favored in some cases where other cultures would have preferred fried and/or heavily seasoned alternatives.
8. Soda is rarely consumed. People are used to drinking water with their food in order to appreciate the flavors. The only popular alternatives to water are alcoholic beverages such as wine, beer, etc.
There are probably various reasons, I believe that the main ones are these: 1 in general we do not have the bad habit of always drinking fizzy and sugary drinks during meals. 2 Italian cuisine as well as carbohydrates is also rich in vegetables and fruit, and above all our dishes focus on quality foods and we do not use particularly fatty sauces. 3 in addition to sport, probably the Mediterranean climate leads us to prefer walks in the open air, and therefore we walk more. 4 Italians are very vain and therefore care a lot about their aesthetic appearance, and therefore if they see themselves too fat they go on a diet.
100% right
Beh, oddio, di acqua minerale se ne beve eccome!! Io lo faccio spesso...
@@milo5524 non ho scritto o perlomeno non intendevo scrivere acqua frizzante, ma bibita gassata.
As someone who will be moving in Italy, from the Philippines in the next months, I'm actually excited about this!
Why Italians don't get fat?
My 120kg (264 lbs) dad: Hold my cholesterol.
In america se pesi 120 kg sei un peso Mosca fra
I think the Mediterraneans we all have the same attitude with food, I'm from Greece and the typical breakfast for people is just coffee, and also people are use to cook the rest of their meals, so I think that this leads to a more balanced diet.
Same here, I'm from Spain. Us Mediterraneans share a culture that other Europeans cannot comprehend haha
Because we mediterranean, especially Greece and Italy, are the cradle of Western civilization and the Mediterranean diet
There's a common misconception around the italian diet according to which we're eating pizza every day, cannoli all the time and so forth. In reality pizza is a dish you eat once a week, when you go out with friends or family. Some families have kind of a "pizza day" usually on saturday or sunday in which they have pizza for dinner. We eat pizza even on working days, don't get me wrong, however in those cases almost nobody would eat an entire pizza, just two or three slices. At breakfast most of us would eat one croissants or some biscuits with milk or coffee and that's it. As for pasta you can cook 100 g of pasta with some ragù, it's not necessary to cook huge amounts of pasta. In my opinion there's another point to keep in mind and that is we're not used to see so much overweight and obese people and sometimes they're frowned upon. Maybe some people are afraid to put on weight (not a bad thing if you ask me) therefore they hold back on food (mostly women). I had a friend who said he was a "big eater" and described himself as "always hungry" yet he was thin like a wet noodle and unable to finish an entire pizza...the second girl you interviewed said she eats a lot: well, don't trust her.
Portion sizes make all the difference in the world wherever you live. We sometimes say in the US "My eyes are bigger than my stomach". I'm American and I know a guy who had a heart attack recently and has since lost 40 pounds in the last 2 months just by cutting his portion sizes in half. You're right about the sugary drinks, though. I can't stand the taste of sugary soda, not to mention what it does to your teeth. I lived in Italy for 3 years and actually gained weight in the first year. I started to eat more fruits and vegetables and the weight came right back off. When we went to dinner I'd get the piatto fredo instead of spaghetti, which the Italians would serve as a first course, but that's a full meal for me.
Extremely entertaining as an Italian to watch. I’m from Rome and things are a bit different here if we compare it to Milan and the North in general.
Yes I also think, the main factors are genetics and having a good metabolism. I lived in Italy and they eat quite a lot but don't get fat. Other factors are that vegetables and fruit are cheaper compared to the UK. Another factor is, they also walk a lot, meet friends outside, living a less sedentary life. Food is mostly home-made. And then, they eat in small portions. All these factors combined, make Italian people stay/look fit.
Also in our school canteen it's absolutely prohibited by law to serve fried food, it's simply culture
Non so se funziona così in tutta Italia ma nella mia scuola i menù erano decisi dall'ASL, quindi erano sani e bilanciati (almeno in teoria)
@@idek7438 in realtà ho letto proprio una legge che vieta di servire cibo fritto, penso c'entri con l'ASL e il fatto che i bambini debbano avere certe tipologie di nutrienti
Italians are so good at explaining the food they eat.
Comunque il porridge e il caffè americano a colazione li possono prendere solo a Milano
@@ElifromRussia perché non è cibo 🤣
@@ElifromRussia c'è lo stereotipo che a Milano si mangia cibo meno tradizionale e più internazionale
Io sono siciliano e anche io li mangio spesso 😁
@PL4stik1991 quello preparato bene non è male, in realtà.
perché a Milano si danno arie di essere internazionali. Il porridge sa di riso scotto e colloso. una pappetta immonda e immangiabile. Caffellatte e fette biscottate o biscotti sono la colazione in tutte le case italiane. Al massimo sostituite con un caffé se non vuoi appesantirti. col caffè americano ci innaffio le piante. le ciofeche altrove.
Yes... No snacking, lots of walking, minimal or no driving, lots of stairs, minimally processed foods, minimal dairy, minimal red meats, small portions, non toxic produce and meats... So ur cells need less to feel energized and satisfied, and they are able to use the calories u consumed rather than store them as toxic fat tissue..
Also, In italy ... it's a very active life, u don't need the gym... Lots of hills and stairs and fresh air .. and the fruits and vegetables are actually organic and worth eating ... They taste nothing like the produce here in america...tomatoes taste completely different ..simple salads are actually filling and very delicious ... Grocery stores have incredible products... simple tomato sauce and pasta makes the most unbelievable dinner uve ever had... u will feel more alive than ever in Italy... I recommend the early spring
Eli, you are in food paradise. Italy has the best food in the world! 😊 Take a trip to Piemonte and try all this small fine restaurants!
@Karl Zaraiva I'm sorry to say my friend but you are simply becaise Portugal uses an integrated kind of agriculture which allows for a big contamination of the produce by chemicals and also allows GMO products, in Italy they are banned and the chemicals use are strictly controlled and regulated and the citizens are very aware of what they ate buying and supporting... With all thw love that O have for Portugal i jave to say that Italy is the best...
Piemonte is the best but obviously every region is fantastic and has its own culinary treasure, amd so much diversity!if you visit torino I can tell you some great spots" solo per chi conosce"
@Karl Zaraiva i love portugal have many friend there but when we speak about cuisine, it's an debate from which cuisine come right after the italian one
@Karl Zaraiva well it's your opinion and i respect it, but in the truth you know that ther's no kitchen you can compare with italian
Take it easy man best food in the world ? Stop dreaming
We Italians tend to eat little or no breakfast at all. For example, I drink a bitter espresso coffee (so I don't add sugar or various sweeteners) and it's enough for me until 11:00/12: 00, when there is a lunch break, when I generally eat either fruit or a sandwich (sandwiches in Italy are light: homemade bread with raw or cooked ham, or mortadella, salad and sometimes a little mayonnaise). After school/work (14:30/15:30) we often go out with friends for a beer; then everyone home. We have dinner very late, especially in the South (between 8:30 pm and 9:30 pm) and it is then that we tend to eat more than usual, perhaps making us a hearty plate of pasta or a steak. Obviously at dinner, bread and wine are almost always present. When we eat out we tend to have a much larger meal: an appetizer (cold cuts, grilled vegetables, cheeses, fried stuff), a first course (generally pasta or pizza) or a second course (meat or fish) then a dessert, coffee and coffee maker (any short alcohol drink); during the meal at the restaurant we drink plenty of wine or beer, but as already mentioned we don't take both the first and the second, but only one of the two, and the portions are still smaller than the British or American ones. Finally, we walk a lot, even 5 or 6 kilometers per day if you don't have a car, as in cities, provincial towns and villages, home, work, school, various recreational activities are never more than ten kilometers away, so it's best to walk or take public transportation, which doesn't make long journeys anyway - so you still find yourself walking to get to your destination. In addition, in Italy, since the fascist era, if not before, there has always been a strong sporting culture (Greek-Roman heritage), and therefore almost everyone does at least one sport; in particular football, volleyball, boxing, cycling, fencing, judo and horse riding are widespread; in rural areas, even a few kilometers from the metropolis, outdoor activities such as swimming, hunting and hiking are widespread. Despite this, in Italy there are many overweight people, but never obese: if you are fat, in Italy, you are still in a healthy way (generally).
-less meat
-less quantity
-more variety
-more salutary food
Notice how they don’t eat meat often and regularly have meatless meals
Meat does not make you fat though so I struggle to see your point.
هلا صباح الخير ،،L'italiano è così romantico
🥰
Il panettone a maggio, grandissimi 😂😂
complimenti bel canale 👍🏻
Il ragazzo rosso di capelli è troppo simpatico😂😂😂
There might be a complex combination of factors at play, but it could also be as simple as having a healthy eating education. I'll elaborate. Staying lean for life requires that most days you don't eat more than you need to, regardless of the type of food. Think of pasta, Italians will often have it as their first dish, in relatively small amounts (they usually have two reasonably portioned dishes). That is their custom. In the rest of the world, pasta is typically a main dish, so easy to overeat. That is what good eating habits can do for you - having food in the right amounts and proportions. Shout out to all cultures and individual people (regardless of the habits they were brought up with) who have mastered this. There's hope for everyone - just put your brains into it like many Italians do.
Boungiorno bambina the difference is USA use to many chemicals on food that's why is to many obesity, greetings from Mcallen Texas
@@ElifromRussia привет yes it is.
Итальянский язык приятно слушать.🙂
We don't snake. We don't drink soda with Sugar. We eat a lot of veggies fruit....We cook and we usually do not eat processed food. We eat pizza once a week...no more. We walk a lot. Portion of pasta Is small about 80 g. We use olive oil.....we drink wine every day but very little
As an Indian I'm really proud that our dishes are not limited to poultry. We have a huge variety of breakfast, lunch and dinner which are also quite healthy. 🇮🇳
This thread isn't about Indian food but anyway, Fatness is at epidemic level among Indians. So is diabetes.
cow cow
what you don’t understand is italian pizza isn’t domino’s pizza, domino’s pizza if fatty junk food, italian pizza is made with genuine and healthy ingredients.
carbohydrates aren’t bad per se, it depends on their “nature”-quality and amount. we also don’t eat snacks (like high fat ones) like americans do. we just don’t have fat in our diet
Ricordo ancora quando ho provato la pizza in Inghilterra,due fette di una singola e già ero KO...
poi ho scoperto che gli inglesi e gli americani ci mettono Burro e lardo nella pizza e ho capito il perché
I still remember when I tried pizza in England, after two slices it was KO for me...
Then I later found out that English and Americans put butter and lard in their pizzas and I understood why
@@dDoodle788 poverini
Fantastic video you really know how to get the most out of an interview.
The secret seems to be quality food and eating slowly so the body tells when it is full. Eating slowly also seems to complement Italian willingness to enjoy conversation.😀🙋👍
Answer: fresh ingredients, not OGM's, eating slowly (it help the digestion and body nutrients assimilation), mediterranean diet.
In US for examle you eat a lot of prepared food, in Italy we prepare it by ourselves. For example Italians would never buy prepared ravioli, we prepare them by ourselve (, it takes only 15 min.). Which american would prepare a carbonara sauce or a Tiramisu ? We italian love to cook and so we know exactly what there is inside the food.
Mediterranean Diet and cucina italiana are the most healthy on earth ... Your Italian level is higher than what you have stated :D
Super nice and interesting video, thanks! I love the Italian food culture 💗