Eat Like A European
Posted on April 12th, 2010 in Food and Drink | No Comments »
You will find someone who is overweight just about everywhere. Every continent has a group of people who struggle with the problem of being overweight. This is true in the United States as well. The problem of obesity is multiplied here because of the way that many of us lead our lives. The most common excuse that we use is that our schedule is so full that we can’t make the right choices. Because of the time crunch that we place ourselves under we make choices for meals that tend to make the problem even worse. Just like what we eat, when we figure out that we have a weight problem, we attempt to solve it by purchasing some program that promises to show us how to lose weight fast, without ever doing any work to lose it.
It could be a good thing if we look at the way that they dine in Europe. If we followed some of the things that they do in Europe, we might eliminate the need to do our six pack ab exercises, that we have committed ourselves to doing every night in the interest of a healthy body. In Europe you will often see trim locals ordering cheese plates, steaks with rich sauces, breads, pastas, wine. This is a far cry from our typical calorie-conscious meals of salad and diet soft drinks. But this is all that you will see them eat most of the time. The food they choose when they eat consists of a smaller portioned main course that is preceded by a light appetizer. They might enjoy a salad or a shared appetizer, along with wine. These are also a fraction of the price of a soft drink.
Meals were slow and leisurely, almost never hurried. The portions were reasonable, but not tiny. The presentation was flawless, with even the smallest and simplest restaurants serving on beautiful dishes, turning every cappuccino and caf? au lait into a work of art. Europeans also seemed to take their time with lunch. It is not uncommon for people to close their place of business for several hours during lunch time so that it can be enjoyed. Alchohol is an important part of any meal but it is limited to a single glass. The wine is meant to taken in slowly and not overdone.
Walking is the primary mode of transportation. Drive-through window are not placed on every corner. And with the exception of gelato, I really didn’t see much snacking between meals. Those are all habits that we seem to avoid and are a factor in the fact that our country faces a weight problem.
When a person starts to investigate ways to diet they can look at websites such as biggest loser forum, and they will see all types of advise that seems to mimic what the Europeans already seem to know, that eating is a pleasurable and social atmosphere and should be done in moderation and enjoyed. We have to learn that to lose weight, we have to enjoy our meals by not rushing through them. A meal is meant to be enjoyed but not overdone. Dining everyday is not just a necessity, it is a time that should be enjoyed.
Eating well is an investment. Eating healthy will not give you results that you see the next day in the mirror. You may not feel better tomorrow because you ate free-range eggs for breakfast instead of a toaster pastry. Choosing to eat an apple a day might not keep the doctor away but it can certainly help. By changing the way that you eat, you can develop a body that you will be proud to put on display and be able to maintain it for a long time.









