Quote:
Originally Posted by 1DogDay
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There are so many other factors to consider in a study of this type. I live in italy and so I happen to know that while yes, Italians eat pasta daily and in general have a much healthier BMI than NA's, maybe, just maybe, these factors have something to do with it:
1. they eat a super light, or forego breakfast. Usually a cappucino, maybe a few melba toast dipped in it, or 2 or 3 biscotti.
2. they eat their pasta (about 100 g per person) as their main course mid day, any time between 1 and 2 pm. They follow this by a small portion of salad and a very small portion of protein with a side of veggies.
3. They don't snack. If they do it is healthy, a small portion of fruit or a couple slices of prosciutto/cheese
4. Italians use virtually 0 sugar unless it is a few tspns in their espresso. Yes, they make amazing baked treats but they eat them on very rare occasions and in their general diet they consume MINIMAL sugar.
5. They eat a VERY light evening meal. A nice portion of seasonal veggies and a TASTE of protein, cheese on a slice of fresh bread. Again, since they eat late (between 8-9 pm) this eliminates snacking from the evening.
6. Italians don't use fillers/conservatives. They eat fresh produce. Less hidden junk. Also, they don't use butter on their breads, they use their bread (fresh daily, no conservatives) to mop up the juices from their food. They don't eat MUCH bread either, even though it might seem like it, compared to the NA diet they would eat ALOT less bread over all.
So I would say Italians are almost existing on a consisten intermittent fast (from 9 pm in the evening through till at least 1 pm the following day) state, PLUS eating HEALTHY food (lots of healthy fats, TONS of fresh seasonal produce) and a hearty lunch sandwiched between two light meals. I would guess all these factors, plus the fact they walk and bike a lot more than NA's would factor into the healthy BMI more than the fact that they eat pasta
just my 2(00) cents!