Kako Italijani ostaju vitki i pored toga sto jedu pastu u velikim kolicinama? How come Italians stay

To sam se i ja pitala dugi niz godina, a odgovor je stigao kada sam pocela ziveti u ovoj divnoj zemlji...

Prvo sam mislila da se radi o genetici, da su im hormoni u odlicnom balansu, da je mozda klima u pitanju i niz drugih stvari, ali se na kraju ispostavilo da nesto sasvim trece igra glavnu ulogu kada je u pitanju njihov dobar fizicki izgled.

Stvar je prosto u hrani, izboru namirnica i nacinu na koji se one pripremju i konzumiraju.

That'e exactly what I was asking myself for many years, and the answer arrived after I had moved to Italy...

Initially I thought it's about the genes, that hormones of this nation work excellently, that maybe there is something in the climate which helps them be slim and so on, but then it turned out that completely different things play a main role when it comes to their good physical appearance.

The point is in the food, the choice of foodstuffs and the way it is prepared and consumed.

- moja omiljena jela od testa

- mu favourite dishes made of dough

* Italijani jedu polako i u miru...

Italijanima su izuzetno bitni obroci, a rucak pogotovo.

Ako niste znali, u ovoj zemlji se svi poslovi prekidaju upravo u vreme koje je rezervisano za rucak(zatvaraju se apoteke, butici, restorani,...), tako da ljudi imaju dovoljno vremena da jedu kod kuce, u miru i onako polako..

* Razni dodaci jelima se retko koriste...

Ono sto sam takodje primetila jeste da se namirnice poput: majoneza, raznih dresinga za salatu, putera, senfa, kecapa, ne konzumiraju u kolicini u kojoj na primer mi to radimo.

(Otkricu vam tajnu, jedan od clanova porodice mog dragog nije znao ni sta je majonez kada sam ga ponudila istim :D )

* Italians eat slowly and in peace...

Italians attach great importance to meals, especially to lunch.

If you didn't know, all work stops at lunchtime (pharmacies, restaurants, shops,...are closed), so in that case people have enough time to enjoy meals at home, slowly and in peace..

* Sauces and creams are rarely used...

What I noticed is that foodstuffs like mayonnaise, salad dressings, ketchup, mustard, butter are not used in the amount we use it here.

(I'm gonna reveal you a little secret, one of the members of my partner's family didn't even know what mayonnaise is when I offered him the one :D )

- italijanski filetto

- italian filetto

* Ishrana im je balansirana...i jedu male porcije, ali cesce...

Dakle, uvtdrili smo da je rucak izuzetno bitan, a redosled jela je ovakav:

- najpre se konzumira pasta

- potom meso

- zatim povrce (salata i sl.)

- voce i/ili orasasti plodovi

-kafa, slatkisi ili neki napitak za digestivni trakt

Ono sto je meni izuzetno tesko da prihvatim, i verovatno se na to nikada necu navici, jeste cinjenica da se meso ne jede sa povrcem (nikako u isto vreme), te da se voce jede nakon mesa , paste i povrca :)))

Takodje je bitno dodati da se uglavnom (u restoranima gotovo uvek) sveze povrce sluzi zajedno sa posudicom u kojoj se nalaze maslinovo ulje i morska so. Povrce se pre svakog zalogaja umace u ovu kombinaciju i tako pojede. Mnogo je ukusno :)

* Diet is balanced...and they eat smaller portions, but more often...

Ok, we have learnt that lunch is extremely important, and the order of eating is as follows:

- pasta

- meat

- salad (vegetables)

- fruits (or nuts)

- coffee , dessert or some digestive drink

I'm afraid that I'll never be able to adopt a habit of eating a meat without a salad ( at the same time), and eating fruits after the main dish :)))

It's also very important to add that mainly (at restaurants almost always) fresh vegetables are served with a little bowl containing an olive oil as well as a sea salt. Before each bite, vegetables are dipped into the mentioned combination and eaten in that way. :)))

- evo kako su male porcije

- this is how little portions are

* Jedu organsku, zdravu hranu...i mnogo raznog svezeg voca i povrca...

Moram dodati da su italijani mahom fokusirani na organsku hranu koja sadrzi vise nutritivnih svojstava nego konvenciaonalna, te uglavnom konzumiraju namirnice iz organske proizvodnje.

Pridruzila sam se svom dragom u ovom izboru, i verovali ili ne na sopstvenoj kozi osecam prednosti upravo takve ishrane. :)))

Italijani inace jedu mnogo svezeg voca i povrca...

Na periferiji grada u kome zivim, se nalazi veliki broj privatnih bastica, na kojima se uzgajaju organsko voce i povrce.

*They eat organic, healthy food...and plenty of diverse fruits and vegetables...

I have to add that Italians are mostly focused on organic food which has more nutritional values than conventional food, and mainly consume products made in this way.

I decided to join my partner in making this ''life style change'', and believe or not I already feel on my own skin the advantage of organic diet. :)))

Italians do eat plenty of fresh vegetables and fruits...

On the outskirts of the city there is a large number of little private gardens where people grow organic vegetables and fruits.

* Ne jedu preterano slatkise...

Kada se radi o slatkisima, torte, kolaci i slicne stvari iz kucne radinosti ne sdrze mnogo secera, a sto je jos bitnije primetila sam da ih konzumiraju u malim kolicinama.

*They do not eat too much sweets...

When it comes to sweets, such as bisquits, cakes, and similar home made stuffs, all of them do not contain too much sugar and also are consumed in very small amounts.

*Ne piju alkohol u velikim kolicinama...

Slicna situacija je i sa alkoholom. Uglavnom piju tokom obroka, tacnije tokom vecere i to zaista s vremena na vreme.

*They do not drink alcohol in a large amount...

The similar situation is with alochol. Genarally they do not drink alcohol outside of the meal , usually it is consumed during dinner , but only from time to time.

*Nakon obroka koriste napitak koji pomaze varenju...

Moj dragi obavezno nakon rucka(ili ponekad i nakon vecere) popije kafu u koju prethodno sipa kasicicu napitka zvanog Sambuca (to je ustvari liker koji u sebi sadrzi esencijalna ulja poput anisa i likorice(tj. sladica)) .

To isto rade i njegovi roditelji, kao i braca, sestre, prijatelji i dr ...

Kazu da im to procisti grlo i digestivni trakt. :)

U iste svrhe se uzima i sorbetto (zamrznuti desert napravljen od zasladjene vode u koju su dodate razne arome(obicno limuna))

*After the meal they use a beverage that helps digestion...

After lunch(or sometimes after dinner too) my partner necessarly drinks a coffee with a spoon of liqueur called Sambuca.

His parents, siblings, friends do the same thing .

It is believed that this beverage clears a throat as well as a digestive tract. :)

For the same purposes it is used sorbetto (frozen dessert made from sweetened water with flavouring, tipically lemon)

- kafa + Sambuca

- coffee + Cambuca

* Fizicki su aktivni...

Naravno necu zaobici ni fizicku aktivnost. Mislim da nigde nisam zapazila tako veliki broj osoba koje setaju, trce i voze bicikl , kao u Italiji.

Pre rucka se obavezno upraznjava neki vid fizicke aktivnosti, bilo da se radi o setnji, trcanju, voznji bicikla, teretani,...Svaka cast!!!

Moram dodati da su gradovi puni pesackih staza i staza za bicikliste, te da se parkovi nalaze skoro na kraju svake ulice :D

*They are physically active...

Of course I won't skip a physical activity. I believe that Italians are engaged in physical activities much more than the rest of the world.

Before lunch people necessarly do some type of physical recreation, walking, jogging, riding a bike, gym,...Congrats!!!

I also need to add that cities are full of pedestrian roads and trails for bikers, and almost at the end of each street you can see a park :D

- a trcimo i pored mora :)

- we also run by the sea :)

I na kraju.... ako zelite da budete vitki, pridrzavajte se ovih par saveta od nasih dragih Italijana. Nisu losi :)

So, if you want to be thin, comply these little tips and tricks that Italians offer. I love it :)))

Tanti Saluti,

xxx

Ivy