How to Eat Like an Italian and Stay Slim

Italian scientists report that people eating pasta as part of a Mediterranean eating plan are able to maintain their weight and their waist size.

Italian researchers suggest that pasta doesn’t make you fat-at least, not if you eat like an Italian. They analyzed the eating habits of 23,000 Italians and found no connection between pasta consumption and obesity.

Pasta as Part of a Mediterranean Diet:

Among those eating a more traditional Mediterranean diet, pasta consumption was linked to smaller waist size and lower body mass index. Presumably pasta was accompanied by fresh vegetables and fruits. Most Italian towns and cities have daily markets where people buy their fresh produce every day. Though Mediterranean diets vary, all rely heavily on vegetables and fruits.

Portion Control Counts:

The study did show that portion control matters: obese Italians consumed more pasta than normal weight participants. They were also older and poorer, so inexpensive pasta might be one of the easier foods for them to purchase. They might have included fewer vegetables or nuts in their meals.

Nutrition and Diabetes, July 4, 2016 

This is not the first time that a form of the Mediterranean diet has been shown helpful for weight control. ThePREDIMED study carried out in Barcelona, Spain, found that people eating a typical Spanish Mediterranean-style diet with plenty of olive oil actually lost a little weight rather than gaining weight during the trial.

Other Health Benefits:

Following a Mediterranean diet, whether it is Italian, Spanish, French or Israeli in flavor, seems to have many other health benefits in addition to weight control. Such diets rich in plant-based foods but also high in plant-derived fats appear to benefit the heart and the brain. People who eat Mediterranean-style are less likely to develop diabetes. American nurses who followed a Mediterranean-inspired eating plan had longer telomeres on their chromosomes, an indication of good health and possibly longevity (BMJ, Dec. 3, 2014).

If you would like to know more about how to follow a Mediterranean-type diet at home, you may wish to read our book, The People’s Pharmacy Quick & Handy Home Remedies, which has a succinct summary of this eating plan.