Why the mediterranean diet works for the europeans but will not decrease obesity in the US.

From Pachi to YOU !!!!  In my humble opinion…….Just arriving from Milan this week, while working on a book with a scientist and writing recipes for his students, I came to a startling conclusion. Studies may show many versions of dietary habits and the various populations of the world, but none has been able to come up with a theory that will reduce obesity in the US.

The one single diet that is being talked about the most in Universities nowadays, the Mediterranean diet, will never be able to get the american population back into track. European way of life, is what is most different in the characterization of these humans. And this, can not be copied in the societal structure of the US.

For one, the fact that Europeans sit and enjoy the food they eat and the wine they drink, is one of the major differences in both societies. The level of hormonal stress in each eating atmosphere is completely different and begins one of the cellular intoxications of one and allows for the emotional detox of the other.

Weekends, especially sundays are days for families to walk around town, sit and watch others, take the train to towns where friends or family will meet them for a glass of wine or a day on the lawn with fresh bread, cheese and sun to release all the emotions held up by the week of work. Sharing with others, talking about politics, religion and even family issues is done in parks, along rivers, and other community oriented places. This too, allows for the human nature of people to connect, release and restart the week with a new charged brain, that is not only less tired but also less stressed; unconsciously. Children too, feel the emotions released in communal exchanges, good and bad, loud and silent, allowing them to learn how to manage their future emotional distresses.

The work load might be just as stressing in both continents, but the way to get to and from work is a bit different, the scenery, the home structure, begging with breakfast at home, the food they take or send to schools and offices, and the even the kitchens are constructed differently. They are made to be used, to be refilled several times a week and to be producing smaller amounts of foods for a family of 3 or 4. It is completely visible and felt if you attend an appliance fair in Europe and one in the US. The european refrigerator, for example, is much smaller, it is designed for a different consumer, much to the joy of those watching them as for those using them. They are sleek, practical, quiet, and take up 20 to 30 percent less space than american appliances do. 

Beyond the food being served, eating is a joyful event. There is no staring at people eating the bread or sipping the wine. If people order dessert, the size of the dish is definitely for one, therefore there is no need to bring six spoons to one order. And no one leaves the table feeling stuffed and saying it. There is no such thing as guilt at the mediterranean table. There is joy, conversation, sometimes heavy conversation, but always communication. No ipads on children, iphones on adults, only people enjoying the moment with all their electronics in their bags where they belong.

And by the way, kitchen design is far ahead in new products that we would tend to believe so. I just found high quality flash freezers, steam ovens, vacuum packers and food defrosters and coolers, all the size of a medium to small sized microwave oven, placed in walls that take almost no space, all available to the european men and women that cook at home. And by the way eat out a lot too!

Patricia McCausland – Gallo, CCP –  Foods and Nutrition –