Traveling and Eating in Europe

Written by Dan Ekblad

I recently had an amazing opportunity to join my daughter, Annika on a great adventure traveling Paris, Rome and Naples. We planned it quickly. We decided that we would fly by the seat of our pants and plan as we go along—so that's what we did! We had such a wonderful time. For six days, we toured so much that it would make most people's head spin. I know that this would have never been possible a few years ago when I was so overweight and unhealthy.

​While traveling in these two countries, there is one thing in particular that I noticed about the people. I noticed just how few people were overweight or obese. If we did see a person who was more than 20-30 pounds overweight, almost always they were American. I would say that from my observation, less than 5% of women under the age of 40 were at the most 20-30 pounds overweight. The same could be said for the men, but I would say the number was closer to 10% carrying an extra 30 pounds.

Why is this the case? Do they all diet? Do they eat that differently from us?

Let's talk about what they eat in Paris and Rome. There is a bakery or cafe on every street that serves fresh bread and baked goods daily. They were amazing! Baguettes, croissants, bread and pastries--my mouth is watering just thinking about them. Not once for breakfast did I have eggs and toast, nor did I see it on any menu. Lunches and dinners consist of pastas, pizza, cheeses, breads and wine. So how in the world do these people stay so thin and healthy? One thing that is very different in European countries are the laws regulating the use of chemicals and additives in their food. Many chemicals that are used here in the U.S. are banned in most other countries in the world. For more information, read this article : http://www.seattleorganicrestaurants.com/vegan-whole-food/foods-banned-in-other-countries-but-we-eat-in-us.php.

The food we ate while in Paris and Italy was so fresh—it is made daily. Tthe meals in the restaurants are made with local fresh products without additives. Their secrets are not really secrets at all--it's in how they work, live and cook. In most European countries, people work hard and are constantly walking and moving around. Most have to commute—they walk from train to train and walk blocks upon blocks just to get to work. Their lives are fast paced, yet they know how to relax, and it's not by sitting in front of a television. I can honestly tell you that while we were traveling, I never saw one child who was overweight. Compare that to traveling to LA or Las Vegas where the obesity rates are so common it appears to be the norm.

Let's talk about the food some more. If everyone over there is eating pasta, pizza, cheese, bread, pastries and wine--you know, all those carbs--why are they so thin? The answer very well may be how these foods are prepared. The breads and pastas are made from flour and wheat that are not "enriched." These ingredients still have real grains in them. They also eat lots of greens, tomatoes with lots of garlic and use olive oil and vinegar for dressing. People are walking around most of the day, burning many, many calories--thank goodness they are eat these carbs to give them energy!

While over there, I ate well. I did not go crazy, but I did not restrict myself from having anything I wanted. I averaged 20,000 steps each day, on the go from early in the morning to 9 p.m. every night. I ended up losing a little over 3 pounds. I had no guilt about what I ate. It is well known that those who live on a Mediterranean diet live longer, have less cancer and are less obese. There are many things we can learn from eating a healthy diet. It is obvious from my travels that these people know what they are doing. We could take a lesson from the European countries as far as food, nutrition and being active.