Sunday, February 12, 2012

Eat Like A European

May 24, 2010 by drewloupsen  
Filed under Food And Drink

Obesity is a world wide problem. Every continent has a group of people who struggle with the problem of being overweight. America is no exception to this. Because of the lifestyle that we lead, it is a major problem in our country. People often blame all of the things that they have to do leave them without any spare time to take care of the weight problem. Because of the time crunch that we place ourselves under we make choices for meals that tend to make the problem even worse. Just like what we eat, when we figure out that we have a weight problem, we attempt to solve it by purchasing some program that promises to show us how to lose weight fast, without ever doing any work to lose it.

One solution for this can be found if we look across the ocean and see how they dine. If we followed some of the things that they do in Europe, we might eliminate the need to do our six pack ab exercises, that we have committed ourselves to doing every night in the interest of a healthy body. Countries like France are full of people who can be seen sitting outside of a café’ dining on things that would seem unhealthy to us. Europoens eat foods that we consider to be unhealthy and make sure that we steer clear of. But this is all that you will see them eat most of the time. Instead of gorging on super sized plates, they eat a reasonable amount of food. They might enjoy a salad or a shared appetizer, along with wine. The other benefit of the way that they eat is that they spend less money.
Meals were slow and leisurely, almost never hurried. The portions were reasonable, but not tiny. There is a tremendous amount of attention to the appearance of food and the visual appeal of the food is given great significance. Eating is a vital part of their daily schedule and they don’t skimp on how long it takes to properly enjoy it. Shops and other businesses often closed for a few hours to allow time for the midday meal. Alchohol is an important part of any meal but it is limited to a single glass. The wine is meant to taken in slowly and not overdone.
Europeans are more likely to use their feet or a bicycle to get where they need to get to. Drive-through window are not placed on every corner. Europenas are not always munching on something to tide them over till dinner. We have become accustomed to a diet of fast food and easy snacks that leads to our bulging waists.
When a person starts to investigate ways to diet they can look at websites such as biggest loser forum, and they will see all types of advise that seems to mimic what the Europeans already seem to know, that eating is a pleasurable and social atmosphere and should be done in moderation and enjoyed. We have to learn that to lose weight, we have to enjoy our meals by not rushing through them. Food is not the enemy but it should not be your best friend either. Dining everyday is not just a necessity, it is a time that should be enjoyed.
A healthy diet has many benefits. Eating healthy will not give you results that you see the next day in the mirror. Skipping a fast food run and eating a nutritious meal at home will not make you lose ten pounds overnight. You might not also get the results you expect by eating more vegetables and less fat food. But if you stay healthier than most, thinner than many, and as happy as you want to be over the long haul, at least some of that is probably a return for your investment in good food.

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