Italians Break All the “Rules” and Still Live Long Lives
I had hardly finished my opening remarks at an Eataly Chicago speaking event when a hand rose with a question from someone who seemed a bit perturbed. “Why do Italians break all the rules and still live long?” was the query posed. He responded as follows when I asked what rules he was referring to:
Italians consume coffee continuously throughout the day, skip breakfast, and eat dinner much too late—yet they live long lives. I started to realise how perplexing this must be for Americans. After all, we are advised to do the exact opposite: avoid eating after 5:00 or 6:00 PM, make breakfast a “breakfast of champions,” and consume as little caffeine as possible.
The quick answer to the dilemma above is the two cultures are vastly different. The Italian lifestyle supports late dinners since shop owners (especially in the south of Italy most people own their own small businesses) close their stores around 8 or 8:30 and look forward to a leisurely dinner beginning around 9:00 PM. Whole families enjoy this. Italians don’t need to eat breakfast because they are still digesting their dinner from the night before. Caffeine and other points are covered in the video. I think you will enjoy it.
As a board-certified nutritionist and citizen of Italy, I’ve traveled extensively chasing the holy grail of longevity. My monthly publication, “Longevity plan” provides one actionable and easy to do tip each month. You can get it here.
