Re: [CH] Healthy things
John Benz Fentner, Jr. (jbenz@courant.infi.net)
Wed, 22 Apr 1998 16:31:54 -0400
Pieters, Rob (NL01) wrote:
> >> What's the great, healthy things that the Mediterraneans eat?
> >
> >Anchovies, bread, olive oil, garlic, wine and peppers. Add ceegars and
> >you have all the major food groups. :)
> >
> >JB
>
> I've seen some great healthy product pass by, but what I missed is the
> amount of red wine those people swallow! They use at leased one glass to
> a bottle a day.
> Recent investigations have learned that drinking red wine every day is
> keeping your cholesterol low (number one cause of dead) and therefor
> avoid hart attacks.
> This is due to a component what is only available in the skin of red
> grapes.
>
> This in combination with the olive oil, raw vegetables, fruit and less
> red meat keeps those peoples in good condition.
> And I do believe there is one other thing.. all those (well most of them)
> don't know what stress is, it all in there lifestyle....... and not only
> there food.
I was attacked by a hart once but I managed to out run him.
But seriously folks....although I am primarily of Irish origin (and can
testify to the oxymoronic attributes of the term Irish Cuisine), I have a lot
of Italian relatives who were married into the family by immigrant Paddys who
discoverd Italian food about 20 minutes after they got off the boat.
The old timers, as opposed to us 3rd generation lowlifes, were still on the
Mediterranean diet when I was a kid. They mostly ate veggies (beans, red hot
peppers and salads), bread, olive oil, garlic, mama's pasta with simple red
suaces and lotsa red wine. (Lotsa Parodi and Rum Soaked Crook ceegars too).
Very little fat besides the olive oil (and the sausage and meatballs, but
they made those themselves without much fat) and very little sugar except in
the pastries. They did a little cheese but mostly the hard Romano for
grating, not that Kraft Kongealeum that passes for cheese these days.
They weren't big eaters either..I remember the old guys sitting around all
afternoon with a chunk of bread and a saucer of garlic oil for dipping, fresh
red peppers (with a little a salt) and a gallon jug of "table wine" (read
"paint stripper").
The Paddys lived on beer, potatoes with butter, whiskey and Lucky Strikes
and they all went down the drain at a fairly early age The Italians all
lived into their 80's and 90's and there wasn't a heart attack or ulcer in
the bunch. I think the only stress they had was trying to think up new ways
to give agita to the in-laws. :)
JB
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John Benz Fentner, Jr.
Unionville, Connecticut, USA
http://www.geocities.com/~jbenz/
"Lex Non Favet Delicatorum Votis"
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