by Barbara Berkeley, MD
When I travel I like to observe what people eat and how they relate to food. I also take note of the prevalence of overweight and obesity.
I was recently lucky enough to travel to Iceland and southern Italy, both great places to observe eating and to do some too! Admittedly, my observations about both of these places are based on a brief exposure yet I think I learned alot.
First, let me say that if you are someone with any interest in earth's geology, you should not miss Iceland. As my daughter said, "If you had any doubt that the earth was alive, you won't anymore after you visit Iceland." This island nation is one of the most geologically active places on our planet because it sits astride the two tectonic plates that make up North America and Europe. (You can actually visit the rift between them). These plates are pulling apart, creating an incredibly volatile situation on the ground above. Volcanos, glaciers and boiling vents of steam abound. Geysers spurt and new islands rise out of the ocean. Spectacular waterfalls dot the rugged and often moon-like landscape. Flying into Iceland is dramatic, because there appears to be nothing there. In fact, the entire population of the country is just 350,000 people, most of whom live in the small and charming city of Reykjavik. Head out into the vast countryside and you are immediately alone in a land that time has forgotten. For those who are heading to Europe, Iceland Air offers a free stop-over of up to 7 nights before continuing on. Iceland is safe, incredible to see, and welcoming to tourists. Recent volcanic activity like the eruption of Eyjafjallajokull (pronounced, Ay-a-fyatla-yoh'koot) in 2010 and the current eruptions at Bardabunga have put the country on the map. And if you go in winter time, you can see puffins and the northern lights.
Iceland has a distinctly Scandinavian flavor. Since much must be imported, things are clean, simple and spare. This is also true of the food. One of the tradtional staples, served everywhere from nice restaurants to the cafes at tourist stops, is meat soup. This is a clear, tasty broth full of vegetables and also containing small pieces of lamb (there are alot of sheep in Iceland, hence all the sweaters). Food is fresh and relies heavily on seafood which is plentiful. Vegetables are grown in greenhouses powered by the ample supply of hydroelectric power that runs the country. The people are lean. I was hard pressed to find anyone who was overweight. One might think this is because they are all mountain climbing and glacier-walking, but our guide disabused us of this notion. Most Icelanders do not venture into the rugged countryside, preferring to stay in the capital area.
At tourist stops we found the usual busy gift shops and cafeterias, but the food was generally soup, small amounts of fresh bread, meats, and cheeses. Junk food was absent. Although tourist areas did sell chips, chocolates and so on, we didn't see people eating them. It also was not easy to find soda anywhere except at tourist stops and even there, water was a more prominent drink. We never saw anyone eating on the street or in a car. Our hotel featured a breakfast and dinner buffet. The foods were all based on seafood, vegetables and fruit with smaller amounts of cheese and breads available. Icelanders also eat skyr which is a creamy, strained yogurt that has a mousse-like texture. Our guide told us that there is concern about foods getting sweeter (for example, some skyrs are sweetened with sugar), but compared the the food in the US, Icelandic choices were basic, delicious, and not sugar based.
Portions and plates were small. In watching others at buffets, few people got up to take a second helping. One evening, our guide took us to a traditional Icelandic restaurant that serves langoustin (small lobsters). We ate family style. Although there were plenty of langoustin, the side dishes of cucumber salad, seasoned couscous, and greens would have fed one person in the US rather than the six we had at the table. Despite our vigorous days, we did just fine with small meals and little food between meals. When in Rome......(or Reyjavik, as the case may be)....
The second leg of our journey took us to southern Italy. I hadn't been in Italy for a number of years, and of course this country is synonymous with fabulous food. But my first observation, in the Rome airport, was that very few people were overweight. In fact, the number of extremely slim people was high. We had a very long wait for our baggage, which was delayed getting off the plane, and another hour or so while we waited for a car rental. During that time, I rarely saw anyone in this busy airport who was eating. There was a complete absence of the constant snacking we see in America. While the airport did have busy cafeterias, those who were sitting outside of those areas were not holding sodas, eating from bags of pretzels, or chowing down on wraps.
We then embarked on a four hour drive to the Amalfi Coast in the south. Highway rest stops were full of foods that were tempting and sometimes very Italian...for example: hunks of mozzarella to go, prosciutto and other meats and cheeses. Fresh brewed and very strong coffee appeared to be the drink of choice.
The towns along the Amalfi Coast were full of Italian tourists with very few Europeans and/ or Americans in evidence. Once again, with the occasional exception, everyone was markedly more slender than their American counterparts. At the hotels in which we stayed, food was plentiful in breakfast buffets and at restaurants, but the plates were very small.
This was my breakfast one morning. It's hard to judge the plate size in this photo, but it was about the size of a small salad plate. As in Iceland, most people did not go back for seconds. While cakes and desserts were offered on the breakfast buffet, I didn't see most people eating them. By the way, these breakfasts were some of the greatest meals I ever had!
On a 45 minute ferry ride to the island of Capri, a snack bar was available and an attendant came around to each seat with offers of food. Despite a smooth trip, no one bought food nor did they snack on the way. (Can you imagine that happening in the US?). While walking through the village of Anacapri at the top of the island's mountains, I stopped to eat a protein bar. I actually was embarrased because not a soul was eating in public, despite streets crowded with lazily strolling shoppers.
A restaurant at the Blue Grotto offered octopus, squid, clams and other fresh seafood. There was just one pasta dish on the menu and nary a pizza or risotto to be found. On the other hand, beach establishments in places like Positano and Amalfi were heavy on pizzas and more carb-based foods. And of course, there were gelato stands serving up the most luscious-looking ice creams on the planet. But very few people were actually eating them. In contract, the ice cream store in our small town at home generally has a line down the block.
The Amalfi Coast is famous for the lemons it grows...a huge, sweet version of the fruit we are accustomed to. Everything is decorated with, perfumed by or cooked with these lemons and this sets the tone for a cuisine that is very fresh, light and colorful.
In short, I could be sublimely happy with either of these cuisines. The hearty, warm meat soup after a brisk day on an Iceland glacier. A glass of incredible Furore Rosso with some fresh fish and a wonderful salad, fruits and maybe some cheeses after a day in the Italian sunshine!
Why are the Icelanders and the Italians we saw primarily thin? I don't know for sure. But the biggest departures from our eating style appeared to be freshness of the food, the focus on vegetables, fruits and smaller portions of animal protein, the lack of interest in sugary drinks like sodas, an understanding of limited portion size, and an aversion to snacking or eating in public.
Last night, on my first evening home, I played tennis with some friends. They were describing a fabulous Labor Day buffet held by our tennis club. There was a huge amount of food, they said, including ribs, hot dogs, burgers, baked beans, macaroni and cheese, beer, potato salad, and desserts. With memories of the past several weeks still fresh, this sounded like the least healthy and most unappealing menu imaginable.