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Posted: Tue Mar 18, 2008 12:57 am

I just heard on the radio, there was a study done about why Italians generally have a longer life expectancy than Americans, and that in general, Italians are the happiest people in the world.

The study also listed several reasons:

Diet
Diets consisting of pasta are shown to increase serotonin levels
They use a lot of fresh ingredients, like tomatoes, zucchini, etc.
Basil and Oregano are filled with ant-oxidants
Extra virgin olive oil and wine are very beneficial

Family and Friends
Strong emphasis on family and friends - Italians love to surround themselves with people!

Siesta time
The old half-hour afternoon nap is shown to decrease stress levels and make you more refreshed

Thought I would just pass that along...
Larry

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Posted: Sun Jul 18, 2010 6:21 pm

I can't agree with you more!

Italians not only surround them selves with good, fresh, quality ingredients. In addition to making the good things in life important to them.

Priorities include:

Family, friendship, laughter, love, good food and wine.

Not to mention the siesta time. There is a joke in Italy. Don't think of doing anything in Italy from 12pm to 3pm and that includes dying because nobody will care until after 3pm. That is pranzo and siesta time.

Thanks for the great post.

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Posted: Sat Aug 27, 2011 2:26 pm

Thanks for the tips. It is a well known secret that Italians are the healthiest people in
Europe. I have visited Italy several times and really enjoying their culture and delicious cuisine.
Italian seems to pay a lot of attention to the foods they eat. Pasta is usually the first dish in every meal. The salads with oil and vinegar will follow.

It will cleanse the digestion system. Italians eat fruits a lot which is also supporting digestion process.
One other factor I appreciate is Italian life style. Italians lives stress free life. Italians avoid junk foods. They go home to get lunch.

Italians eat a lot of fresh fish, vegetables, fresh fruit and nuts. It helps to reduce the risk of heart diseases. Italians drink red wine. It is proved that red wine can reduce the risk of heart diseases.

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Posted: Mon Sep 12, 2011 11:21 am

Thanks for such a nice tip to be live long.

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Posted: Sun Feb 19, 2012 5:02 pm

Well i agree on the diet, the classic diet in italy has a lot of fruits and vegetables and on keeping some time to relax and stay with friends.

But i must say that for young people that work the siesta time is gone :/

usualyl we have something from 30 minutes to 1 hours of break for eating and that's all.

Posted: Thu Mar 01, 2012 6:58 pm

I've also heard this and have to say that keeping stress levels low is very important to staying healthy and living a long and enjoyable life.

Thanks for the tips!

Posted: Sun Mar 11, 2012 3:50 pm

I found this interesting and maybe it explains why I married my husband. When I met him, I really didn't take notice immediately his ethic background. It didn't take long to realize where his roots came from as our relationship grew. One thing that attracted me to him was his personality -- always happy, spirit is always high and he enjoys romance.

We also like a lot of the same foods so it was a natural dietary fit.

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Posted: Sat Mar 31, 2012 4:29 pm

sounds like a myth to me. It's interesting though. I've heard this in a video before.

Posted: Sat May 12, 2012 5:50 pm

I would have to agree, I think the siesta during the middle of the day esp when it's hot is important for Italy.

Nick

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