About book Mediterranean Women Stay Slim, Too: Eating To Be Sexy, Fit, And Fabulous! (2006)
Having lived near the Mediterranean for the past 30+ years, I take umbrage at quite so many stereotypes--and that's just the title. Even 30 years ago, when most women here a) did not work outside the home after marriage b) went shopping every day or two for fresh ingredients, and everything was home cooked, there were plenty of what I called then "tube women"--usually "of a certain age", they were simply cylindrical in shape from the chest down. Round. Roly-poly, i.e.: overweight. Now, they're no longer just "of a certain age" when they get heavy; obesity at all ages (and for both sexes) is on the rise.Mediterranean women Do get fat, they are some of the biggest buyers of diet "medicines" and "fat-burners" and hunger-placating pills, powders and potions in Europe. They believe all the silly hype. Just today I walked past a pharmacy that was advertising some little envelopes of powder that promise to "Block 60% of all the calories you eat!" They Do eat fast food, more and more all the time. Most thirty-somethings now work outside the home before and after marriage/childbearing, so they are content to buy packaged, processed foods because it's cheaper and easier. They Do eat junkfood, they Do worry about their weight, they Do often have "impossible standards" gleaned from the media and airbrushed photos of the latest top models. They Do indeed have a "say no to food" mentality, with anorexia, bulimia etc as familiar to Mediterranean physicians and psychologists as to their counterparts all over the Western world.The authoress would do well to deal in fewer stereotypes, and have a little more awareness of life as it is truly lived in that magical world she calls "the Mediterranean"--which, by the way is made of several entirely different cultures and countries. Using a meme to promote a cookbook and/or her personal philosophy just makes her look silly.
I've successfully cut back on the reading of diet books, something of a hidden addiction for me. But I seem to have not actually divested myself from books that are about being slim and still eating good food. It isn't such a bad thing. This book has a lot of good recipes and points. However, its tone can be slightly grating. It is clear from the text that the author grew up in a family that valued food and the communal ritual of eating food together. Today, the author runs a restaurant where she can continue this tradition. I am happy for her, and wish that we were all raised the way she was and strive to eat the way she does. That said, I think she may have laid out a bit of a tall order for most Americans.
Do You like book Mediterranean Women Stay Slim, Too: Eating To Be Sexy, Fit, And Fabulous! (2006)?
In my quest to learn more about health food and exercise, I picked this book up. I enjoyed the French Women Don't get Fat, but this book did not tell me anything I did not know from other books I have read. The book did make me hungry. These people are OBSESSED with garlic, olive oil, and vegetables. I like the first two a lot and I am working on the veggies. The book was mostly recipes, and not the meaty information I was looking for. If you are going to read this type of book, read the French Women first.
—Jenny
