A health nut American in Spain.

Kurt and I arrived in the beautiful seaside Eden of Marbella Spain. Our hotel was beyond elegant and had 3 upscale restaurants. We like to empty out our mini bar of booze and temptations and fill it up with healthy stuff. It makes trevelling more cost effective and much healthier.

We walked to the grocery store to the horror of the hotel staff who could not believe we could possibly walk that distance. (To a New Yorker, it was about a 10 block stretch and no biggie). We armed ourselves with a back pack and rolling shopping basket and prepare to witness the "way healthier and less processed" edible offerings of the Mediterranean. The dairy section was first up and with my Italian and Kurt's Spanglish we begin to attempt to conquer the wall of yogurt. The goal was to find fat free and unsweetened. 20 minutes later we both have what we think to be just that but take 3 options just in case. Next up in natural order is the cereal aisle. Some brands are familiar (Special K) but we find some very comical alterations. There was a box with a shapely womanly figure with the word FITNESS in big lettering. This particular cereal came in Chocolate and Dark Chocolate flavors only.

The next section was the Pate/meat in various forms. We saw more glorified Spam and shrink wrapped animal fat than I have ever seen in one place. Heading towards the "fish" section I spotted what I thought was some kind of pasta. On closer inspection, it turned out to be small eels that resembled nothing so much as a mosh pit of worms preserved in plastic. 40 minutes into our shopping trip, we looked down into our basket and had....yogurt.

The fruit and vegetables in Spain are fantastic. The fish and olive oil are some of the best I have ever had. I was amazed however at just how few "healthy" options there were. There were very few heavy people in Spain. It was clear to see that the difference between American and Spanish diets were portion size, less snacking and more freshly prepared meals. We are very aware of "fat free" and I believe that perhaps that is not the way to go. Healthy fats seem to help our body let go of fat (fat is essential after all) and be much more satisfied with smaller and healthier meals. A plate of grilled fish and vegetables with a grassy and flavorful olive oil is so satisfying that you don't miss the bread and "bulk" of the typical American plate.

Presentation and plate size are radically different in Spain. The celebration of food,quality of ingredients and taking time to prepare and to sit down and eat (slowly and with relish) were reminders of what we, as Americans, have drifted away from.

We can all bring the inspiration and example of the Mediterranean to our lives. Be daring in your exploration of fresh produce and the many miraculously diverse and delicious offerings of the Sea. Just like wine, olive oil is varied and subtle and worth tasting all different kinds to find which flavor from grassy to spicy and you like best.

The more we move away from "dieting" and begin to actually feed ourselves with joy and relish, the healthier and happier we will be.

Story von Holzhausen