Why Spaniards Don't Get Fat

When arriving abroad, most Americans immediately sense a sort of rude awakening: The rest of the world is simply quite a bit smaller than we are, weight-wise. There have been a lot of books written detailing why, but the truth is that the answers are a lot simpler than we would previously have imagined.

First of all, the portions are just smaller. There are no super-sized options, no enormous sides of ribs, and no heaping piles of mashed potatoes. This one everybody in the U.S. already knows, to some extent, but the truth of it can still be incredible. After spending some time abroad, returning home to a "small" cup of coffee at Starbucks can be a shocking and elucidating experience.

Secondly, there are a lot of fats used in Spanish cooking, but not a lot of saturated fats. Spanish cooking is based in a lot of frying, most of which is done in either olive oil or safflower oil. While the fat content is high, meaning the small portion you may eat will be highly satisfying, the saturated fat content is low, meaning your heart will be healthy. In addition, the lack of fat in available dairy products means that the average Spaniard's café con leche (milky espresso) and servings of flan or ice cream (for the always-present dessert at the end of a meal) are always going to be made with nonfat or 2% milk.

As I just alluded to, the Spaniards are also big believers in eating complete meals. Rather than snacking on empty calories all day, they have three defined meals: breakfast (café con leche, with either a pastry or some toasted bread smothered in olive oil); lunch (the biggest meal: 3 courses, with café con leche at the end); and dinner (a light meal, eaten only after 9 in Madrid). These meals are complete and satisfying enough to keep hunger at bay between them, and, since the biggest one is eaten at about 2:00, Spaniards have the rest of the day to burn off the majority of their calorie intake. And, while tapas are prevalent with beers after work, they are singular and small (one teaspoon of calamari, or one small slice of bread with jamon serrano). Keeping snacking to a minimum, and keeping the midday meal the biggest, helps the Spaniards keep the calories consumed versus calories burned ratio very low.

Most of all, though, as with most of Europe, Spaniards see weight solely as a health issue, rather than a social one. That is to say, they have no qualms about telling someone they've put on a few pounds right away (to help them take it off), but it's never viewed as a commentary on the person's quality of character, only on their health. This is evident by the flip side happening as often as not, with Spaniards giving advice to people who've lost too much weight on how to gain it back. One's body is seen as unique in its general shape, and celebrated for that. One's weight, however, is seen as an integral way to gauge how healthy that body is, and maintaining a healthy weight is seen similarly to brushing one's teeth: It's necessary in order to be healthy, rather than done for social acceptance.

There is obviously much we can learn from European cultures on how to get and stay healthy. The Spaniards have, however, the best way of looking at the world: Stay strong, so you can enjoy its riches for as long as possible.