When Jill Hendrickson hit age 40 and took off for Italy to study Italian, she never dreamed she’d return home looking thinner and feeling healthier after a steady diet of Italian food.
But that’s what happened.
Her new book, “Weight Loss, Italian Style” credits the Italian way of eating and living with allowing her to finally get a grip on her eating habits.
“On the Isle of Elba I learned the secret of eating three meals a day,” she said.
While that may strike some as a no-brainer, Hendrickson said that living in Italy made her realize that Americans are programmed to snack around the clock.
“I couldn’t snack on Elba, because nothing was open in the afternoon,” she said. “You weren’t supposed to be out looking for food. You supposed to be studying or at home taking a nap.”
While in Italy, she did the opposite of what most diet gurus counsel. She ate a small breakfast, a medium-sized lunch and a satisfying sit-down dinner. And she ate a lot of pasta.
“In America, we’re brainwashed into thinking of pasta as bad for you if you want to lose weight,” she said. “It’s just not true.”
Hendrickson pointed out that Italians eat pasta all the time and yet they’re thinner than Americans.
“Pasta eaten in proper portions with a light sauce provides energy and actually curbs snacking because it’s so satisfying.”
Hendrickson’s top two suggestions for becoming slim and sleek, like a sexy Italian?
“Have a love affair with the right kind of food instead of a fling with the wrong kind. Eat fresh produce – nothing with preservatives. And enjoy your carbs – in moderation.”
The other secret? “Be like an Italian and get out of the car and walk…a lot!”
Hendrickson will be signing books from 4-7 p.m. Friday, June 5, at Sierra Nut House and from 2-4 p.m. Saturday at Barnes and Noble, both in Villaggio Shopping Center.
For more information, or to schedule an interview with Hendrickson, call 559.432.0481.
Related link: www.WeightLossItalianStyle.com
