Differences in US vs EU food

Peter Attia, the MD and health hacker, recently wrote something that caught my eye.

I know I’m not alone in sensing this, as I’ve had this discussion with at least a dozen friends over the past few years. There is something fundamentally different about food in Europe, when compared to the food in North America.

Here’s his full blog post.

This rang so true. But I’ve felt hesitant to mention it to anybody who wasn’t already equally suspicious about the US food system lest I be considered crazy.

Dr. Attia documented a vacation to Italy with his wife where he went off the deep end and ate ice cream, gluten, and other food he avoids in the US. He felt far better than he’d felt when eating these things in the US.

I had the same experience. I took a 14 month hiatus from ice cream. I avoided it like someone might avoid alcohol. If friends wanted ice cream I’d wait outside the shop and avoid keeping it in the house where I might find it in a stressful moment. I did this because ice cream truly fucked me up. I couldn’t have it without having an adverse reaction to the sugar, the cold, and, of course, the dairy. But on a three week trip to Italy two years ago I decided to try out a little gelato. I expected the worst. I was ready to spent the rest of the day in bed. But I was fine. Then I ate bread and pasta, foods that I had mostly avoided for a year and ate only with moderate repercussions. Also fine…wtf.

Ahhh, this is the placebo effect, you say. Struck by the romance of Italy and the idea of Mediterranean cuisine. Possibly. But I think not. Too many friends have said the same thing about other places. My Taiwanese friend told me she only has digestive issues in the US.

How does neurofeedback play into the discussion about food? I think that when we are mindful, and I believe neurofeedback helps us be mindful, we are less likely to eat foods on autopilot. We are less likely to eat foods that will hurt us in 12 or 24 hours. We are less likely to eat foods in response to a difficult emotion.

So, let me know your thoughts on your food experience in Europe vs the US. And, of course, if you want to try out a session if you’re passing through San Francisco, let us know!