Health Inspirations to Take from European Culture
My travels in the last couple of years have taken me to Europe a few times now… I can’t seem to get enough! I find I always feel so good when I’m over there. Unlike many other vacations where I can easily come home feeling like I’m off track with my health foundations, I find the culture of many European cultures is incredibly supportive to good health!
It’s no surprise when we look at health data, with lower rates of obesity, heart disease, diabetes, and even greater reported happiness than in North America.
It’s got me thinking about what aspects of European culture are so supportive to a healthy lifestyle, and how we can take those home and incorporate them into our own lives.
1. Walking Culture
In many European cities, the majority of people don’t own cars. It’s common for people to take transit, walk, or cycle to get where they need to go.
The foundation of physical activity being built right into their days goes a long way into creating good health.
How to Bring it Home: Look for opportunities where you can travel on food or on bike. Your body will thank you, and you may actually save time because you won’t have to schedule a separate time for exercise. Victoria is incredibly walk and bikeable!
2. Real Food
Europe tends to be a lot stricter with artificial ingredients, GMOs and processed food. Eating in Europe is incredibly focused on real, whole foods, with flavours to die for!
The nutritional impact is profound, with the body having what it needs to thrive from real ingredients.
How to Bring it Home: Take inspiration with European recipes. Check our European imports for things like pasta, and canned goods for cleaner ingredients. Embrace freshness by shopping at local markets for meat, seafood, and produce. Your taste buds will be just as grateful as the rest of your body!
3. Slowness
One of the most profound things that hit me about being in Europe was how slow everyone moved, yet somehow were still incredibly productive and able to get done what they needed to do each day.
Stress is one of the greatest risk factors for disease, and our North American culture abuzz with it. We are always rushing. Onto the next thing, caffeinated, crashing, and hurrying through even the things that bring us joy, like a meal, or a walk in the sunshine.
How to Bring it Home: Give yourself permission to slow things down. Sit and sip your coffee instead of chugging it on the way to work. Put your phone down during lunch and just be present with each bite. Embrace the Italian philosophy of dolce far niente – the sweetness of doing nothing– and set aside time each day to just BE. It might be hard at first, but there is nothing more important than your health and wellbeing.
4. Saunas and Hot Cold Therapy
The Nordic cultures swear by the benefits of a good sweat, followed by a cold shock, followed by another sweat. This works wonders on the lymph system, creating a ‘pumping’ effect to help move lymph fluid through the body to be eliminated. Hot and Cold Therapy is said to help boost energy, mood, and help regulate the nervous system.
How to Bring it Home: Experiment with sauna, steam rooms, ice baths, and cold plunges. We are lucky enough to live near the cold cold ocean, which is a great place for a cold plunge. Sometimes you might find a mobile sauna near the ocean for those dedicated cold plungers! The local rec centers also offer saunas at a reasonable rate.
5. Seafood Prevalence
Fish fish fish everywhere. Throughout many European countries, fish is a staple of the traditional diet. It’s no secret that the Mediterranean diet is hailed as one of the best diets out there for health and longevity, and guess what… they eat a lot of fish!!
Omega 3 fatty acids are crucial for good heart, brain, and gut health, and are found in abundance in fish. Fish and seafood are also fantastic lean protein sources.
How to Bring it Home: Incorporate fish and seafood as staples into your diet. Make a couple of nights a week ‘seafood night.’ We live right at the source afterall! You can take inspiration with European recipes to find new and exciting ways to enjoy.
While I can’t help but dream of my next European vacation, bringing these aspects of Europe's culture home with me feel like an amazing way to improve my life here and cultivate more presence, happiness, and contentment in my day to day. I hope you find the same inspiration!