In 2023, Italy was named the world’s healthiest country. That’s right, the land of pasta, pizza and gelato is one healthy nation! 🍝🍕🍧
As a half-Italian and a health/fitness writer, this news obviously makes me very proud!
But of course, you can’t just take these things at face value. I wanted to explore this topic a little deeper.
So in this article, I will be looking at a few things.
This includes who judges this thing, why Italy is the world’s healthiest country, what Italians do differently, and – most importantly – what we can learn from it all.
Here’s a quick look at the article:
- Italy is the world’s healthiest country… according to who?!
- Which other nations were considered healthy?
- Why is Italy the world’s healthiest country?
- But isn’t childhood obesity in Italy on the rise?
- How to live healthily like the Italians
- The final word on the world’s healthiest country
Italy is the world’s healthiest country… according to who?!
Italy was named the world’s healthiest country by CEOWORLD magazine, which is apparently the world’s leading business magazine for CEOs, business leaders, and so on.
(In other words, people who aren’t me…)
Now, you have to take any study like this with a pinch of salt.
However, there is some robust data behind the magazine’s declaration of Italy as the healthiest nation.
For example, they used data from the United Nations, the World Health Organization, the World Bank and the Lancet study.
Apparently this data was used to create health scores and health-risk scores, with the rank determined by subtracting the risk score from the health score. In case you are curious, Italy’s score was 72.15 (whatever that actually means…).
Long story short, they didn’t just arbitrarily pull this out of thin air.
Which other nations were considered healthy?
Italy is a healthy nation, but it does not stand alone. 🌍
Second on the list was Singapore, third was Iceland, fourth was Hong Kong, and fifth was Finland.
Some other notable entries included Australia at #8, Sweden at #12, and Japan at #16. Surprisingly for me, Germany came in at #14 (regular readers of Planet Health may remember that I wrote an article asking whether or not German food is healthy a few months ago).
What about the United Kingdom and USA? This is where the majority of the readers of this website come from, so how did we fare?
Not great…
The UK was all the way down in #31, which is no big surprise to me! Meanwhile, the USA was lagging at #45. Again, not very surprising.
Both the UK and USA have some healthy habits, but always come up short when pitted against traditionally healthier nations like Italy, Singapore and Iceland.
Why is Italy the world’s healthiest country?
Right, time to move onto WHY Italy was named as the world’s healthiest country.
There are probably so many reasons, but here I will list a few of my own:
Vegetable-rich diet
From pomodoro to pisello, Italy is a land of vegetable-lovers!
Even among omnivorous eaters, vegetables still take centre-stage in many dishes.
For example: parmigiana di melanzane, minestrone (veg soup), fagiolata (bean soup), pasta e fagioli (pasta and beans), pomodori al riso (bell peppers stuffed with cooked rice), and many more.
Long story short, Italy’s historic tie of eating veggies and legumes as a main meal and not just as an afterthought is clearly a factor in the country being the healthiest nation on the planet.
Naturally, these ingredients are high in fiber, vitamins, minerals, phytonutrients… and flavour.
You probably don’t need me to tell you that eating plenty of vegetables is beneficial for your health. Yet, I’m going to say it anyway.
EATING PLENTY OF VEGETABLES IS BENEFICIAL FOR YOUR HEALTH.
*Ahem*
Olive oil obsession
Next, Italians love cooking with olive oil – whether that’s sauteing some vegetables or a good glug over a salad.
Sure, oil isn’t the most healthful food on the planet, but olive oil (particularly extra virgin) is good for you.
Firstly, olive oil is rich in the monounsaturated fat known as oleic acid, which is linked to a reduction of inflammation in the body.
Olive oil is also abundant in the compound oleocanthal, which is said to act as a natural non-steroidal anti-inflammatory (NSAID) agent. In other words, it may work similarly to ibuprofen.
Considering that inflammation is involved in many diseases from Alzheimer’s to cancer, it’s worth reducing inflammation in the body.
Meanwhile, olive oil is also high in nutrients, including vitamins E and K.
However, it is also high in calories, so do use it sparingly. A tablespoon a day is good… half a pint is not!
So, with such high olive oil consumption, it’s no wonder the Italians are enjoying such a healthful life.
Love of real food
This is a bit of a generalization, but Italians seem to value ‘real food’ more than many other nations.
They tend to prefer to cook and eat real minimally processed food, including vegetables, fruit, legumes, nuts and some animal products. This is as opposed to constantly grabbing takeout, eating ready-meals, and snacking on other heavily processed foods.
As well as being more nutritious, minimally processed foods tend to be more satiating than heavily processed foods, keeping you fuller for longer.
A study from 2021 among nearly 10,000 participants revealed that just 17% of calories consumed by Italian adults come from ultra-processed foods (UPF).
Compare this to the 58% of UPF consumed in the USA, and you may be able to see why there’s quite a gap in the healthfulness of the two countries.
This may not be the case with the younger generation – especially as America makes its influence in Italian cities.
However, my father seems offended at the very thought of fast food like McDonalds, so the ‘real food’ philosophy is still strong among the older generation at least.
Prioritize slow eating
While this is another slight generalization, I know that Italians prefer to have slow, sit-down meals when possible. Instead of the high-paced British/American culture of grab a sandwich and eat it while walking.
The Italians value eating together and – even when that’s not possible – they prioritize sitting at a table.
You may ask ‘is it better to sit at a table to eat?’. My theory is as follows: when you sit at a table and eat with others, you are generally more likely to eat slowly.
Of course, eating slowly is a very healthful habit to develop. It can benefit your digestion and reduce the amount you eat, which – over time – can result in fewer calories consumed and less risk of obesity.
Considering that obesity increases the risk of everything from osteoarthritis and type 2 diabetes to mental illness, strokes and cancer, avoiding obesity is important for good health.
Walk everywhere
Moving on from food, we come to another big component of good health: activity.
Now, I can’t find much conclusive evidence that the Italian are more active – or even as active – as other nations.
In fact, speaking as a half-Italian, I don’t believe that fitness/gym culture is as big in Italy as it is in the USA, UK or other parts of Europe. This article from 2019 seems to back this up, although there are other arguments that fitness culture in Italy is rising.
I’m still none the wiser.
Yet, one thing I do know is that Italians like to walk. And, as you may know by now, walking is a critical part of better health.
Italians of all ages can be found walking their cities, towns and villages on a daily basis. In a recent article, I discovered this tradition of la passeggiata, which is a dinnertime walk with plenty of benefits.
Having traditions like this will certainly contribute to better health and one of the reasons Italy is viewed as the world’s healthiest country.
Drink in moderation
It’s probably no surprise to hear that Italians love their wine. They also love their craft beers and liqueurs.
Yet, unlike the drinking cultures in the UK and USA (sorry to constantly pick on these countries, but they are usually good benchmarks for what not to do!), Italians don’t tend to drink to excess.
Wine and other alcohol is consumed in moderation, which may have its physical and psychological benefits.
Are there alcoholics in Italy? Of course. Are there people who have three drinks too many? Indeed.
But generally, Italians have a better relationship with alcohol than many other western countries and can be satisfied with one or two drinks as opposed to binging.
I’m not sure if this is because Italians tend to be introduced to alcohol at a younger age. But that’s a discussion for another article.
Anyway, drinking in moderation is obviously a healthier way to live.
We all know the dangers of consuming too much alcohol – from various cancers to heart disease, high blood pressure, and even a weakened immune system.
But isn’t childhood obesity in Italy on the rise?
Interestingly, while Italy is one of the world’s healthiest nations, the country seems to be struggling with a childhood obesity problem.
According to the World Health Organization, more than 20% of Italian children are overweight.
Why? The jury is still out.
However, I suspect it has something to do with the rise of fast-food culture and sedentary behaviours, which don’t affect the older generation as much as the impressionable youngsters, especially those that absorb a lot of American culture through TV, movies and video games.
This doesn’t bode well for Italy retaining the title of the world’s healthiest country in the future!
How to live healthily like the Italians
We can’t all be Italian (even me, I am only half), but we can be influenced by the healthy Italian way of life.
If you want to live like the Italians, and enjoy the health benefits that come with it, I would suggest trying some of the habits I mention above.
Of course, sitting down to eat, drinking in moderation, and eating a little extra virgin olive oil is all important.
But for me, there are two main takeaways here:
#1 – Increase your real food intake
The most important in my eyes is to increase your unprocessed food intake, mainly in the form of whole plant foods (such as vegetables, fruit and beans).
If you currently struggle to eat two portions of vegetables each day, don’t be too eager and try to eat seven a day.
Instead, commit to eating ONE extra portion of veggies a day. When you have made this a habit, keep increasing it.
You may want to add a bowl of vegetable soup or a side salad to your meals, or adding beans to your pasta dishes. Or make veg the star of the show – try a few of the recipes I mentioned above.
#2 – Increase your daily walking
The other key in living like the Italians is to increase your daily walking. Again, read the article on la passeggiata that I linked above.
However, a sensible way to increase your walking is to count how many steps you take each day over a week, average it out, then add 500 steps per day the following week.
So, if you currently average 3,000 steps per day, commit to walking 3,500 steps per day next week until it becomes a habit. Then 4,000 the following week.
Truth be told, until you reach around 8,000 steps a day, you always have room for improvement.
The final word on the world’s healthiest country
Next year, we may well see a new winner of the world’s healthiest country. Ultimately, this kind of thing changes all the time.
However, even if Iceland, Singapore or Hong Kong claims the title in 2024, you can guarantee that Italy – with all its wonderful traditions and habits – will be very near the top of the list.
Forza Italia!
Planet Health 
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