Eat Well to Be Happy: The Italian Way

Eat well to be happy is the key theme addressed in the tour 'Good health. Intestine, conscious nutrition and biochemistry of joy " which in the following months will stop in the main Italian cities.

At the centre of the show is the precious advice of Dr. Pier Luigi Rossi, an expert in food science and hygiene and preventive medicine. The tour stops around Italy aim to reveal to the population the often underestimated relationship between the intestine, the brain and mood.

The Joy and sadness arise from what we eat:

The first step to being happy is to pay attention to our nutrition. "Joy, happiness and sadness come from what we eat and not only from the psychological, social and emotional conditions that affect us", explains the expert in his latest book 'The intestine. The sixth sense of our body'.  He explains how it is fundamental to be aware, not only of the mechanisms of the intestine, but also of the properties of the foods we eat at the table.

To explain scientifically the correlation between nutrition and mood is the presence in the intestine of some cells associated with the production of serotonin, the so-called "good mood hormone".

"Every time we ingest food in our body, a biological event takes place that starting from the intestine involves the entire organism: this process changes the intestinal bacterial composition, the cellular metabolism, the hormonal and the gene profile", explains Dr. Rossi.

What are the 'friends' of good humour?

The foods that, according to the expert, promote good humour are whole grains, plant foods, legumes and oil seeds.

Dr. Pier Luigi Rossi recalls how important it is to know how to properly feed the intestine and with it the 100 billion bacteria that "inhabit" it. The microbiotics, in fact, feed on the nutritive principles it has available and develops molecules capable of influencing the mood.

"The intestine must be known to nourish, because" it is able to modulate the voluntary and autonomous central nervous system, the immune system, the hormonal system and the entire cellular metabolism" recalls the expert.

It is well known that the Italian diet is one of the healthiest in the world but we can all benefit from a little reminder every now and again on the importance of nutrition and good quality food to our physical and emotional well being.

At the heart of The Italian School is the promotion of  0 km, organic food.  Recipes that take us back in time to traditional Southern Italian home cooking made with the best seasonal ingredients.  Why not join us on one of our Food and Wine Tours of Puglia to learn about the fantastic food and wines of this special region.  We believe it really is possible to eat your way to happiness!