ghotifish.net

Miles Biked: 19.38
Average Speed: 14.5

The New York Times is running a fantastic piece criticizing fad diets, large portions, and America’s dysfunctional relationship with food in general:

In general, Italians take their time when they eat. Many businesses in Italy still close in the middle of the day for three hours to allow for a leisurely lunch. Family mealtimes are sacred. Cooking for one’s family becomes an act of love. Family meals allow for conversation and strengthen the family bond. The antithesis of the Italian eating style is fast food and “eating on the run,” where little attention is given to what is being consumed and the quicker one is done, the better. There is a physiological benefit of eating more slowly, too: your body senses that food has reached the stomach and shuts off the feeling of hunger before you overeat.

…

Above all, portion sizes in Italy are undoubtedly smaller than they are in America. According to a poll sponsored by the Union of Italian Pasta Producers, over half of Italians interviewed eat pasta every day. But pasta is generally only one of several courses in a typical Italian meal. So although per capita pasta consumption in Italy is four times as much as in the United States, Italians actually eat less pasta at a single sitting than do Americans, who tend to eat it only once or twice a week. The trend in the United States seems inevitably headed toward larger and larger portions. To suggest that more and bigger is not better seems almost un-American.

Amen to all that. People were doing just fine for the tens of thousands of years before we discovered that carbohydrates are evil, and we will undoubtedly continue to do just fine as long as we maintain sensible habits — namely, getting exercise and not overeating.

Miles Biked: 15.70
Average Speed: 16.4 mph

Miles Biked: 15.33
Average Speed: 15.9 mph

Miles Biked: 27.65
Average Speed: 12.3