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Sorry if I didn't make my point very clear, what I was trying to say is that despite their salt intake their rates of coronary hearet disease (CHD) is much lower than ours.

Britain has a very high rate of deaths from CHD compared to a lot of other European countries. On a couple of sites that I checked out Japan still has the lowest rates in the world.

Very interesting indeed. I thought that my blood was thinner now I live in a warmer climate which is why I feel the cold more. And I also thought I needed more salt because I live in a warm climate and sweat more. (Actually, trust me, I don't sweat ... I am far to ladylike to do anything like that!)

I will have to research that Tina, sounds interesting.

unfortunately banana i have to agree with you on this one but its true about the salt intake specially in malta, but the rest of their diet is incredibly healthy, i know as i lived there for 10 and a half years, and my family still do after nearly 29 years but its true the meddies reckon they need more salt to thin their blood, because they think the heat thickens it (which could be true ) but that is why their intake of salt is so high, but like i said earlier the rest of the diet is fab

Did you watch the programme Spadge?

I am not disputing what they eat, we all know they eat fresh fish and veg and gallons if olive oil. But their salt intake is terrible.

Yes they are and this can be checked statistically....I know what is often said about using statistics i.e. that you can make them prove anything you want to but there are some things you cannot get away from such as comparing the number of people who die from heart disease in different countries etc.

My mum is from Italy and they don't eat a huge amount of desserts but tend to eat fresh fruit after dinner as well as eating a lot of fresh veg and salad.

Did anybody see Jamie Oliver's new programme?

I thought he done well cooking for all them people, but they were pretty harsh toward him. Mainly because I think they are under the impression us Brits can't cook. Some where complimentary others just plain rude. And the salt they use, begs the question are people from the Med actualy that healthy?

I believe that the mediterranean diet is healthier because the food thay eat is fresher and they tend to eat less processed food. Also , although they eat a lot of olive oil which is of course fat, it's unsaturated fat. Italian children that we've had to stay in the past, also ate far less meat than our kids, but they also liked far more sugar than our kids ate!

Simon, I live in Spain and there are plenty of McDonalds and Burger Kings. And I have just read in a paper yesterday that Spanish children are becoming obese. But the old Spanish people shop daily for their food and use fresh food every day. They do eat a lot of fat food but they also eat a lot of olive oil, vegetables and of course a lot of fish. The fish counters in supermarkets are fantastic and of course much better in fishmongers. You can get a lot of out of season fruit and veg. but it is expensive so normal Spanish housewife will buy seasonal food. And the food will not last for ages in a fridge because it is fresh ( not chemically preserved) so it has to be eaten straight away.

Maybe their diets are healthier because their high streets aren't plagues by McDonalds et al. The diet of British people is so horrendously bad it's quite disturbing. Mind you, the way some cities in the continent are going it won't be long before they're inundated with fast food places too. I say bring in a new tax- The Fast Food tax!! They could use the extra revenue to lower the price of healthier foods.

I don't have any facts on the matter although the Italians do claim that their diet is far healthier than ours.

What's the matter: does my post smell or something? Why no takers?