Isn't it true that Germans, and most Europeans, get much more exercise than we do in the US?? Maybe that's why heart disease rates are lower there. It seemed to me that they did a lot more walking than we do here. That was in the 70's though, so maybe things have changed. Dorie ----- Original Message ----- From: Elsa Kahler <ekahler@sympatico.ca> To: <GERMAN-LIFE-L@rootsweb.com> Sent: Thursday, June 14, 2001 8:55 PM Subject: Re: [GERMAN-LIFE] Eels, snails, and other yummy things > > > > They do indeed have brain in Canada. My mother cooked it occasionally. She would lightly > bread the delicacy and fry it in lard. The brain itself was quite tasty, but the texture of > the vein surrounding the grey matter was unpleasant and continually reminded one what was > actually being consumed. > > As for heart disease -- I would tend to think that quite a few Germans who practise the "old" > eating habits have succumbed to it. My father had two heart attacks and still refused to give > up his favourite foods. If it was fried -- it was fried in lard. Pork was not pork unless it > had a good piece of fat surrounding it. Sauerkraut had no flavour unless a nice piece of > smoked meat (75% fat, 25% meat) was cooked with it and then consumed. Speckwurst was his > favourite. And what was a sandwich without butter 1/4 inch thick on it. Interestingly enough, > despite this "unhealthy" diet, he survived his second heart attack for almost a year and died > at 82 years of age. > > Elsa Kahler > > > > ==== GERMAN-LIFE Mailing List ==== > To UNSUBSCRIBE from this mail list send a message to: > GERMAN-LIFE-L-request@rootsweb.com and in the message add the word UNSUBSCRIBE and send. > > ============================== > Search over 1 Billion names at Ancestry.com! > http://www.ancestry.com/rd/rwlist1.asp

Dorie, You are right that the Germans do a lot more walking than we do. I have often wondered if that might be one of the reasons their heart disease rates are lower than ours. Also, I don't think they eat as much junk food as we do and they don't snack on it all the time the way Americans do. Most of their food is prepared fresh from "scratch" every day. Not many prepackaged mixes are used. Chris Isn't it true that Germans, and most Europeans, get much more exercise than we do in the US?? Maybe that's why heart disease rates are lower there. It seemed to me that they did a lot more walking than we do here.

No, Dorie, you are completely correct. Europeans love walking tours, Volksmarches, etc. There are lots of walking clubs in Germany. Take a look at the Heidelberg Wandering Club site and click on the walking calendar for Germany. There is also a link to marathons held in Germany. For a nation of about 84 million, there are a prodigious number of scheduled events. Hiking vacations in the SüdTirol are also popular. We're talking mountain-hiking here. And Switzerland has over 32,000 miles of marked walking trails. Yes, I said 32,000! The trails are marked not in kms but in terms of time it takes to get from one point to another. I am currently in training to walk a marathon :-) It is my BIG dream to be able to do one in Germany some day. Events such as these are still considered somewhat elitist here in the U.S. whereas in Europe they are a much more populist sport. A person doesn't have to have any special athletic prowess to do it. Just a regular regimen of walking to build endurance (and some speed) is all that's required as far as training. I participated in the Avon International Women's 5K Run/Walk on May 12 in my state. This is an annual event and only one city in each state gets the privilege of hosting it. There were about 650 women who signed up, but not all showed up on race day. By contrast, the same event held in Berlin a couple of weeks ago drew 5,000+ women! Participants could choose between a 5K or 10K. A friend of mine who did the Dublin Marathon (of which there were (9,000 participants) last year said lots of the locals joined in and walked in shoes you'd never see in a Nike ad. Some of the little old men and women could really hustle...even with cigarettes dangling from their mouths! Theola ----- Original Message ----- From: "Mike and Dorie Brennecke" <doitnow@netins.net> To: <GERMAN-LIFE-L@rootsweb.com> Sent: Thursday, June 14, 2001 8:06 PM Subject: Re: [GERMAN-LIFE] Eels, snails, and other yummy things | Isn't it true that Germans, and most Europeans, get much more exercise than | we do in the US?? Maybe that's why heart disease rates are lower there. It | seemed to me that they did a lot more walking than we do here. That was in | the 70's though, so maybe things have changed. Dorie | ----- Original Message ----- | From: Elsa Kahler <ekahler@sympatico.ca> | To: <GERMAN-LIFE-L@rootsweb.com> | Sent: Thursday, June 14, 2001 8:55 PM | Subject: Re: [GERMAN-LIFE] Eels, snails, and other yummy things | | | > > | > | > They do indeed have brain in Canada. My mother cooked it occasionally. | She would lightly | > bread the delicacy and fry it in lard. The brain itself was quite tasty, | but the texture of | > the vein surrounding the grey matter was unpleasant and continually | reminded one what was | > actually being consumed. | > | > As for heart disease -- I would tend to think that quite a few Germans who | practise the "old" | > eating habits have succumbed to it. My father had two heart attacks and | still refused to give | > up his favourite foods. If it was fried -- it was fried in lard. Pork | was not pork unless it | > had a good piece of fat surrounding it. Sauerkraut had no flavour unless | a nice piece of | > smoked meat (75% fat, 25% meat) was cooked with it and then consumed. | Speckwurst was his | > favourite. And what was a sandwich without butter 1/4 inch thick on it. | Interestingly enough, | > despite this "unhealthy" diet, he survived his second heart attack for | almost a year and died | > at 82 years of age. | > | > Elsa Kahler | > | > | > | > ==== GERMAN-LIFE Mailing List ==== | > To UNSUBSCRIBE from this mail list send a message to: | > GERMAN-LIFE-L-request@rootsweb.com and in the message add the word | UNSUBSCRIBE and send. | > | > ============================== | > Search over 1 Billion names at Ancestry.com! | > http://www.ancestry.com/rd/rwlist1.asp | | ______________________________