> - INSANE peer pressure As an Italian I wouldn't call it peer pressure, but attention to ones health. I have a mild condition of high blood pressure, it runs

> - INSANE peer pressure As an Italian I wouldn't call it peer pressure, but attention to ones health. I have a mild condition of high blood pressure, it runs in my family, when my doctor visited me the first thing he said was "you're a bit overweight, let's lose 4-5 kg, it usually helps and if it doesn't we'll work on the drug dosage" (my current intake is a "kids' dose") and it actually worked, I went from a minimum of ~85 to 70 just by losing some weight. Some body shapes, like being to skinny or too fat, are linked to "not being well". > but I bet there's a certain mental toll. We talk about three things in Italy: food, health and weather (and soccer if you are into it, I am not). There's no real mental toll to it, we just talk about it, but there is no real pressure around it (except those who spread fear for personal or political gain, but that's not different from Trump saying that Mexicans bring 'tremendous infectious disease' to the US). What's different, I think, it's that we grow up with the notion that "good health begins at the table" meaning that eating well is the most important thing to stay healthy, we keep doing it and teach it to our children.