What in US food supply causes weight gain and inflammation?

[Anonymous]

OP I haven't read the pages of replies, but I recall (sorry I don't remember where I read it) that the wheat here is a different variety than in Europe, and it's harder on our systems. (I want to say "red wheat")

I'm sorry I can't say more, because I already know that grains make me balloon up, so I didn't make an effort to remember it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It’s anecdotal, but I’m right there with you. I went to the Netherlands in March, ate whatever I wanted, walked maybe 1-2 miles a day, and lost five pounds in a week. I have to skip meals and seriously restrict my portions to lose weight in the US.

Another anecdotal similarity -- I lose weight whenever or wherever I travel - business, holiday, family -- doesn't matter. I figured it was the stress of being away and changing my routine

Same. I lose weight on every trip. I work out less, but walk more. I eat out more, but I don't have access to my kitchen in the evenings. I tend to eat only 3 meals a day on trips, definitely no large midday snacks. No desk snacking out of boredom or stress. If I went on a trip for a significant period of time, I would lose a lot of muscle and water weight just from the change in exercise routine (low impact vs high impact+resistance).

Highly doubt the food is that different if you are eating mainly unprocessed foods.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Carbonation, including carbonated water.

Studies in rats show that drinking carbonated beverages, even non--caloric ones, increases the production of the hormone ghrelin, which is problematic for a number of reasons, but most relevant to this discussion, it causes the body to store fat for energy (increases adiposity). It also increases hunger and fails to satisfy thirst (which is why fast food restaurants serve giant carbonated beverages).

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3136335/

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4049314/

Oh, thank you, PP
-NP

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
Teach your children to grow something they can eat.

Maybe the most privileged and out of touch statement in this whole crap thread

Years ago a friend from Germany told me, someday you Americans will have only what you know how to grow.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Perhaps it’s “ingredients “ like this:

“More than 80% of urine samples drawn from children and adults in a US health study contained a weedkilling chemical linked to cancer, a finding scientists have called “disturbing” and “concerning”.

The report by a unit of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) found that out of 2,310 urine samples, taken from a group of Americans intended to be representative of the US population, 1,885 were laced with detectable traces of glyphosate. This is the active ingredient in herbicides sold around the world, including the widely used Roundup brand. Almost a third of the participants were children ranging from six to 18.”

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/jul/09/weedkiller-glyphosate-cdc-study-urine-samples

And this is just one study of one ingredient. Hormones, medications, fertilizers, pollution, different varieties of food sources — all might play some part in what could be significant differences between US and EU foodstuffs, in addition to other lifestyle variables.

Exactly correct.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Perhaps it’s “ingredients “ like this:

“More than 80% of urine samples drawn from children and adults in a US health study contained a weedkilling chemical linked to cancer, a finding scientists have called “disturbing” and “concerning”.

The report by a unit of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) found that out of 2,310 urine samples, taken from a group of Americans intended to be representative of the US population, 1,885 were laced with detectable traces of glyphosate. This is the active ingredient in herbicides sold around the world, including the widely used Roundup brand. Almost a third of the participants were children ranging from six to 18.”

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/jul/09/weedkiller-glyphosate-cdc-study-urine-samples

And this is just one study of one ingredient. Hormones, medications, fertilizers, pollution, different varieties of food sources — all might play some part in what could be significant differences between US and EU foodstuffs, in addition to other lifestyle variables.

Exactly correct.

This is really depressing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
Teach your children to grow something they can eat.

Maybe the most privileged and out of touch statement in this whole crap thread

Years ago a friend from Germany told me, someday you Americans will have only what you know how to grow.

Why should we trust your friend?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Perhaps it’s “ingredients “ like this:

“More than 80% of urine samples drawn from children and adults in a US health study contained a weedkilling chemical linked to cancer, a finding scientists have called “disturbing” and “concerning”.

The report by a unit of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) found that out of 2,310 urine samples, taken from a group of Americans intended to be representative of the US population, 1,885 were laced with detectable traces of glyphosate. This is the active ingredient in herbicides sold around the world, including the widely used Roundup brand. Almost a third of the participants were children ranging from six to 18.”

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/jul/09/weedkiller-glyphosate-cdc-study-urine-samples

And this is just one study of one ingredient. Hormones, medications, fertilizers, pollution, different varieties of food sources — all might play some part in what could be significant differences between US and EU foodstuffs, in addition to other lifestyle variables.

Oh yeah. It must be this. This is why Americans are fat. It can’t possibly be the large quantities of fast food, processed snack foods, soda, triple scoops of ice cream, mass produced low quality chain restaurant foods, and huge portions of all the garbage food they eat. But they love it and won’t have it any other way.

The egg from a chicken raised in a cage or the non organic broccoli isn’t making anyone obese.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Perhaps it’s “ingredients “ like this:

“More than 80% of urine samples drawn from children and adults in a US health study contained a weedkilling chemical linked to cancer, a finding scientists have called “disturbing” and “concerning”.

The report by a unit of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) found that out of 2,310 urine samples, taken from a group of Americans intended to be representative of the US population, 1,885 were laced with detectable traces of glyphosate. This is the active ingredient in herbicides sold around the world, including the widely used Roundup brand. Almost a third of the participants were children ranging from six to 18.”

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/jul/09/weedkiller-glyphosate-cdc-study-urine-samples

And this is just one study of one ingredient. Hormones, medications, fertilizers, pollution, different varieties of food sources — all might play some part in what could be significant differences between US and EU foodstuffs, in addition to other lifestyle variables.

Exactly correct.

This is really depressing.

Yes, But: a significant percentage of the sample did NOT have detectable levels of glyphosate. I only read the article in The Guardian, not the original study, but I would hope that there would be a follow-up analysis, or even a follow-up study to take a closer look at those people. That could suggest some directions for additional research, and possible interventions on multiple levels.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Perhaps it’s “ingredients “ like this:

“More than 80% of urine samples drawn from children and adults in a US health study contained a weedkilling chemical linked to cancer, a finding scientists have called “disturbing” and “concerning”.

The report by a unit of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) found that out of 2,310 urine samples, taken from a group of Americans intended to be representative of the US population, 1,885 were laced with detectable traces of glyphosate. This is the active ingredient in herbicides sold around the world, including the widely used Roundup brand. Almost a third of the participants were children ranging from six to 18.”

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/jul/09/weedkiller-glyphosate-cdc-study-urine-samples

And this is just one study of one ingredient. Hormones, medications, fertilizers, pollution, different varieties of food sources — all might play some part in what could be significant differences between US and EU foodstuffs, in addition to other lifestyle variables.

Oh yeah. It must be this. This is why Americans are fat. It can’t possibly be the large quantities of fast food, processed snack foods, soda, triple scoops of ice cream, mass produced low quality chain restaurant foods, and huge portions of all the garbage food they eat. But they love it and won’t have it any other way.

The egg from a chicken raised in a cage or the non organic broccoli isn’t making anyone obese.

OP here. I’m not trying to lose weight. My weight fluctuates up and down about 20 lbs (more in the US, down outside the US) but I’m tall so that isn’t as dramatic as it would be on a short person. But it’s really crazy to me how effortlessly I lose weight in Europe even when I eat more. I think there must be something going on.

I think the people pointing to bread may be on to something for me.

[Anonymous]

It’s got to be our wheat. I’m gluten intolerant but when I’m in Europe I can eat gluten.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Perhaps it’s “ingredients “ like this:

“More than 80% of urine samples drawn from children and adults in a US health study contained a weedkilling chemical linked to cancer, a finding scientists have called “disturbing” and “concerning”.

The report by a unit of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) found that out of 2,310 urine samples, taken from a group of Americans intended to be representative of the US population, 1,885 were laced with detectable traces of glyphosate. This is the active ingredient in herbicides sold around the world, including the widely used Roundup brand. Almost a third of the participants were children ranging from six to 18.”

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/jul/09/weedkiller-glyphosate-cdc-study-urine-samples

And this is just one study of one ingredient. Hormones, medications, fertilizers, pollution, different varieties of food sources — all might play some part in what could be significant differences between US and EU foodstuffs, in addition to other lifestyle variables.

Oh yeah. It must be this. This is why Americans are fat. It can’t possibly be the large quantities of fast food, processed snack foods, soda, triple scoops of ice cream, mass produced low quality chain restaurant foods, and huge portions of all the garbage food they eat. But they love it and won’t have it any other way.

The egg from a chicken raised in a cage or the non organic broccoli isn’t making anyone obese.

OP here. I’m not trying to lose weight. My weight fluctuates up and down about 20 lbs (more in the US, down outside the US) but I’m tall so that isn’t as dramatic as it would be on a short person. But it’s really crazy to me how effortlessly I lose weight in Europe even when I eat more. I think there must be something going on.

I think the people pointing to bread may be on to something for me.

Stop eating bread in the US and see what happens!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Perhaps it’s “ingredients “ like this:

“More than 80% of urine samples drawn from children and adults in a US health study contained a weedkilling chemical linked to cancer, a finding scientists have called “disturbing” and “concerning”.

The report by a unit of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) found that out of 2,310 urine samples, taken from a group of Americans intended to be representative of the US population, 1,885 were laced with detectable traces of glyphosate. This is the active ingredient in herbicides sold around the world, including the widely used Roundup brand. Almost a third of the participants were children ranging from six to 18.”

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/jul/09/weedkiller-glyphosate-cdc-study-urine-samples

And this is just one study of one ingredient. Hormones, medications, fertilizers, pollution, different varieties of food sources — all might play some part in what could be significant differences between US and EU foodstuffs, in addition to other lifestyle variables.

Exactly correct.

This is really depressing.

Half depressing, half relief. As some of the PPs demonstrate, some people really want to blame fat people for being fat, but if the behaviors are the same around the world and across the country and it’s that the foods are different from place to place and perhaps there’s a genetic sensitivity to the effects of some combination of foods, ingredients (like the kind that aren’t required to be listed on the label as in the famous orange juice example), chemicals used to grow the food, etc and not everyone has that sensitivity…

I was just driving in a rural farming area recently and I’m old enough that I remember when it wasn’t mile after mile of corn and soy monoculture. I saw multiple tractors spraying something that smelled like lawn chemical and one helicopter. This isn’t food. “Make better choices!” We have the illusion of choice given corporate ownership of brands that appear independent and for anyone below a certain income level, they really have no choices at all. Our entire food supply sucks and is damaging the earth.

[Anonymous]

I believe it! I've gotten violently ill eating processed junk while traveling (fridge was not cold enough to save my homemade food). I ended up in the hospital. I grew up with processed foods and it destroyed my organs or I have a very high intolerance for it. Now, at 40, 12 years with Crohn's and EPI/Pancreatitis, I eat whole foods and make everything. I am now gluten-free, dairy-free, soy-free, and only consume home-grown eggs from my chickens. I make my own jam, eat only fish from a reputable fish market, and while I cannot handle much meat, I will buy ground chicken to mix with my grown veggies from a nearby farm. I finally can live without hospitalizations and resections on my intestines.

[Anonymous]

Glyphosate (roundup) is everywhere and in everything and it causes inflammation and kills off the beneficial bacteria in the gut.

Europe has stronger protections and they also have more farmers trying to do things the traditional ways rather than dumping toxic chemicals on everything.

Would you believe that here in the states, farmers dump roundup all over the finished crops just so they don’t need to wait a week for them to dry??? Not even for any weed killing reason. It’s insane that we put up with this.