Young people in other countries are remarkably thinner than Americans

[Anonymous]

I also lived in Eastern Europe for several years and this is spot on. (It’s been awhile so things may have changed.) But in my experience…Most young women did not have a healthy relationship with food. They smoked a lot to curb their appetite. They starved most of the time. They didn’t do anything athletic or exercise; there was a ton of fat shaming. The trend was to be very thin— not healthy.

Not my experience at all. Curvier women were always more popular. Being skinny was considered not only unattractive, but sickly as well. For this very reason, no one really refrained form eating, quite the opposite.
People are generally slimmer than Americas and generally there was never more than 1-2 overweight people in my wider circle.

[Anonymous]

For the people who are talking about how US food contains all kinds of additives compared to European and UK food- can you get that stuff here? Is there a European grocery market somewhere?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

I also lived in Eastern Europe for several years and this is spot on. (It’s been awhile so things may have changed.) But in my experience…Most young women did not have a healthy relationship with food. They smoked a lot to curb their appetite. They starved most of the time. They didn’t do anything athletic or exercise; there was a ton of fat shaming. The trend was to be very thin— not healthy.

Not my experience at all. Curvier women were always more popular. Being skinny was considered not only unattractive, but sickly as well. For this very reason, no one really refrained form eating, quite the opposite.
People are generally slimmer than Americas and generally there was never more than 1-2 overweight people in my wider circle.

Both of you need to mention countries. "Eastern Europe" is where or what, exactly? Finland? Austria? Both in the east. Russia? Slovakia? Different cultures everywhere.

[Anonymous]

Just posting this for fun/perspective- the Victorians pivoted from skinny-shaming to fat-shaming rather quickly:

... in his 1870 book Personal Beauty: How to Cultivate and Preserve it in Accordance with the Laws of Health, author Daniel Brinton states that a “scrawny bony figure” is “intolerable to gods and men.” According to Brinton, the only occasion on which excessive leanness had ever been beneficial to a lady was in an encounter with a cannibal.

https://www.mimimatthews.com/2016/04/25/victorian-fat-shaming-harsh-words-on-weight-from-the-19th-century/

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I've lived in Asia and can tell you that American supermarkets are a heavenly cornucopia of a snackhole.
Asian markets don't sell nearly 1/4th the ready eat stuff that American markets have. Most things in Asian markets are meant to be cooked or prepared somehow. Not just rip open a bag and heat it in a microwave. There's a lot of veggies, fruits, tofu, raw meat (sometimes cured but definitely few ready to eat).
So there's that immediate gratification thing that America has with food reflected its its plethora of readymade meals.
Asians tend to have a hangup with freshness of foods - freshly steamed, cooked, chopped, nothing a day or two old. Packaged foods are considered, how do I put it, food not made with love. Sad food.
This food culture has its drawbacks - a lot of time is spent in kitchen prep.

Asia also has a lot of very active night markets for those who don't want to cook. That's the closest to ready eat foods. Night markets are usually a social activity - walk, eat, talk, eat, shop, eat with friends or family. And the food is cooked right there before you so its fresh.

LOL

Really? I am Indian and have family in India. Indians have a ridiculously high rate of diabetes and heart disease. Sure, they cook a lot (or have low-paid employees who cook for them, actually) but the amount of sugar and butter used in the cooking is unbelievable.

You’re right, that someone does come door to door with fresh vegetables daily. However, the vegetables are a supplemented with lots of rice and roti and sugary chai. Heck, growing up, the parents used to feed us ‘glucose biscuits’ as healthy.

I wouldn’t make any generalizations about how people in one country eat versus how people eat in the US.

All the coconut milk and products clog arteries

Absolutely! And the ghee. Tasty but it’ll kill you eventually. Every older male in my Indian family has had heart disease and several died before the age of 65. Not to mention the alcohol consumption (not by all Indians - some strict ones don’t drink). And the tobacco products that will rot your teeth and give you oral cancer?

Nah, I wouldn’t look to Asia for inspiration.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I've lived in Asia and can tell you that American supermarkets are a heavenly cornucopia of a snackhole.
Asian markets don't sell nearly 1/4th the ready eat stuff that American markets have. Most things in Asian markets are meant to be cooked or prepared somehow. Not just rip open a bag and heat it in a microwave. There's a lot of veggies, fruits, tofu, raw meat (sometimes cured but definitely few ready to eat).
So there's that immediate gratification thing that America has with food reflected its its plethora of readymade meals.
Asians tend to have a hangup with freshness of foods - freshly steamed, cooked, chopped, nothing a day or two old. Packaged foods are considered, how do I put it, food not made with love. Sad food.
This food culture has its drawbacks - a lot of time is spent in kitchen prep.

Asia also has a lot of very active night markets for those who don't want to cook. That's the closest to ready eat foods. Night markets are usually a social activity - walk, eat, talk, eat, shop, eat with friends or family. And the food is cooked right there before you so its fresh.

LOL

Really? I am Indian and have family in India. Indians have a ridiculously high rate of diabetes and heart disease. Sure, they cook a lot (or have low-paid employees who cook for them, actually) but the amount of sugar and butter used in the cooking is unbelievable.

You’re right, that someone does come door to door with fresh vegetables daily. However, the vegetables are a supplemented with lots of rice and roti and sugary chai. Heck, growing up, the parents used to feed us ‘glucose biscuits’ as healthy.

I wouldn’t make any generalizations about how people in one country eat versus how people eat in the US.

All the coconut milk and products clog arteries

Absolutely! And the ghee. Tasty but it’ll kill you eventually. Every older male in my Indian family has had heart disease and several died before the age of 65. Not to mention the alcohol consumption (not by all Indians - some strict ones don’t drink). And the tobacco products that will rot your teeth and give you oral cancer?

Nah, I wouldn’t look to Asia for inspiration.

Can we take the good things from other food cultures instead of tarring it with the same brush? It's not black and white. For example, I agree that ghee is unhealthy but you can use avocado oil to temper your spices and fry up onions for Indian dishes. I like how learning to cook Indian dishes has introduced me to different spices and ways of using them. I guess the big difference is that I cook at home instead of relying on takeout and restaurants like many others. It's about being able to control what I consume and feeling great that I am able to cook for myself.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

I also lived in Eastern Europe for several years and this is spot on. (It’s been awhile so things may have changed.) But in my experience…Most young women did not have a healthy relationship with food. They smoked a lot to curb their appetite. They starved most of the time. They didn’t do anything athletic or exercise; there was a ton of fat shaming. The trend was to be very thin— not healthy.

Not my experience at all. Curvier women were always more popular. Being skinny was considered not only unattractive, but sickly as well. For this very reason, no one really refrained form eating, quite the opposite.
People are generally slimmer than Americas and generally there was never more than 1-2 overweight people in my wider circle.

Both of you need to mention countries. "Eastern Europe" is where or what, exactly? Finland? Austria? Both in the east. Russia? Slovakia? Different cultures everywhere.

Austria is not Eastern Europe. Austria is Central Europe. (A former Austrian.)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I've lived in Asia and can tell you that American supermarkets are a heavenly cornucopia of a snackhole.
Asian markets don't sell nearly 1/4th the ready eat stuff that American markets have. Most things in Asian markets are meant to be cooked or prepared somehow. Not just rip open a bag and heat it in a microwave. There's a lot of veggies, fruits, tofu, raw meat (sometimes cured but definitely few ready to eat).
So there's that immediate gratification thing that America has with food reflected its its plethora of readymade meals.
Asians tend to have a hangup with freshness of foods - freshly steamed, cooked, chopped, nothing a day or two old. Packaged foods are considered, how do I put it, food not made with love. Sad food.
This food culture has its drawbacks - a lot of time is spent in kitchen prep.

Asia also has a lot of very active night markets for those who don't want to cook. That's the closest to ready eat foods. Night markets are usually a social activity - walk, eat, talk, eat, shop, eat with friends or family. And the food is cooked right there before you so its fresh.

LOL

Really? I am Indian and have family in India. Indians have a ridiculously high rate of diabetes and heart disease. Sure, they cook a lot (or have low-paid employees who cook for them, actually) but the amount of sugar and butter used in the cooking is unbelievable.

You’re right, that someone does come door to door with fresh vegetables daily. However, the vegetables are a supplemented with lots of rice and roti and sugary chai. Heck, growing up, the parents used to feed us ‘glucose biscuits’ as healthy.

I wouldn’t make any generalizations about how people in one country eat versus how people eat in the US.

All the coconut milk and products clog arteries

Absolutely! And the ghee. Tasty but it’ll kill you eventually. Every older male in my Indian family has had heart disease and several died before the age of 65. Not to mention the alcohol consumption (not by all Indians - some strict ones don’t drink). And the tobacco products that will rot your teeth and give you oral cancer?

Nah, I wouldn’t look to Asia for inspiration.

Can we take the good things from other food cultures instead of tarring it with the same brush? It's not black and white. For example, I agree that ghee is unhealthy but you can use avocado oil to temper your spices and fry up onions for Indian dishes. I like how learning to cook Indian dishes has introduced me to different spices and ways of using them. I guess the big difference is that I cook at home instead of relying on takeout and restaurants like many others. It's about being able to control what I consume and feeling great that I am able to cook for myself.

You’re missing the point. PP was responding to someone raving about Asian food culture and how healthy and thin they are compared to overeating snacky processed food Americans and pointed out that not all Asians have a way of eating that gives them health and longevity. The point was not Indian food is unhealthy and bad.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I've lived in Asia and can tell you that American supermarkets are a heavenly cornucopia of a snackhole.
Asian markets don't sell nearly 1/4th the ready eat stuff that American markets have. Most things in Asian markets are meant to be cooked or prepared somehow. Not just rip open a bag and heat it in a microwave. There's a lot of veggies, fruits, tofu, raw meat (sometimes cured but definitely few ready to eat).
So there's that immediate gratification thing that America has with food reflected its its plethora of readymade meals.
Asians tend to have a hangup with freshness of foods - freshly steamed, cooked, chopped, nothing a day or two old. Packaged foods are considered, how do I put it, food not made with love. Sad food.
This food culture has its drawbacks - a lot of time is spent in kitchen prep.

Asia also has a lot of very active night markets for those who don't want to cook. That's the closest to ready eat foods. Night markets are usually a social activity - walk, eat, talk, eat, shop, eat with friends or family. And the food is cooked right there before you so its fresh.

LOL

Really? I am Indian and have family in India. Indians have a ridiculously high rate of diabetes and heart disease. Sure, they cook a lot (or have low-paid employees who cook for them, actually) but the amount of sugar and butter used in the cooking is unbelievable.

You’re right, that someone does come door to door with fresh vegetables daily. However, the vegetables are a supplemented with lots of rice and roti and sugary chai. Heck, growing up, the parents used to feed us ‘glucose biscuits’ as healthy.

I wouldn’t make any generalizations about how people in one country eat versus how people eat in the US.

All the coconut milk and products clog arteries

Absolutely! And the ghee. Tasty but it’ll kill you eventually. Every older male in my Indian family has had heart disease and several died before the age of 65. Not to mention the alcohol consumption (not by all Indians - some strict ones don’t drink). And the tobacco products that will rot your teeth and give you oral cancer?

Nah, I wouldn’t look to Asia for inspiration.

From a fellow desi. Most desis have undiagnosed diabetes. The rate of diabetes in India is higher than the US. Obesity is obviously much much lower. Combined with smoking and a very carb heavy diet it's a recipe for disaster. Most diabetics if not all develop heart disease.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I live in Southern California and most kids are thin. Maybe it’s where you live.

it's definitely where you are in the US. Go to Appalachia or the South. They're all fat AF.

+1 In Louisiana, people come in 2 sizes: obese or meth skinny.

From Houston. I get it. Food is central down there.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I've lived in Asia and can tell you that American supermarkets are a heavenly cornucopia of a snackhole.
Asian markets don't sell nearly 1/4th the ready eat stuff that American markets have. Most things in Asian markets are meant to be cooked or prepared somehow. Not just rip open a bag and heat it in a microwave. There's a lot of veggies, fruits, tofu, raw meat (sometimes cured but definitely few ready to eat).
So there's that immediate gratification thing that America has with food reflected its its plethora of readymade meals.
Asians tend to have a hangup with freshness of foods - freshly steamed, cooked, chopped, nothing a day or two old. Packaged foods are considered, how do I put it, food not made with love. Sad food.
This food culture has its drawbacks - a lot of time is spent in kitchen prep.

Asia also has a lot of very active night markets for those who don't want to cook. That's the closest to ready eat foods. Night markets are usually a social activity - walk, eat, talk, eat, shop, eat with friends or family. And the food is cooked right there before you so its fresh.

LOL

Really? I am Indian and have family in India. Indians have a ridiculously high rate of diabetes and heart disease. Sure, they cook a lot (or have low-paid employees who cook for them, actually) but the amount of sugar and butter used in the cooking is unbelievable.

You’re right, that someone does come door to door with fresh vegetables daily. However, the vegetables are a supplemented with lots of rice and roti and sugary chai. Heck, growing up, the parents used to feed us ‘glucose biscuits’ as healthy.

I wouldn’t make any generalizations about how people in one country eat versus how people eat in the US.

All the coconut milk and products clog arteries

Absolutely! And the ghee. Tasty but it’ll kill you eventually. Every older male in my Indian family has had heart disease and several died before the age of 65. Not to mention the alcohol consumption (not by all Indians - some strict ones don’t drink). And the tobacco products that will rot your teeth and give you oral cancer?

Nah, I wouldn’t look to Asia for inspiration.

From a fellow desi. Most desis have undiagnosed diabetes. The rate of diabetes in India is higher than the US. Obesity is obviously much much lower. Combined with smoking and a very carb heavy diet it's a recipe for disaster. Most diabetics if not all develop heart disease.

There’s also a huge genetic component of type 2 diabetes.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

I also lived in Eastern Europe for several years and this is spot on. (It’s been awhile so things may have changed.) But in my experience…Most young women did not have a healthy relationship with food. They smoked a lot to curb their appetite. They starved most of the time. They didn’t do anything athletic or exercise; there was a ton of fat shaming. The trend was to be very thin— not healthy.

Not my experience at all. Curvier women were always more popular. Being skinny was considered not only unattractive, but sickly as well. For this very reason, no one really refrained form eating, quite the opposite.
People are generally slimmer than Americas and generally there was never more than 1-2 overweight people in my wider circle.

Both of you need to mention countries. "Eastern Europe" is where or what, exactly? Finland? Austria? Both in the east. Russia? Slovakia? Different cultures everywhere.

Austria and Slovakia are Central Europe. Learned that from my friend in Vienna 20+ years ago.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

I also lived in Eastern Europe for several years and this is spot on. (It’s been awhile so things may have changed.) But in my experience…Most young women did not have a healthy relationship with food. They smoked a lot to curb their appetite. They starved most of the time. They didn’t do anything athletic or exercise; there was a ton of fat shaming. The trend was to be very thin— not healthy.

Not my experience at all. Curvier women were always more popular. Being skinny was considered not only unattractive, but sickly as well. For this very reason, no one really refrained form eating, quite the opposite.
People are generally slimmer than Americas and generally there was never more than 1-2 overweight people in my wider circle.

Both of you need to mention countries. "Eastern Europe" is where or what, exactly? Finland? Austria? Both in the east. Russia? Slovakia? Different cultures everywhere.

Exactly. And not all former Soviet countries are the same in this either. Russian women tend to focus more on being really skinny, where as Georgian and Armenian women are curvier and that's preferred.

[Anonymous]

Their cities are walkable, they have paid time off as part of their jobs so they can travel and stuff, and their food isn’t as processed and crammed with additives. This isn’t rocket science.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I've lived in Asia and can tell you that American supermarkets are a heavenly cornucopia of a snackhole.
Asian markets don't sell nearly 1/4th the ready eat stuff that American markets have. Most things in Asian markets are meant to be cooked or prepared somehow. Not just rip open a bag and heat it in a microwave. There's a lot of veggies, fruits, tofu, raw meat (sometimes cured but definitely few ready to eat).
So there's that immediate gratification thing that America has with food reflected its its plethora of readymade meals.
Asians tend to have a hangup with freshness of foods - freshly steamed, cooked, chopped, nothing a day or two old. Packaged foods are considered, how do I put it, food not made with love. Sad food.
This food culture has its drawbacks - a lot of time is spent in kitchen prep.

Asia also has a lot of very active night markets for those who don't want to cook. That's the closest to ready eat foods. Night markets are usually a social activity - walk, eat, talk, eat, shop, eat with friends or family. And the food is cooked right there before you so its fresh.

LOL

Really? I am Indian and have family in India. Indians have a ridiculously high rate of diabetes and heart disease. Sure, they cook a lot (or have low-paid employees who cook for them, actually) but the amount of sugar and butter used in the cooking is unbelievable.

You’re right, that someone does come door to door with fresh vegetables daily. However, the vegetables are a supplemented with lots of rice and roti and sugary chai. Heck, growing up, the parents used to feed us ‘glucose biscuits’ as healthy.

I wouldn’t make any generalizations about how people in one country eat versus how people eat in the US.

All the coconut milk and products clog arteries

Absolutely! And the ghee. Tasty but it’ll kill you eventually. Every older male in my Indian family has had heart disease and several died before the age of 65. Not to mention the alcohol consumption (not by all Indians - some strict ones don’t drink). And the tobacco products that will rot your teeth and give you oral cancer?

Nah, I wouldn’t look to Asia for inspiration.

You sound ignorant OP (and the Indian PP as well). India has a billion people, even though your family may be unhealthy, longevity there is increasing. Many Indians eat 10x the amount of vegetables than Americans would eat on an annual basis, and particularly in the South of India, foods are more often vegetarian and prepared with a onion/garlic/ginger base that's healthier than much of what is available in American common cooking. And per capita alcohol consumption in India is 1/3 that of the United States-I'm surprised you would even write that-some people do drink beer, but it's for the most part not a boozy social culture as in the United States, especially for women.

https://worldpopulationreview.com/country-rankings/alcohol-consumption-by-country

I'm not saying that India's food culture is on par with the Mediterranean diet, but with the availability of fresh fruit and vegetables and greater emphasis on cooking from scratch, it's definitely not worse than the USA.