If certain DCUMers are right about European vs US food…

[Anonymous]

It's the land of plenty. Alot of options for food. Not just 1 or 2 options for bread or snacks but at least 10+ brands and types of snacks. Many ways to consume junk. Then, we blame it on our busy schedule when it is our unhealthy choices.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m in my late 30s and have lived in Europe for about two years. I am hypothyroidism and have always struggled with my weight as a result. Here I have lost weight. I think food is far less preserved and much less sugar is added. I will say I can eat pastries, bread, pasta and desserts here much easier with feeling sick or noticing tighter jeans. I pretty much avoided these foods in the US.

I spent six weeks in the US over the summer and had diarrhea often. Sometimes like almost instantly after eating. It was worse when eating restaurant food. My husband who is thin and has no health issues has similar issues. There must be something in the food that destroys the gut, especially for those that aren’t used to it.

The other thing no one has mentioned is now lunch is usually the main meal of the day. Not in places like the UK but in Spain, France, Italy etc. I really think eating the majority of calories midday makes a difference.

Lastly I think Americans suffer more. People I know here have a much better relationship with food. They enjoy it and don’t seem to obsess or feel guilty. They eat bread and cheese and pasta but in smaller amounts too.

Another American in Europe and I agree with this post. I have such bad diarrhea when I return to the US.

The other thing I would add is the lack of snacking. The culture here is much more oriented toward 3 meals a day. There's no grab some crackers for a late morning snack or afternoon Starbucks run for a mocha or fried foods at happy hour. Once I adopted European portion sizes and focused on mealtimes (and actually sitting down for meals), the weight came off. I enjoy bread, pastries, cheese all of it, but I only eat 3 times a day (maybe a light snack like some nuts or fruit if hungry) and it is weirdly easier here. I think a big part of that is the food is truly more flavorful. Especially the basics like eggs, milk, bread, butter, and fruit. Like it's actually really satisfying to eat a pear or just a small piece of bread with butter. And I never would have said that in the US, I was a big eater.

The is the biggest difference to me and also what has changed in America in the last 50 years. People used to not snack and eat 3 square meals a day of a normal size. Not anymore. Anyone with kids knows how we are pushed to provide snacks constantly. Anyone who has dined at a restaurant knows how large the portions are at most places.

I eat 3 small meals a day and only eat half of my entree when I go to a restaurant. I don’t snack. I am thin. I do not go to exercise classes or eat any sort of special diet. Just normal food and only 3x a day.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m in my late 30s and have lived in Europe for about two years. I am hypothyroidism and have always struggled with my weight as a result. Here I have lost weight. I think food is far less preserved and much less sugar is added. I will say I can eat pastries, bread, pasta and desserts here much easier with feeling sick or noticing tighter jeans. I pretty much avoided these foods in the US.

I spent six weeks in the US over the summer and had diarrhea often. Sometimes like almost instantly after eating. It was worse when eating restaurant food. My husband who is thin and has no health issues has similar issues. There must be something in the food that destroys the gut, especially for those that aren’t used to it.

The other thing no one has mentioned is now lunch is usually the main meal of the day. Not in places like the UK but in Spain, France, Italy etc. I really think eating the majority of calories midday makes a difference.

Lastly I think Americans suffer more. People I know here have a much better relationship with food. They enjoy it and don’t seem to obsess or feel guilty. They eat bread and cheese and pasta but in smaller amounts too.

Another American in Europe and I agree with this post. I have such bad diarrhea when I return to the US.

The other thing I would add is the lack of snacking. The culture here is much more oriented toward 3 meals a day. There's no grab some crackers for a late morning snack or afternoon Starbucks run for a mocha or fried foods at happy hour. Once I adopted European portion sizes and focused on mealtimes (and actually sitting down for meals), the weight came off. I enjoy bread, pastries, cheese all of it, but I only eat 3 times a day (maybe a light snack like some nuts or fruit if hungry) and it is weirdly easier here. I think a big part of that is the food is truly more flavorful. Especially the basics like eggs, milk, bread, butter, and fruit. Like it's actually really satisfying to eat a pear or just a small piece of bread with butter. And I never would have said that in the US, I was a big eater.

The is the biggest difference to me and also what has changed in America in the last 50 years. People used to not snack and eat 3 square meals a day of a normal size. Not anymore. Anyone with kids knows how we are pushed to provide snacks constantly. Anyone who has dined at a restaurant knows how large the portions are at most places.

I eat 3 small meals a day and only eat half of my entree when I go to a restaurant. I don’t snack. I am thin. I do not go to exercise classes or eat any sort of special diet. Just normal food and only 3x a day.

The snacks for kids are awful too. GOLDFISH crackers are an abomination.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I followed the thread(s) about European foods with some skepticism, because I lived for a long time in Germany, and found it no easier to lose weight there than the US. But recently I spent a longish time in France and had a totally different experience. The biggest difference is that I simply found it easier to stop eating when I was done/full. In the US I find it pretty hard to not just automatically clean my plate. In France I found myself abandoning even delicious meals because I just felt done. And it’s NOT fat content alone. I’ve tried high fat/keto living in the US and that was definitely my biggest diet failure.

So if you’re one of the people who had similar experiences living/traveling in Europe, is there anything you have done to translate it to living home again? Any ingredients you especially avoid or add?

Can you do an AMA about living in Germany or suggest any IG accounts to follow? Considering a post there as a civilian through military.

[Anonymous]

It is definitely the snacking, the added sugar in American food, and the drinks.
I lived in Europe for 5 years, and honestly couldn't believe the people weren't fatter - the food seemed so unhealthy - you literally cannot find any unsugared, un-chocolate cereals (apart from muesli), so many pastries, so much bread, butter, ham, cheese...
But! other posters are spot on that there's just no normalized snacking or people walking around with giant sodas or sugared coffee drinks.
The other crazy thing is that in my experience, Europeans don't exercise intently like Americans do (my sample size is Americans that do exercise, not those that don't).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I work at the World Bank/IMF, which together employ more than 1,000 people in the DMV. There are very, very, very few visibly fat people working here. Some senior people have lived in the United States for a decade or more, continuously. I know a couple of people coming up on their 30th anniversary.

Point being, it's not just "the US food supply" that magically makes humans living in the USA fat. The Danish, Japanese, Moroccan and Swiss friends who have lived in DC since ~2000 (without a significant break to their home countries) are STILL normal weight .

I am fascinated by this, honestly. ie, if the problem _really_ was "the US food 'supply'" then presumably a lot of Bank/IMF long haulers would be plump by now. Because while you can choose to 100% avoid Coke and Lunchables, it would be difficult if not impossible to avoid any flour, eggs, milk, MEAT, etc. for years on end.

Right?

I would also add that the expats you mentioned don’t have American food habits either.

You make a good point.

I immigrated here decades ago, and my family still primarily shops at specialty food stores. Milk is not really part of our diet. We don't use cow beef or flour that much.

We eat a lot of beans (5 out of 7 days a week), tomatoes, fish, goat meat, potatoes, Plantains, some not too common yams, eggplants, okra etc

What other kind of beef is there?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I work at the World Bank/IMF, which together employ more than 1,000 people in the DMV. There are very, very, very few visibly fat people working here. Some senior people have lived in the United States for a decade or more, continuously. I know a couple of people coming up on their 30th anniversary.

Point being, it's not just "the US food supply" that magically makes humans living in the USA fat. The Danish, Japanese, Moroccan and Swiss friends who have lived in DC since ~2000 (without a significant break to their home countries) are STILL normal weight .

I am fascinated by this, honestly. ie, if the problem _really_ was "the US food 'supply'" then presumably a lot of Bank/IMF long haulers would be plump by now. Because while you can choose to 100% avoid Coke and Lunchables, it would be difficult if not impossible to avoid any flour, eggs, milk, MEAT, etc. for years on end.

Right?

I would also add that the expats you mentioned don’t have American food habits either.

You make a good point.

I immigrated here decades ago, and my family still primarily shops at specialty food stores. Milk is not really part of our diet. We don't use cow beef or flour that much.

We eat a lot of beans (5 out of 7 days a week), tomatoes, fish, goat meat, potatoes, Plantains, some not too common yams, eggplants, okra etc

What other kind of beef is there?

Jesus. PP identified as an immigrant and thus probably does not speak English as a first language or at any rate not Americanized English. Why do you need to be a dick?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It is definitely the snacking, the added sugar in American food, and the drinks.
I lived in Europe for 5 years, and honestly couldn't believe the people weren't fatter - the food seemed so unhealthy - you literally cannot find any unsugared, un-chocolate cereals (apart from muesli), so many pastries, so much bread, butter, ham, cheese...
But! other posters are spot on that there's just no normalized snacking or people walking around with giant sodas or sugared coffee drinks.
The other crazy thing is that in my experience, Europeans don't exercise intently like Americans do (my sample size is Americans that do exercise, not those that don't).

It's the additives in American food and lack of portion control. I'm an immigrant and was shocked when a teenage guest took 4 slices of pizza on his first helping. Didnt care about leaving enough for other people, including us hosts. Wouldn't happen in other cultures.

[Anonymous]

American food culture has become very popular in Europe.

Most Europeans are now overweight, but not obese like the majority of Americans.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m in my late 30s and have lived in Europe for about two years. I am hypothyroidism and have always struggled with my weight as a result. Here I have lost weight. I think food is far less preserved and much less sugar is added. I will say I can eat pastries, bread, pasta and desserts here much easier with feeling sick or noticing tighter jeans. I pretty much avoided these foods in the US.

I spent six weeks in the US over the summer and had diarrhea often. Sometimes like almost instantly after eating. It was worse when eating restaurant food. My husband who is thin and has no health issues has similar issues. There must be something in the food that destroys the gut, especially for those that aren’t used to it.

The other thing no one has mentioned is now lunch is usually the main meal of the day. Not in places like the UK but in Spain, France, Italy etc. I really think eating the majority of calories midday makes a difference.

Lastly I think Americans suffer more. People I know here have a much better relationship with food. They enjoy it and don’t seem to obsess or feel guilty. They eat bread and cheese and pasta but in smaller amounts too.

Another American in Europe and I agree with this post. I have such bad diarrhea when I return to the US.

The other thing I would add is the lack of snacking. The culture here is much more oriented toward 3 meals a day. There's no grab some crackers for a late morning snack or afternoon Starbucks run for a mocha or fried foods at happy hour. Once I adopted European portion sizes and focused on mealtimes (and actually sitting down for meals), the weight came off. I enjoy bread, pastries, cheese all of it, but I only eat 3 times a day (maybe a light snack like some nuts or fruit if hungry) and it is weirdly easier here. I think a big part of that is the food is truly more flavorful. Especially the basics like eggs, milk, bread, butter, and fruit. Like it's actually really satisfying to eat a pear or just a small piece of bread with butter. And I never would have said that in the US, I was a big eater.

The is the biggest difference to me and also what has changed in America in the last 50 years. People used to not snack and eat 3 square meals a day of a normal size. Not anymore. Anyone with kids knows how we are pushed to provide snacks constantly. Anyone who has dined at a restaurant knows how large the portions are at most places.

I eat 3 small meals a day and only eat half of my entree when I go to a restaurant. I don’t snack. I am thin. I do not go to exercise classes or eat any sort of special diet. Just normal food and only 3x a day.

The snacks for kids are awful too. GOLDFISH crackers are an abomination.

I'm the original poster re: snacking and that was one of the first things I noticed was there were no snacks at the playground. No little snack cups or trays on strollers. Same at daycare and preschool too. There is a late afternoon sit down snack for little kids, but it's usually a piece of fruit, a piece of bread with butter and a cup of milk. No eating on the go starts from the beginning and you can't find anything like goldfish crackers here.

I really think it's the combination of sitting down for real meals (no eating at your desk or in the car) plus the food being more flavorful that makes 3 meals feel like enough. I eat so much less now and it's not hard to do that here.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Even if US adds more fat, sugar, salt, it is disclosed in the label. There is a content breakdown and calories listed for nearly everything you would buy.

Count calories/and or weigh yourself regularly and you should have zero issue in preventing large
amounts of weight gain.

Nope. Some foods are more satiating than others when calories are held constant.

It is the purveyors of carb-heavy garbage food who push the line "just watch your calories and you'll be fine".

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I struggle to understand this too, as a European who now lives here. I think it is down to American tastes, which aren’t the same as mine (I love cake but my recipes have literally half the sugar of an American one) and the increasing obesity in Europe is due to importing of more American foods which is changing the taste there.

This. It’s the added sugar. The food companies have figured out how to make their foods more addictive and don’t care about the consequences to people’s health. It’s capitalism. Vote with your wallet and don’t buy foods with added sugar or flavorings.

Too late. People know how much sugar is in stuff. It is right on the label. But they don’t care because they like it and will buy it anyway. Just look at hot cocoa bombs that are super popular right now. They have about 45-50 grams of sugar in them (just for the bomb, not the milk). But people LOVE them. I saw a lady at Trader Joe’s quite literally put 20 in her cart. Some Trader Joe’s have put signs out saying limit 5 per person. If you make your own hot cocoa it works out to be 1 tablespoon of added sugar per serving or 15 grams. But people don’t want to do that

I don't think people do know how much sugar is in stuff. People don't read labels. People also underestimate how much sugar they eat in total, not least because they're not actively tracking their food intake.

In many cases it's hard to avoid sugar - for example, if you want to eat bread at all, good luck finding a brand that doesn't have sugar in it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I struggle to understand this too, as a European who now lives here. I think it is down to American tastes, which aren’t the same as mine (I love cake but my recipes have literally half the sugar of an American one) and the increasing obesity in Europe is due to importing of more American foods which is changing the taste there.

This. It’s the added sugar. The food companies have figured out how to make their foods more addictive and don’t care about the consequences to people’s health. It’s capitalism. Vote with your wallet and don’t buy foods with added sugar or flavorings.

Too late. People know how much sugar is in stuff. It is right on the label. But they don’t care because they like it and will buy it anyway. Just look at hot cocoa bombs that are super popular right now. They have about 45-50 grams of sugar in them (just for the bomb, not the milk). But people LOVE them. I saw a lady at Trader Joe’s quite literally put 20 in her cart. Some Trader Joe’s have put signs out saying limit 5 per person. If you make your own hot cocoa it works out to be 1 tablespoon of added sugar per serving or 15 grams. But people don’t want to do that

I don't think people do know how much sugar is in stuff. People don't read labels. People also underestimate how much sugar they eat in total, not least because they're not actively tracking their food intake.

In many cases it's hard to avoid sugar - for example, if you want to eat bread at all, good luck finding a brand that doesn't have sugar in it.

Honestly, just buy from artisanal producers and support local. I don’t buy bread or vegetables from the store anymore now since finding fresher and better options at my local farmers market. Even Whole Foods doesn’t compare.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It is definitely the snacking, the added sugar in American food, and the drinks.
I lived in Europe for 5 years, and honestly couldn't believe the people weren't fatter - the food seemed so unhealthy - you literally cannot find any unsugared, un-chocolate cereals (apart from muesli), so many pastries, so much bread, butter, ham, cheese...
But! other posters are spot on that there's just no normalized snacking or people walking around with giant sodas or sugared coffee drinks.
The other crazy thing is that in my experience, Europeans don't exercise intently like Americans do (my sample size is Americans that do exercise, not those that don't).

It's the additives in American food and lack of portion control. I'm an immigrant and was shocked when a teenage guest took 4 slices of pizza on his first helping. Didnt care about leaving enough for other people, including us hosts. Wouldn't happen in other cultures.

My employer bought us lunch recently which was sub sandwiches. She assumed one sandwich per person. The 20 something guys were taking as many as four sandwiches apiece so a lot of us went hungry. I thought it was rude but they just said she was cheap because "no one could live off one sandwich." ALL of them are overweight!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It is definitely the snacking, the added sugar in American food, and the drinks.
I lived in Europe for 5 years, and honestly couldn't believe the people weren't fatter - the food seemed so unhealthy - you literally cannot find any unsugared, un-chocolate cereals (apart from muesli), so many pastries, so much bread, butter, ham, cheese...
But! other posters are spot on that there's just no normalized snacking or people walking around with giant sodas or sugared coffee drinks.
The other crazy thing is that in my experience, Europeans don't exercise intently like Americans do (my sample size is Americans that do exercise, not those that don't).

It's the additives in American food and lack of portion control. I'm an immigrant and was shocked when a teenage guest took 4 slices of pizza on his first helping. Didnt care about leaving enough for other people, including us hosts. Wouldn't happen in other cultures.

My employer bought us lunch recently which was sub sandwiches. She assumed one sandwich per person. The 20 something guys were taking as many as four sandwiches apiece so a lot of us went hungry. I thought it was rude but they just said she was cheap because "no one could live off one sandwich." ALL of them are overweight!

That is super rude and bad Gen-Z behavior. No one has good manners anymore.