What in US food supply causes weight gain and inflammation?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I lived in Germany for over a year and came home 5 lbs heavier (on a tall frame so basically the same). I don't think there's a lick of truth to this, no matter how often people say it.

Agree. It isn’t what’s in the food, it is the actually food people are choosing to eat. The US is the birth place of processed food, fast food, convenience foods. They are EVERYWHERE. And those food companies have marketed them hard for decades as a brilliant shortcut because people are soooo busy you don’t possibly have time to cook, and even if you did, you surly have better things to do than cook. People in the US have been brain washed to believe they don’t have time to make their own meals and thinking it is more expensive to cook/prepare your own cook. And now that everyone is used to eating crap, they love it, think it tastes better, and like the minimal effort.

If you live in the US, you don’t have to eat like that. Eating real whole food can be simple and cheap. But people in the US just don’t to.

OP here. I thought that was it at first, which is why I started food logging and tracking. I am now sure that this is not what is going on here for me. When I am in Europe I eat at a lot more restaurants. I cook homemade meals from scratch here. I also unquestionably eat more in Europe. I now have multiple trips where I’ve logged food and it is clear I eat more (and more restaurant food) when in Europe.

It also doesn’t explain the stiffness and achiness.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I lived in Germany for over a year and came home 5 lbs heavier (on a tall frame so basically the same). I don't think there's a lick of truth to this, no matter how often people say it.

Agree. It isn’t what’s in the food, it is the actually food people are choosing to eat. The US is the birth place of processed food, fast food, convenience foods. They are EVERYWHERE. And those food companies have marketed them hard for decades as a brilliant shortcut because people are soooo busy you don’t possibly have time to cook, and even if you did, you surly have better things to do than cook. People in the US have been brain washed to believe they don’t have time to make their own meals and thinking it is more expensive to cook/prepare your own cook. And now that everyone is used to eating crap, they love it, think it tastes better, and like the minimal effort.

If you live in the US, you don’t have to eat like that. Eating real whole food can be simple and cheap. But people in the US just don’t to.

OP here. I thought that was it at first, which is why I started food logging and tracking. I am now sure that this is not what is going on here for me. When I am in Europe I eat at a lot more restaurants. I cook homemade meals from scratch here. I also unquestionably eat more in Europe. I now have multiple trips where I’ve logged food and it is clear I eat more (and more restaurant food) when in Europe.

It also doesn’t explain the stiffness and achiness.

There is absolutely no way, at all, that you are even close to accurately logging restaurant food. You don’t have a scale. You don’t have the ingredients. It’s a complete fiction of a calorie count.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I lived in Germany for over a year and came home 5 lbs heavier (on a tall frame so basically the same). I don't think there's a lick of truth to this, no matter how often people say it.

Agree. It isn’t what’s in the food, it is the actually food people are choosing to eat. The US is the birth place of processed food, fast food, convenience foods. They are EVERYWHERE. And those food companies have marketed them hard for decades as a brilliant shortcut because people are soooo busy you don’t possibly have time to cook, and even if you did, you surly have better things to do than cook. People in the US have been brain washed to believe they don’t have time to make their own meals and thinking it is more expensive to cook/prepare your own cook. And now that everyone is used to eating crap, they love it, think it tastes better, and like the minimal effort.

If you live in the US, you don’t have to eat like that. Eating real whole food can be simple and cheap. But people in the US just don’t to.

OP here. I thought that was it at first, which is why I started food logging and tracking. I am now sure that this is not what is going on here for me. When I am in Europe I eat at a lot more restaurants. I cook homemade meals from scratch here. I also unquestionably eat more in Europe. I now have multiple trips where I’ve logged food and it is clear I eat more (and more restaurant food) when in Europe.

It also doesn’t explain the stiffness and achiness.

There is absolutely no way, at all, that you are even close to accurately logging restaurant food. You don’t have a scale. You don’t have the ingredients. It’s a complete fiction of a calorie count.

OP here. Maybe. Although I’ve done a lot of food tracking over the years (not for weight control, I did it for medical reasons as I was trying to track a possible food allergy in one of my kids), so I’m pretty experienced. In my experience (and I think nutrition experts agree), the issue with food logs and restaurants is that calories are undercounted not overcounted. But my food log shows that I eat more food in Europe versus the US, and I eat more in restaurants in Europe. Even if I wasn’t food tracking, it seems pretty unlikely that I’m eating more food with my homecooked US meals than European restaurant meals. A typical US dinner for me might be grilled salmon, bok choy, and rice. That can’t be more food than a European restaurant meal.

It also doesn’t explain the stiffness and aches.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Alternative explanation to advance: when you all visit Europe, you’re thrown out of your normal routines. You’re walking more because you’re in a new place, you have to really think about how, when, where to get food. Maybe you skip a meal or a snack here and there because it’s less convenient and comfortable than what’s in your pantry at home. You’re eating less, moving more. Portion sizes are smaller, too. People snack less. It’s not what’s in the food, it’s that the routines are different.

This. If you moved there and established normal life routines, with work stress and evening snacking, you’d likely be right back where you started, and if you weren’t it’d be because you successfully changed your habits.

No, I have lived in Europe on several different stints. I lose weight there.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Alternative explanation to advance: when you all visit Europe, you’re thrown out of your normal routines. You’re walking more because you’re in a new place, you have to really think about how, when, where to get food. Maybe you skip a meal or a snack here and there because it’s less convenient and comfortable than what’s in your pantry at home. You’re eating less, moving more. Portion sizes are smaller, too. People snack less. It’s not what’s in the food, it’s that the routines are different.

This. If you moved there and established normal life routines, with work stress and evening snacking, you’d likely be right back where you started, and if you weren’t it’d be because you successfully changed your habits.

No, I have lived in Europe on several different stints. I lose weight there.

OP here. I have also lost weight in Europe when I lived there. It was effortless.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This entire thread is full of pseudoscience. Please go back to goop.

What exactly on this thread is "pseudoscience"? You said it, so explain yourself.

There's no evidence that GMOs cause obesity. None.
Americans don't drink more alcohol than other countries.
Our soil is depleted of nutrients? Evidence? Connection to Obesity?
Evidence that processed food causes obesity? Proof?
Pesticides cause inflammation and thus obesity? Proof?

I'll give you that eating lots of sugar probably has som impact. The rest of these reasons are garbage.

There is ABUNDANT published evidence of this, so I’m not sure why you’re asking aggressively like it’s some sort of gotcha question. You’re just showing your own a$$

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Alternative explanation to advance: when you all visit Europe, you’re thrown out of your normal routines. You’re walking more because you’re in a new place, you have to really think about how, when, where to get food. Maybe you skip a meal or a snack here and there because it’s less convenient and comfortable than what’s in your pantry at home. You’re eating less, moving more. Portion sizes are smaller, too. People snack less. It’s not what’s in the food, it’s that the routines are different.

This. If you moved there and established normal life routines, with work stress and evening snacking, you’d likely be right back where you started, and if you weren’t it’d be because you successfully changed your habits.

No, I have lived in Europe on several different stints. I lose weight there.

OP here. I have also lost weight in Europe when I lived there. It was effortless.

You’re probably walking a lot more than you do here. It speeds up metabolism.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Sugar, wheat and corn by products, chemicals. Stick to whole foods nothing processed. Organic meat, fruits and veg

This poster has it correct.

Log what you are eating and how you feel.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I lived in Germany for over a year and came home 5 lbs heavier (on a tall frame so basically the same). I don't think there's a lick of truth to this, no matter how often people say it.

Agree. It isn’t what’s in the food, it is the actually food people are choosing to eat. The US is the birth place of processed food, fast food, convenience foods. They are EVERYWHERE. And those food companies have marketed them hard for decades as a brilliant shortcut because people are soooo busy you don’t possibly have time to cook, and even if you did, you surly have better things to do than cook. People in the US have been brain washed to believe they don’t have time to make their own meals and thinking it is more expensive to cook/prepare your own cook. And now that everyone is used to eating crap, they love it, think it tastes better, and like the minimal effort.

If you live in the US, you don’t have to eat like that. Eating real whole food can be simple and cheap. But people in the US just don’t to.

OP here. I thought that was it at first, which is why I started food logging and tracking. I am now sure that this is not what is going on here for me. When I am in Europe I eat at a lot more restaurants. I cook homemade meals from scratch here. I also unquestionably eat more in Europe. I now have multiple trips where I’ve logged food and it is clear I eat more (and more restaurant food) when in Europe.

It also doesn’t explain the stiffness and achiness.

There is absolutely no way, at all, that you are even close to accurately logging restaurant food. You don’t have a scale. You don’t have the ingredients. It’s a complete fiction of a calorie count.

OP here. Maybe. Although I’ve done a lot of food tracking over the years (not for weight control, I did it for medical reasons as I was trying to track a possible food allergy in one of my kids), so I’m pretty experienced. In my experience (and I think nutrition experts agree), the issue with food logs and restaurants is that calories are undercounted not overcounted. But my food log shows that I eat more food in Europe versus the US, and I eat more in restaurants in Europe. Even if I wasn’t food tracking, it seems pretty unlikely that I’m eating more food with my homecooked US meals than European restaurant meals. A typical US dinner for me might be grilled salmon, bok choy, and rice. That can’t be more food than a European restaurant meal.

It also doesn’t explain the stiffness and aches.

Stiffness and aches are heavily tied to gluten (wheat) and sugar.

[Anonymous]

Oh this is an interesting discussion! I just returned from Europe for two weeks and lost about 15 pounds. But I am gluten free always. I had more alcohol on my trip but also walked more. But again, I never touch bread. I only eat unprocessed foods. I actually don’t think it’s tied to food but stress! Stress creates cortisol, which leads to weight gain. I think the lifestyle in the US is extremely stressful, especially right now. (I had a big revelation while traveling that I just don’t care anymore, so I been back for 3 weeks and haven’t gained any weight.)

[Anonymous]

Italy doesn’t grow enough wheat for the pasta they make and eat, so consider that much of their wheat comes from Ukraine or Canada (Manitoba).

[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/

I don't trust any animal studies. That is unbelievably cruel. People who participate in it should be jailed. Did those animals give their consent to be tortured?

Experiment on yourself and your own kids.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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/

I don't trust any animal studies. That is unbelievably cruel. People who participate in it should be jailed. Did those animals give their consent to be tortured?

Experiment on yourself and your own kids.

Oh lord

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:-Our flour is highly processed.
-Our pasta is also highly processed, not made of the same durum wheat as Italian pasta.
-Our soil is extremely depleted of nutrients.
-There's hidden sugars in everything

This except I’m not knowledgeable about the soil issue.

I used to think the fervor about non gmo but as stupid but honestly now I think there may be something to it. And I agree we have more added sugars.

I also always lose weight in Europe. And stuff like pizza that makes me feel gross and bloated here doesn’t do the same here.

OP here. The pizza thing is noticeable for me. When I am there, I eat the Italian-style personal pizza, where you get one personal pizza. That’s a huge amount of pizza! I usually leave a slice or two, and can’t finish, but still, it’s a lot. Here, I feel gross and bloated after just one slice, and I rarely eat pizza as a result. I can’t help but wonder if there is something different in the pizza ingredients.

We generally have more cheese on our pizza here. On everything, actually. It may be the lactose.

Not just more cheese but more sugar. The crust is sweet, the sauce is sweet, the toppings are sweet (pineapple…yuck). We just eat too much damn sugar in this country! (And yes, I know lactose is also a sugar).

Well skip the d*amn pizza and eat the pineapple! Pizza is gross. At least put some paper towels on top of the pizza and take the grease off of it. Really, people, take responsibility for your eating habits!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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/

I don't trust any animal studies. That is unbelievably cruel. People who participate in it should be jailed. Did those animals give their consent to be tortured?

Experiment on yourself and your own kids.

Oh lord

What does she have to do with it?