Food in America

[melbournian]

I found when I was in the States, even though I was a lot more active than usual and usually I lose weight on holidays because I'm walking everywhere, I didn't lose any weight at all. This was down to budgeting and buying processed food at the supermarket because it was cheaper than the fresh or unprocessed counterparts. In my usual diet the most processed food I eat on a regular basis is wholemeal bread, and there are no soda type drinks or anything like that in the house.

 

[Twerp128]

It's cos they put a ton of sugar and salt into everything.

Your Kermit sig reminded me of that fat youtube chick who put mayonnaise in everything

http://img209.imageshack.**/img209/1568/lolc.gif

 

[Clockwerk]

I do think a lot of Americans are overweight because we are the most car oriented culture and it leads to a chain like this. We have the sprawling cities leading to many people having long commute times, they don't have as much time on either the morning end or night end to eat properly (buying fast food, freezer food, easy prepare food) eating stuff that is packed with preservatives, salt, and high fructose corn syrup. There are millions of other reasons but this I believe to be a key one.

I also find it funny that Jeremy even asked about "getting fat" in America. I'm fairly certain Steven Fry was a lardass when he boarded the plane in England.

 

[chvvkumar]

IMHO the basic reasons for obesity in US are

High calorie DENSITY foods (even low portion sizes are >500 Calories) and relative lack of exercise.


Also IMHO, it is not difficult to be healthy here.Case in point, me.

I was 95Kgs when I came here an year ago. Now I am 85Kgs for the past 7 months. This dispite me eating atleast 1 meal of the day at a McDonald/Burger King/Taco Bell.

You just have to be really careful what you eat. I also think that being a diabetic also forces me to live healthy by careful diet and walking for ~4 miles every day.

 

[_HighVoltage_]

I do think a lot of Americans are overweight because we are the most car oriented culture and it leads to a chain like this.

You have a point there. Cars have taken away the most basic of movements.
Case in point - drive throughs. Was it so difficult to get into the restaurant and carry your food on a tray? Not to mention that most of the time the line is so long, that you are better off just going and ordering in the restaurant.
And in the end - if you go through the drivethrough, you have to eat in your car. Which is nasty and uncomfortable.
I can't think of one good reason for their existence.

 

[Clockwerk]

^yeah for the most part fast food utterly disgusts me, but I do have a soft spot* for Wendy's spicy chicken sandwich.



*the soft spot is my love handles

 

[jeremysg]

3. Junk Food, Genetically modified vegetables and meats, corn syrup, sugar

i have to poke at this one. specifically the fact we've been "genetically modifying" vegies for over a century. And cause of Human intervention in breeding of our meat animals, they've managed to make them more healthy for human consumption (especially Pig.. mmm... pig).

From my experience, the two most important things to avoid, which Americans seem to enjoy quite a lot are soda(or pop) and chips.
They say that chips nowadays contains no trans fat, but it's still pretty bad for your weight.

If the Atkins diet has taught the world anything, its that carbs are the greater danger than fats. cant speak for others, but i know my body tends to.. well.. "pass right through" any real fatty aspects of foods. they hardly stick to me. carbs... thats another story..

i started noticing my waistline increasing after eaching too much high-carb foods for lunch during the week, pasta, assorted potato dishes, etc. and the fact i annoying have a desk job, i've been trying to cut back on my carb intake since.

AND, lets not forget about how quickly we eat our food. i think europe might not be taught to rush through meals like we are here in the states. i havent been in school for 12 or so years now... yet i still feel the urge to hurry up and eat... like i'll be late to get back to class. this has been the most difficult problem to over come, for me.

 

[thedguy]

I think our artificial sugars (corn syrup) is a lot of the problem. Research has shown that this shit is 5x worse than sugar.

How much more Soda do you guys drink when staying/living in the states versus other parts of the world? Our soda is loaded with that shit, other parts get proper sugar.

 

[Ironlord]

Case in point - drive throughs. Was it so difficult to get into the restaurant and carry your food on a tray? Not to mention that most of the time the line is so long, that you are better off just going and ordering in the restaurant.

I was at Ronnie's eatery earlier; yes, I'd driven there, but I also had a fuel tank to fill (at Sainsbury's just over the road). My first thoughts were: "If I was American, I'd have used the drivethrough."

But, actually, if I was American, I'd still have parked and ordered inside, risking bemused looks that said "Hey, buddy, why don't you use the drivethrough?" from everyone else still sitting in line. Fact is, I know exactly what the conversation would be like if I did use the drivethrough:

Me:
Double cheeseburger, large fries and a Coke, please.

Acne-ridden youth working in McDonald's drivethrough booth:
*STATIC* Mmph mmph mphmph mmmmph mmph mmph? *STATIC*

Me:
Er... what?

Acne-ridden youth:
*STATIC* Mmph mmmmph, mmph mphmph mmmmph mmph mmph? *STATIC*

The 14-year-old with the pustulating face is trying to ask me if I want extra cheese with my order, but what chance have I got of knowing that? I point you to TG's American Road Trip, and specifically the point where they tried to talk to the local truckers with CB radios. These, in comparison, are like being in the cab with the trucker in comparison to that... thing that masquerades as a communication device at a drivethrough.

 

[_HighVoltage_]

I think our artificial sugars (corn syrup) is a lot of the problem. Research has shown that this shit is 5x worse than sugar.

How much more Soda do you guys drink when staying/living in the states versus other parts of the world? Our soda is loaded with that shit, other parts get proper sugar.

I didn't know that. I thought that Coke is the same all over the world. Although, I have to admit I have noticed a slight difference in taste between the US and the European Coke.

 

[bartboy9891]

I didn't know that. I thought that Coke is the same all over the world. Although, I have to admit I have noticed a slight difference in taste between the US and the European Coke.

Actually, according to most claims, Coke tastes very different in different parts of the world. It's because they provide only the base (probably a syrup of some kind) to different bottlers in different parts of the world. I don't think there is anything stopping the bottlers from deviating from the original mixture. This is probably why people say Coke tastes different in other countries.

Also I don't think it's confirmed that high fructose corn syrup is directly related to obesity any more so than regular sugar. I thought one of the legitimate complaints was that since HFCS is relatively cheap, companies tend to use a lot more of it to make their products sweeter.

 

[ViperVX]

i have to poke at this one. specifically the fact we've been "genetically modifying" vegies for over a century. And cause of Human intervention in breeding of our meat animals, they've managed to make them more healthy for human consumption (especially Pig.. mmm... pig).

No1 said anything about "over a century". IIRC first gen-mod were potatoes in late 60s for military use, - potatoes that never rot, exactly the same stuff you get in Mcdonalds now. Then came tomatoes, now it's almost everything, especially in US. You can read up on it, info is available.

 

[thedguy]

I didn't know that. I thought that Coke is the same all over the world. Although, I have to admit I have noticed a slight difference in taste between the US and the European Coke.

I can tell a HUGE difference in the flavor of Pepsi in the US vs Mexico. On occasion I'll buy the imported stuff from local mexican grocers.

 

[Magnet]

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h-jy3OtZAss[/youtube]

 

[Rokovak]

If the Atkins diet has taught the world anything, its that carbs are the greater danger than fats. cant speak for others, but i know my body tends to.. well.. "pass right through" any real fatty aspects of foods. they hardly stick to me. carbs... thats another story..

i started noticing my waistline increasing after eaching too much high-carb foods for lunch during the week, pasta, assorted potato dishes, etc. and the fact i annoying have a desk job, i've been trying to cut back on my carb intake since.

Singling out carbs alone isn't the whole story. Italians eat a crap-ton of pasta, and there's hardly any lard butts over there. The French eat a crap-ton of bread, same story.

To varying degrees around the globe, it's genetics and lifestyle - not just diet, not just physical activity, but everything that determines our health.

 

[ahpadt]

i have to poke at this one. specifically the fact we've been "genetically modifying" vegies for over a century. And cause of Human intervention in breeding of our meat animals, they've managed to make them more healthy for human consumption (especially Pig.. mmm... pig).

Fat on an animal = more flavour, so I don't want my pigs all thin.

My way of not getting fat:

- Drink soda rarely, use sparkling water as substitute
- Avoid very fatty meals like deep fried stuff
- Try to include veggies in every meal
- Eat a little less so you don't get extremely full every meal - you should just feel 'satisfied'

 

[Artemekiia]

The fact of the matter is, it's about lifestyle. If you eat less and exercise more then you'll lose weight, it's as simple as that. I lost two pant sizes this past semester simply by cutting down on portions, eating more fruits and veggies, and switching to diet soda (I had to get rid of the fruit juice in my diet though because of all the sugar). There are definitely a lot of Americans that just don't get it though. My sister eats twice as much as me at meals, refuses to eat leafy green things, doesn't exercise, and as a result she's twice my size. My mom, on the other hand, is in great physical condition because she cooks her own meals every night, doesn't snack throughout the day, and exercises regularly. I guess you could say I sort of fall in between there.

I certainly think that culture plays a role though because when I went to Japan for ten days I lost fifteen pounds simply because we walked everywhere and the meals were small but filling.

 

[Artemekiia]

I think our artificial sugars (corn syrup) is a lot of the problem. Research has shown that this shit is 5x worse than sugar.

How much more Soda do you guys drink when staying/living in the states versus other parts of the world? Our soda is loaded with that shit, other parts get proper sugar.

I agree that this certainly plays a role, but it goes even deeper than that. We actually evolved about 100,000 to 200,000 years ago drinking nothing but water and milk, so our bodies aren't equipped to detect the calories in beverages. That means your appetite isn't affected by it. Even the oldest caloric drinks are only about 10,000 years old tops so we haven't had enough time to evolve to cope with them.

So when you drink a soda with dinner your body is still going to tell you to eat the same amount of food, even though you should've stopped eating 200 calories ago. When people drink five sodas a day and their consumption is still going up you can see how that's a problem. Of course, that's not the only problem, but it certainly contributes.

And now I feel like a huge nerd for knowing/posting all that.

 

[Jay]

I eat at McDonald's five times a week, since there is one an eighth mile away from my work. I also am 5' 7" tall, and weigh in at usually 125-130 pounds. My fat percentage is 6%.

Here is the kicker, though: I have a very, VERY fast metabolism. Today I ate at McDonald's the new Angus beef 1/3 pound burger meal (It is really good!) at 11:00 am. By 2:00 pm I was already hungry again. I usually walk about 5-7 miles each day just doing the normal work routine, and I have a very long and quick stride, so much so I can usually out pace people a foot taller than me.

During the week, in order to maintain my level of energy, I have take in about 2500-3000 calories, and that is not an exaggeration. But, on the weekends, that gets cut in half, since I am relaxed. I eat my usual breakfast (yogurt, cereal) at around 6:30 am, then I am not hungry until noon. I "tough it out" until about two pm, and then eat lunch. After that, I do not eat until the following morning. So in a sense, I self regulate my intake according to demand.

Now, before anyone starts pontificating about eating me fast food, and how bad it is for you, I come from a family with genetic heart disease. It does not matter if I eat healthy or poorly; eventually I, like everyone else in my family, will have to have open heart surgery. There is no argument you can offer, I have received opinions from several doctors on this. It is just a fact of my life.

 

[Clockwerk]

^I say eat what you like and consequences be damned.