Why does obesity a rarity in Europe?
 

I've heard recently that the latest research shows that many obese people are fat because they eat for emotional reasons. If so, don't Europeans have emotional issues; therefore, why aren't they fat? Excuse me if I offended anyone.

Why IS obesity.......too early for me...sorry

The fact of comfort eating is hardly latest research.Europeans have alcohol tobacco suicide & driving too fast(depending on the country) to fall back on.
IMO this ends up being a cultural choice.

lucky03, people gave you the benefit of the doubt yesterday as to if you were really just a troll. This question gives us the true answer today.

American children could over-eat through and after Hitler?s war. From 1939 until about 1955 European children were hungry or if not hungry but were strictly fed. Butter and sweets were rationed in Britain until about 1953. So that large part of the people of Europe, now in their 50s or older, were saved from fast food, fatty food, and much advertising for food.

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I read an article about obesity in the US recently, and they listed these reasons;
- portion size
- so called low-fat products that are too high in sugar
- general acceptance of obesity; for example by changing sizes to make people feel better (ie a medium size in the US is really quite large).
Europeans do have emotional issues, and I am sure they too use food for comfort, but systematic overeating every day of the year is something else; and that is what causes obesity.

Have a look at this. It's almost a great a problem her as in the US

http://www.bbc.co.uk/health/yourweig...is_stats.shtml

Europeans don't eat gigantic portions of food like many Americans. Food is cheaper in America than in Europe. Europeans don't have as many Couch Potatoes as America does. More Europeans walk or bike to their jobs than do Americans.

This is an interesting question.

Of course Europeans have emotional issues. And dress sizes are definitely getting bigger in England (can't speak for the Continent).

I think the issue is with snacks. When I go to the States for a holiday, I am always struck by the array and availability of snacks. Whole supermarket aisles devoted to snacks, piled high. I even went to a drive thru for the sheer novelty of it - it has been so long since I could just pull up and order a cream laden coffee to go with a donut. Or 3.

When did Americans start eating while walking around? When malls began?

Lucky03 may be a troll but I'll take his/her topics to those of Degas/dumas/ChubNuts, any day.

Obesity in America is a very serious phenomenon and we all pay the consequences in our health care premiums. And those premiums will continue to rise with American waistlines. Idiot radicals quack away about the treatment of ducks and farm animals but where are these so called "animal lovers" when it comes to the human animals who can't stop gorging themselves?

I'm sure this will come as a surprise to many readers and every word of it is true (Degas/dumas/ChubNuts DON'T READ! Too personal!): I topped the scales at 280 pounds my Freshman year of high school. I was one fat child with a fat, sassy grandmother who loved to cook. I went to an all-girl, Catholic college prep school and let me tell you it was BRUTAL. I couldn't show my face in the cafeteria at lunch time without getting food thrown in my face and a day did not go by without tears in my eyes. For two years I ate lunch in the chapel and begged God to tell me why I had to be so different. Now you know why I won't take anybody's donkey dung. I grew almost 4 inches the following summer and by the time I moved to NYC at age 18, I was 5' 9" and weighed 135 pounds. Even though I thought I was a happy child (at home), I will NEVER go back to being fat. Today I deprive myself of nothing. But I work out regularly and I eat everything in moderation. Some days I splurge while others I conserve. Smart, healthy balance is the key.

Food is a very easy escape for many people and their are plenty who refuse to face their fears. Some very good points were made so far on this thread and I'm sure there will be more to come. Obesity is a serious problem in America and it needs to be discussed constantly. Tulips is absolutely correct about the clothing size LIE on American racks. Just try and get a designer to talk about it in the open. Ladies and gentlemen, just add 2 inches to every number the next time you go shopping if you're willing to face the truth.

If I may add my 0.17 Euro worth,

Although some people are very overweight because of emotional needs, most overweight people in the US just eat too much and get too little exercise.

Would this be the appropriate time to mention the issue of fat between the ears?

I agree about snacking and browsing being a problem. I notice nowadays that you often see a child sitting in a buggy with a packet of sweets or crisps in its hand.
I read somewhere that the British actually consume fewer calories than they did in the 50s but take far less exercise.
Sadly, I have started to notice overweight Italian children. I was in a restaurant in Venice recently when a school group arrived. The teachers and a few of the pupils came into the restaurant for a meal, but the majority of the children went off and returned with McDonalds packets. Of course, McDonalds in very cheap and that may have been one reason.

How about this - most visitors to Europe visit the large, popular (usually capital) cities, and are usually only exposed to seeing Europeans like that.

Most such large cities have public transport and people are forced to do a lot of walking (even if they use the metro).

Walking burns calories.

Also, unlike some places (such as the USA - a.k.a. land of the free drink refills and the all-you-can eat buffet), Europe usually provides smaller portions, especially concerning drinks - hence less calories.

Although Americans eat more food, even those in larger cities are generally thinner than those who do not have to walk as much.

Let me add that the type of work we Americans do has also radically changed over fifty years. The manufacturing jobs of the past tended to keep men in shape. Agriculture work has waned and become more machine oriented. Men are more likely to work on their bums. The same goes for women. The housewife of 1955, not to say 1925, performed a lot of physical work. Now house chores of the past have a lot of labor-saving machines easing the physical strain and a majority of women work outside the home, at desks, on their fannies.

Jumbo, you know, it's been my experience that when guys begin to feel inadequate around women (normally with good reason), they play the bitch card. I bet you're a Cubs fan too.

I'm sure this is an oversimplification, but my observation is that Europeans tend to eat 3 meals a day with little or no snacking in between. Also you don't see the proliferation of junk food plastered all over the place like you do in the US.
JoeG

That is a nice opinion about large cities, BUT Philadelphia is known as the fat capital of these United States and oh the food is to die for. A few of you hit it on the mark with larger portions and all-you-can-eat buffets, but it seems to be more a societal issue and I don't see it changing anytime soon. I live in the southeast and to witness the carriages of so many young children bearing so much extra weight is sad and nothing turns my stomach more than persons, who are observably overweight lining up at those infinite buffets. The key word is moderation and if parents don't teach their children how to eat properly, then why should the children care. From my observations since I've been traveling to Ireland these past ten years, there is a noticeable expansion in the girth of those wonderful people and I dare say that they watch just as much television as americans, not to mention those frequent visits to the pub. Surely, it is the excess of western society causing the laziness of the people. Now you know why americans love SUVs, cause their the only vehicles that make them feel skinny:) Hurrah for capitalism!!

North Americans eat too many "empty" calories, and Europe is beginning to catch up. I agree that food addiction, portion size, and lack of physical activity are also culprits, BUT not all food/calories are created equal. Junk foods, fast foods, convenience foods, whatever you want to call them, are killing us. There seems to be a direct co-relation between the increasing availability of these so called foods and the rise of obesity. I shudder when I see parents throwing potatoe chips and chocolate bars at their children in malls, grocery stores, and the subway (often at dinner time) just to shut them up. I'm sure those same children get plopped in front of the tv when they get home. It's a form of abuse.

LOL, but did I perhaps detect just a hint of a whine? Have a fun day.

I saw plenty of Rubenesque types in Prague, Budapest and Vienna - and while in Croatia I had the pleasure of seeing plenty of pleasently plump Germans (au natural). Bottero would be delighted.

But you are correct about one thing - Europeans don't have any emotional issues (yea, right)

Emotional issues? I don't think that's it. Portion size? Proliferation of junk food? Perhaps, but those are actually more like effects than causes.

No. The real difference is attitudinal. Americans (for better or for worse) simply care less than Euros do about what people think about them. "I don't need no fancy-ass French nancy-boy telling me what I should eat," says the stereotypical American, "I'll eat that foot-long chili dog if I wanna! Hell, make it 2! And if you don't like it, you can kiss my double-wide backside!"

OK, that's an exaggeration. But you see what I'm saying. Likewise, stereotypical Europeans think of themselves as stylish, sophisticated, fashionable connoiseurs of the good life. And they know it's hard to maintain that self-image (and maintain an elitist attitude) with a 40-inch waistline.

mr go
Attitude may make a difference but not in the arrogant or elitist sense that you describe. I think that food of all kinds is simply more plentiful in America. I don't think that we flaunt it just to feel superior conversely I don't think that the Europeans choose not to indulge just to feel more sophisticated. Like Sir Hillary - we do it because it is there.
JoeG

There appears to be an inordinate focus on weight for a travel website - are a lot of you worried about your looks when you leave the USA? Anyone want to own up and get the real issue out on the table for discussion.

I have to respectfully disagree with you, Mr Go. If it had to do with an American cultural attitudes, why has obesity become such an epidemic in only the last 20-30 yrs? And in Canada as well? Also, the attitude you describe (ie nobody can tell me what to do) DOES point to emotional issues. Alcoholics and other addicts think the same way. It's emtional immaturity, not attitude.

Joe, I agree. When I go home, I go to the mall just so that I can see the vast array of treats on offer. Caramel popcorn in 35 different flavours? Gimme a bucket. Betty Crocker frosting with rainbow chips?? Where's my spoon. Cap'n Crunch? Lucky Charms? 31onderful flavours!! I'm sorry but all of it is hard to resist. Sure we have junk food in London but it just isn't the same. Last week, when I went to the movies, I had an ice cream. Well, they couldn't have given me a smaller scoop if they tried. I know that if I was in the US, it would be 3 or 4 times the size. Of course it's not down to them looking after my waistline so much as them looking after their profits. This is a country where people are slaughtered on the railways for corporate profits. Which is another story altogether.

And another aspect: for the youngsters of Europe, there is another slimming method (that I DO NOT ENDORSE Fodors). Certain drugs make it so that you can dance all night, drinking nothing but water and letting nothing solid pass your lips. It is cheap and plentiful and they reckon that over 2 million tablets are consumed every weekend in Britain alone.

If it's culture or attitude or something psychological, I guess we'd have to figure out what American, Finnish, Australian, German, and English men and Russian, American, Czech, English, and Finnish women have in common. They seem to be the most obese based on that article.

Let's not overlook eating as a substitute for sexual satisfaction.

All those couch potatoes are not only sedentary, they're exposed to unnatural quantities of T&A in TV shows and ads. And the fatter they get, the less they get. This affects Americans the worst becuase (a) they watch the most TV and (b) they have the most prudish attudes about sex.

This theory is consistent with Rufus' query, too.

Americans love of fast food adds to the obesity problem of the nation. I recommend reading Eric Schlosser's FAST FOOD NATION. Too many slovenly role models over the years doesn't help- Oprah, Rush Limbaugh (pre-junkie days), Star Jones, Roseanne Barr, Fat Bastard of the Austen Powers movies, Monica Lewinsky.

I think Ally and Keenan are onto something with the capitalism angle. I mean, if advertising didn't work, why is it a multi-billion dollar industry in the US?

"The Incredible Edible Egg", "Beef, it's what's for dinner", "You deserve a break today", "The other white meat", "Scrumpdillyitious", "Must see TV", "I'm kookoo for Cocoa Puffs!". We'll who wouldn't be after a non-stop barrage of ads trying to sell everything in the world that will keep you at home, in your car, comfortable and complacent? I can't go in to pay for gas without a rack of Krispy Kremes staring at me. Kreepy, but I swear they do.

I saw an ad the other day where Hyundai plays a soundtrack of horrible airport delay messages while showing you a guy in his brand new car enjoying a drive. The point of course is that you should buy a car and enjoy life instead of wasting your money flying places. Then you can get your fast food dinner conveniently through a drive through window and never lift your backside off that plush interior. Life is good!

Compare the need every corporation has to beat the competition. We must absolutely sell more than we did last quarter or the end of the world is at hand. And who doesn't want to grow that smaller business into a world class corporation? It's the American way. It's not a criticism, it's just how it is. Employees work until all hours just in case someone needs a taco at 2am. But it does keep more people employed.

Compare that though to the European shopkeeper who closes midday, who shutters the shop come evening and goes home. Profits are what you live off of and the percentage of people who believe that success comes from living well, rather than constant growth financially as well as the waistline)

Of course this all armchair navel gazing like every other opinion, but I wasn't doing anything anyway. :)

Goodness, you mean Monica has made America fat? Just like Nigella made the UK fat?

The last 6 months I've been eating more fast food by far than I ever have in my life before--and I've lost almost 45 pounds over that period of time. The difference is that I've cut out all refined grain products and sugars.

So when I get to my table with the two McD's double cheeseburgers for $2.10, I first throw away the bun and dig in with my plastic knife and fork.

I do miss pasta, but T-bone steaks make up for it. And whole milk sure is more satisfying than that skim crap I had been drinking when I was a whale.

No pizza, no donuts, no breads other than whole wheat, no rice, no Raisin Bran, no potatoes, no Ding Dongs, no cookies--instead butter, eggs, plain yogurt, pork chops, bacon, cheeses, and ham.

And I still eat lots of fish and poultry as I always have. More sashimi, please!

And the bonus is that my chlorestoral has dropped to the point that I no longer have to take Lipitor for it!

The big culpits are soft drinks, chips, oversize portions, huge hamburgers, enormous amount of french fries,all you can eat buffets.. and the list goes on..
Also physical education in the school is almost nonexistent. I have read an article about obesity and the author said that since 1980 obesity quadrupled in America, and worse of all diabetes is becoming rampant in younger children , because of overweight.
Is a Sad situation that should be corrected...

Odd that nobody has yet mentioned all the hours spent nowadays sitting on our fat behinds, cruising the Internet . . .

I'm reminded of a very early Woody Allen movie where he was sitting at a desk which had all kinds of exercise devices built right in, like drawers with heavy springs so one had to really pull hard to open them, and a phone receiver that was like a mini-dumbbell.

RufusT
I thought that I was the only one that did that with McD's Double Cheeseburgers!
JoeG

IMHO as a former grocery checker, I noticed the heaviest customers were in the habit of purchasing ready-made products. There are so many preservatives, chemicals and colors, etc. added to our foods that to me it's no wonder our bodies are not processing these additives. I think if our meals included fresh herbs, fresh veges, fresh free range meats (instead of growth hormone injected, genetically altered feed for cows and hens) we wouldn't be so fat as a nation.

In our 4 weeks in Italy we ate pasta and pizza every day, but didn't gain a pound. We attributed that to the fact that the food was fresh, we walked at least 3 miles daily, and we didn't snack. At one train station, I wanted a candy bar or something chocolate. The selection wasn't there. Nothing appealed to me, so I ate nothing instead.

Can I add a European viewpoint:

1. Obesity isn't rare in Europe. It is rare in, say Italy or Romania. But it's increasingly common everywhere, and especially so in a few countries - as a poster says, Russia and the UK for example.
2. But travelling round Birmingham, UK, shows fewer obese people - and they're less extremely obese - than you see in Cleveland, OH. Obesity is certtainly a bigger problem in the US.
3. Personally, I just don't buy the "Americans are couch potatoes" or the "no physical education" explanation. Travel round US or UK suburbs (even in their obese heartlands), and you see school playing fields everywhere. I've never seen a single such playing field in Italy or France.
4. I'd strongly suggest Dr Atkins (God rest his soul)had a very strong insight into one explanation. When we binge-eat, we consume fat. But there's actually a limit to how much fat you can metabolise, it's tough for food processors to disguise fat, and fat creates a sense of satiety very fast. When you binge - or even self-indulge a bit - you hit the sugar. You add sugar to things we'd never dream of(like ordinary bread. And it was the second item - which, under our law means the second commonest ingedient - in all the boloney-like products I checked in a WalMart lately.) You make a national fetish out of dessert.
But there's almost no limit to the amount of sugar we can eat and still want more. Indeed, Atkins argues that there's a clear process by which eating it makes you crave more.

Now you're not the only country with a sweet tooth. But you use it - or let your manufacturers add it - in places even the Scots (who invented the deep-fried Snickers bar) would find extreme. And of course sugar - or rum, or molasses - has been central to the US economy ever since you accepted Queen Elizabeth 1 as your lawful monarch

Simple answer: say no to sugar. Binge on fatty stuff: pate, rillettes, English pork pies, properly marbled beef.

Hi, lucky03! Did you start that thread on the US forum about "How did we all get, well, so fat?" and now you are trying the same thing here on the European forum? The US thread had 130-some posts. Maybe this European one can beat that number!

Whatever the causes, the cure is to eat less, eat more of the right foods, and exercise! And stay with it for the rest of your life!

I agree that there is a tremendous push by food manufacturers and fast food places to get people to buy self-damaging food. But let's not forget the car manufacturers! We are now up to the Hummer size of vehicles. Pretty soon we'll have to widen our roads to accommodate the larger cars that accommodate the larger people. It's capitalism!

It's easy not to eat junk food. Once you get into the habit, it's like any other habit, you walk right by all that useless stuff and don't even notice them! I do! It's wonderful to chew on a bag of carrots and have an apple or two during a ball game. I really don't miss all the french fries, cotton candy, soft drinks, beer, fatty pizzas, hot dogs - just writing about all that fat makes me feel slightly queasy. :p

Jason