Why Are Americans So Fat?

Obesity is an extremely complex issue with many factors involved. Many people like to credit people in other countries slenderness on their genes. Unfortunately it doesn’t look to be that easy.

While genes definitely play a role, they generally do so through an interaction with an overweight promoting type of environment. Personally, I do not come from a family of people that are fat. But there has been times in my life were I have hit 300 pounds. Studies of Japanese who moved to Hawaii or to the West Coast of the United States show that these people gained between 15 to 20 pounds in comparison to their siblings back in Japan.

The fattiness of our cuisine in the U.S. doesn’t account for all the international differences, either. The low-fat diet of the Japanese helps them keep their status as the thinnest affluent people in the world. But in other countries, the relationship between fat in the diet and fat on the people is often contradictory.

Meat and dairy products lovers with a high fat intake like Northern Europeans are actually thinner than Southern Europeans who eat less meat, fewer dairy products and less total fat.

So what is the secret of staying thin? There has been interesting studies were six recurring themes emerged.

Physical activity is the key. How many calories burned has a direct correlation to slenderness. In the developing world it is pretty obvious why they are thin; they don’t have the option to be lazy. Most people in poorer countries don’t have things like vacuum cleaners and other labor saving devices. Very few have cars. This means that every day includes walking many miles just getting to work and the market.

Even in rich countries people get more exercise than Americans. Old World towns’ and cities’ are too narrow for cars. This promotes walking and bike riding. Added to that is the cost of gasoline in those countries. They were over $3 a gallon of gas decades before us in the U.S.

Snack time is not all the time. Most countries save their snaking time to appointed time if at all. A good example would be the British and their mid-afternoon tea.

There is much less focus on fatty foods. European and Asian food is much more expensive in their countries relative to the United States. This is especially apparent in fat packed meats, restaurants and processed food.

The portions are smaller. Only in the United States can we give our food names like the “Whopper” or “Baconator.” And use terms like “Super Size Me.” A steak served to someone in the U.S. would feed a family of four in Sweden.

Grains are the staples of their meals. While we tend to make meat or cheese the centerpiece of our meals, other countries mandate that the largest serving on the plate be a filling, low-fat grain or starch. In Asia it is rice. Europeans eat a lot of bread. Swedes emphasize potatoes in their meals.

Desserts are not a right. Elsewhere in the world people don’t have a fit if a piece of chocolate cake doesn’t appear at the end of a meal. In other countries they are more likely to have a piece of fruit if they don’t skip it entirely.

While people in most of the world are thinner than Americans, that may not last. As societies get richer their population becomes more sedentary. They also tend to eat more calories and meat. This is leading the citizens of the world becoming fatter in general.

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