Do Americans really eat more than Europeans?

I agree...and disagree.

The stereotype of Americans having the hugest portions at restaurants is bullshit. I lived in Germany and restaurants often went overboard with portion sizes.

On the other hand, while the average American eats breakfast, lunch, and dinner, Germans seemed to eat breakfast and lunch, breakfast and dinner, or lunch and dinner basically 2 meals a day).

Yes, just look at their massive bodies in the news. It's horrifying to see morbidly obese people populating evening news, like only 2-3 people can fit in a 16:9, half-body frame. Ridiculous.

[quote] The traditional English breakfast is huge

It’s time consuming though so most people eat cereal or toast like everyone else

Germans are very meat-and-potatoes but the portions aren’t huge.

Im convinced its not that we eat more than anyone else,but its because our food supply has been so manipulated and loaded with chemicals . And dont give me that shit about its just as cheap to eat healthy,not everyone can drop the kind of money it takes to eat fresh foods. Have you seen the price of tomatoes lately ? Growing up in the 60s and 70s my mother cooked every single day,3 meals a day. Much of it fried ,and all her veggies had fatback in it. Yet we werent fat . Granted we were more active ,but even the kids I know who are active are fat. Its the food.

I've been to Italy several times. People there don't necessarily eat less than Americans, but they definitely eat healthier. A snack might be a few pieces of fruit instead of a bag of chips.

Yes, the portions are huge here. Lookup what a McDonalds meal looked in the 50s and look at what it looks like now. But many poor people also live in food deserts where there are no grocery stores so they have to resort to fast food.

In America, if a person feels hungry, he or she will have a snack. In Europe, if a person feels hungry, he or she will wait till the next meal to eat, maybe smoke a cigarette in the meantime. Snacking is not so common in Europe as it is one the US.

That sounds like torture, R7!

The Full English breakfast isn't eaten every day or even that regularly. We'll have it if cooking for guests or as a treat of a weekend but it's far from an everyday occurrence.

Most people don't even cook it themselves anymore - it's more associated with going out to a 'caff' or something you'd have at a hotel.

Actually OP, they don’t eat as much as Americans although they are catching up- that’s the trend. Not an opinion- fact.

I know you don't speak for all British people R9, but what would you say is a typical day of eating?

Portion sizes are much smaller in most European countries. People there generally eat out less and eat more fruits and vegetables.

British people don’t eat full English breakfasts every day, and German people don’t eat bratwurst and schnitzel everyday.

But the more American fast food chains are popping up in Europe, the fatter people are getting. Heavily processed, low quality food is less satisfying and makes people crave more crappy food.

YES. Decades ago I remember my Italian hairdresser telling me how shocked he was when he came to America and saw how much people ate and the large servings that people expected. I was kind of young and thought that was an odd thing to pay attention to. But he was right.

We truly are the land of PLENTY.

I lived in Germany for 8 years. Germans eat about as frequently and as much as Americans. But they eat a lot less processed and fast food, and at least in the cities, they tend to be more active and walk around. I cooked for myself more often in Germany because the frozen and packaged stuff tasted like crap. The delivery pizzas were shit. Doner kebabs are the fast food of choice, and they aren't great for you, but at least they usually have some fresh vegetables inside.

[quote]But Europeans eat just as much, if not more - in my opinion.

Keep trying to drive the clicks up, you asshole site-traffic intern.

In your opinion?

Idiot, in our experience.

OP, your circle is not representative of the fatsos in America. I've gained weight this pandemic and I go into the grocery store and 9 out of 10 people are fat. I take something a little fun, maybe something I shouldn't be having from the ice cream and novelty sweets freezer. I'm about to go down the aisle and I see a couple of fat ladies getting what I just got. I go right back after they leave and put that shit back. We are huge op, we are fat, obese people. It's disgusting.

Europeans get more exercise too. Compact towns and better use of public transport.

R13 your hairdresser came from the land of POLENTA.

I eat some vegetables every day in addition to eating Europeans.

R7, most people in Europe don't smoke anymore

As an asian, I’m disgusted by what you pigs eat. Disgusting pigs

"Im convinced its not that we eat more than anyone else,but its because our food supply has been so manipulated and loaded with chemicals ."

I also think, on average, that American lives are much more sedentary. There are exceptions, of course, on both sides. But, in America, if we do it at all, "exercise" is something we set aside to do. Base level exercise - part of our daily lives - which would primarily be walking, but also biking and other things - to work, to school, to the store, to the pub - is considerably less. Again, on average.

Italians eat a lot of fresh vegetables. They don't eat at the olive garden. They also eat fresh fruit for desert, unless it is a special occasion.

French/Spaniards too, more fresh vegetables. They are also notorious for small plates and portion sizes.

They really do not eat that much red meat either. If you see a fat European, they are on a American diet.

I found out recently I’m allergic to soy. Soy is in everything.

People wonder why Americans are fat. It’s because there’s additives in everything. Americans have no idea what they’re eating. Almond milk, rice milk, has soy oil and canola oil in it. Bread - soy oil or canola oil. Virtually all bread. I can’t find any bread at all that doesn’t have soy in it. Look at anything at all that’s prepared. Soy. Vitamins are made with soy. I ran into a blog of a woman that’s allergic to soy. It turns out chicken, eggs, beef and pork come from animals that in many cases are fed nothing but soy. If you want meat from an animal that’s not fed nothing but soy, you pay a high premium. “Animal that’s grass fed” can mean, the animal gets a bite of grass and the rest is soy. The wax they put on apples is made out of, you guessed it, soy. Margarine has soy. Including margarine that says, “made WITH olive oil.” There’s a drop of olive oil and the rest is canola and soy. Even the ones that say “no soy” are full of canola oil.

Soy allergies are increasing all the time. I wonder why.

Virtually everything Americans eat has oil in it. Safflower oil, canola oil, soy oil. I had to go buy butter that comes from chickens that aren’t fed soy. $13 for two small containers.

On the plus side, I lost seventeen pounds in two months.

All the talk about how they exercise more is crap. Excercise does almost nothing to keep off weight, it burns very few calories. Perhaps being active helps to suppress appetite (doubt it) but if they are thinner (and they are) it's because of diet. The food is less processed and therefore more filling and therefore you need less to be satisfied.

Fresh Vegetables. How about 2 vegetables sides and a chilled green salad. It's summer.

Yes, as an immigrant I find the food portions in chain restaurants to be way too large. I always end up with a large takeout container or just send it back to the kitchen. I usually throw the takeout away. Such a waste and disgusting. It hurts my soul.

R24, chicken butter? What is chicken butter?

It’s not “chicken butter,” it’s butter that comes from grass fed cows, not soy fed cows. I tried to find margarine without soy or canola and there is none. There is no such thing as olive oil margarine. Even pigs are fed soy. There’s so much soy in these animals people actually get soy allergic reactions from eating them. Most people are not going to look at a plain egg or piece of cheese and think, “I’m getting soy,” but chances are you are.

[quote] Portion sizes are much smaller in most European countries.

Same thing in Canada, and it’s fucking expensive too.

I just came back from dinner at a restaurant where a plate of arrabiatta pasta was C$22 before 13% tax and 15% tip.

Every time I visit the US I forget how much bigger the portion sizes are and am amazed at the huge plate of food that arrives at the table. I assume based on the price that I’m getting an appetizer’s worth of food.

[quote] As an asian, I’m disgusted by what you pigs eat. Disgusting pigs

Rofl. Unfortunately you're still an oriental.

Remember the saying: No fats, no fems, no orientals.

You're at the bottom of the food chain.

[quote] —Beautiful and always skinny asian

Thanks for the laugh. Nobody wants you.

People in Europe by and large move a lot more, walking and biking. Here it’s all or nothing—you drive and otherwise barely move or else you drive and you go to the gym fanatically. (Unless you live in a city, in which case you probably walk.)

Also, Europe generally speaking has greater restrictions on agriculture, including GMOs, which are banned in many countries. GMO fear seems outlandishly anti-scientific to many American people, but the thing that is never discussed is that most GMO crops grown in the use are modified to be peat resistant. Because they are resistant to insects that eat plants, weeds grow out of control. Because of that, GMO crops are saturated in herbicides, which can cause cancer, neurological damage, and throw off healthy gut flora and fauna. Basically, we are poisoning ourselves even with farm-fresh foods that are not processed, and that contributes to obesity of American people, as well as caloric intake.

I didn't my gut had flora and fauna

*know

you gut has pathogens mofo

R33 OK, let’s say microbiota. But yes.

In recent years, doctors have been performing more fecal microbiota transplants to replenish bacteria and other life that have gone off balance in a patient. In a few cases, patients who were a normal weight became suddenly morbidly obese following a microbiota transplant, and in all cases they discovered the donor was morbidly obese. So this has led to a new understanding that the bacterial, fungal and other colonies that populate the gut may actually be responsible for obesity among some people—not just overeating. And the chemicals in our diet can cause major gut imbalances.

Microbiata transplants?

Seriously?

Yeah what R37 said

Absolutely not the French and Italians eat richer food but in smaller portions. Which is actually how I generally eat (as an American) and I’ve always been skinny.

I absolutely think it’s not what you eat but how much. And when you eat something rich most people will be satiated much earlier and thus eat a much smaller portion.

And life is so much more enjoyable that way!

Is this thread food pron?

USA food tastes like chemicals to me.

R41 your taste buds get used to it and you won't detect the chemicals after a few years here.

I live in Italy and IMHO they love to eat as much as Americans. A lot of sandwiches with thick bread and you'll see peoples walking around eating calzones. They also love their sodas and ice cream. Only difference is they drink more coffee (espresso), smoke much, much, more and tend to walk rather than drive.

Portion sizes are getting larger in many restaurants across Europe thanks to Americans who go in Trip Advisor and complain that for 5 EURO, "that plate of pasta was barely enough for a small child, this restaurant is a total rip off. I would like to give it 0 stars."

Expat in Italy here and I was kind of shocked by the Italian diet. You imagine they all eat the Mediterranean diet, but in fact, their breakfasts are croissants and coffee, all their bread, pasta and pizza are made with white flour, they have a pasta course at every sit-down meal, they eat a lot of crudo (raw sliced ham), you're expected to eat a whole 10" pizza if you order pizza. But they do smoke a lot, genetically they are slim, and in the cities, they are compelled to walk a lot. I'm starting to see fat children, usually boys. You never see super-obese Italians as you do with Americans.

One interesting thing - acne is extremely rare. They have beautiful skin and hair, but sadly the majority of older men are bald.

R45 but pasta portions are so much smaller. Richer (and better) but smaller.

I live in Spain and agree it's 1) the food (less chemical crap than in the US) and 2) the more active lifestyle, and not in the sense of being a 24/7 gym rat or Soul Cycle cultist.

Remember that in most European countries, suburban sprawl extents to a MUCH smaller extent than it does in America, which leads to less car dependancy. And the cities are, with a few exceptions, walkable as opposed to the car-dependent likes of LA, Houston etc. etc.

The portions here aren't small, and Spaniards frankly eat a surprising amount of junk. Then again, they're porking up. And smoke. A lot.

R47 Japanese smoke like chimneys too. Hmmm...maybe THAT’s what it’s all about. American obesity increase coincides with the getting rid of smoking too.

You can’t win.

We definitely have smaller meals and drinks in the Netherlands. Smaller than in the US, smaller than in the UK, smaller than in Germany..... We do get served many more vegetables in meals compared to the US though

R43, trust me, they do not eat like Americans in Italy.

They don’t drink 800 calories worth of Starbucks. They don’t eat calzones that weigh as much as a newborn baby or contain the same ingredients as the ones in America. They don’t eat a pint or a gallon of Breyer’s ice cream in one sitting, they eat 2 scoops of gelato.

And, as others have said, they walk and are physically active.

R31 is a racist. Why isn't he banned?

Fast food chains are much cheaper in the YS than in Wurope. Many more companies and much more widely spread

US I mean

our portions aren't small, we just eat a bit healthier and are more active. and there's also a lot of people who are smokers, and that helps it a lot. i know people, my own dad included, who can skip a meal by smoking a cigarette. our plates are full to the brim most times, it's a portuguese thing, it's a spanish thing too. but it's healthier meals that also make you full, so you don't feel hungry until the next meal, so you're not gonna be snacking in between. are there morbidly obese people in europe? yes, i've seen plenty, but those are rare cases. while in america, it seems to be a common thing. europe also has a lot of stricter regulations regarding food in comparison to the u.s. at the end of the day, america is the first world country with the highest percentage of obese people, and that by itself answers op's question

R51 Because this isn't the USSR or Nazi Germany.

R55 IS a Nazi. Plenty of them on here.

Lately, I've been dreaming of opening up a cafe with dinner and lunch options or a restaurant somewhere in America with only Bavarian options (and some European dishes I like to cook) and with a focus on simple and homemade food (no scallops etc.). Culturally, it also would not fit to American standards. There would be no seating service. You come in and sit at a table of your choice. The waiters will be cordial, but no-nonsense, maybe slightly bitchy and cold. There also will not be one waiter for a table exclusively, it will change throughout the stay. There will be no catering to American food tastes (definitely no ice in drinks!!, no frosting or buttermilk cream, yuck!). And of course, we do expect your big, fat American tips!

I am sure, the food to be served here can nowhere be found in America.

I actually wanted to open a separate thread about it, so what.

I'd love serve American homos!

R57 Nobody cares about your tedious fantasies.

Who knows?!

Is there some sort of study to confirm either way. I thought it was mixture of a higher car usage, high fructose corn syrup and a highly neurotic people.

I assumed this was because of the corporatist Republicans who seem to want Americans to die or be permanently unwell and unhealthy. Most of their policies point to that.

[quote] Microbiata transplants?

[quote]Seriously?

Won’t someone PLEASE shit in my mouth?

I need the microbiata

r24 try Kerry's gold butter. Comes from Ireland but is carried by many stores. I can get it at Aldi's for $2.50 for a half lb. INGREDIENTS Pasteurized cream , salt

GGG has become one of the most annoying and desperate trolls on DL.

Have lived off and on in France. Portion sizes generally are smaller. Most people (especially in Paris) walk a lot more than do people in US cities. Snacking between meals is not popular (cigarettes often are the oral substitute). And, as others have noted, far less of their food is “treated” or GMO. (When in the US I actually experience an allergic reaction to much of what passes here for fresh fruit.) Also a disproportionate number of the French appear to be genetically “blessed” with wasp waists (at least in their youth).

I have no idea which of these cause so many of them to look slimmer than comparably aged Americans. For some reason, things begin to equalize as they age. Maybe because they stop walking so much.

Poorer, less educated Europeans are getting fatter. More snacking, junk food, and soft drinks.

There's a socioeconomic causal factor.

Growth promoting hormones for dairy and beef cattle, banned in the EU, have a lot to do with obesity and early maturation in the US. I was told that 25% of girls in the US have their first period at the age of 8. This is triggered by attaining a certain weight, I think 98 lb.

There's McDonald's and Burger King in Europe too and they're extremely popular, always full.

I went to Paris in 2012 for the first time, and I couldn’t gauge how they eat. Our hotel was a cute boutique and it served coffee and baguettes and butter in the morning—nothing else. But the bread and butter were sooo good somehow. At cafes throughout the city, similar items were on menus but the portion sizes seemed to vary everywhere. Notably, everyone everywhere was friendly, but there we had two stereotypical Parisian experiences in two restaurants during dinner. In one, I ordered duck breast, and I was alarmed when it came—it was five very large slabs of meat. I could only eat about half of it, and the server was leaving us alone, I finally realized, to let me finish. I couldn’t. When I told him I was done, he said, “you didn’t like it??! What was wrong with it!!” I felt horrible but it was too much! Then at another restaurant, the server, a young woman, made a snarky joke about us being American when she saw my credit card, but I agreed with her about us and she apologized and said it was just a joke and she likes the US. Anyway, the portions at that restaurant were HUGE. My friend ordered a steak because she was low on iron and they brought her like a 2” thick porterhouse type of situation—a big fatty slab the size of a serving platter. We took a picture of her making a sad face with the steak because she could only make a small dent in it. I ordered a Moroccan tagine and it was also gigantic, enough food for several people, Cheesecake Factory sized portions.

Both if the restaurants that serves the giant portions were a little bit off the touristy path and so we both assumed their primary clientele is not seasonal tourists but we could be wrong.

When I visited friends in LA two years ago, I put on 10 kilos in 3 weeks. I loved the food and it was really delicious. However, the portions were huge everywhere we went and I was sitting in cars all day.

At home I am used to walking everywhere and that was not possible in LA. I am sure that if I moved to the US, I would turn into a fatty so quickly.

When I did a study abroad in England in 2000, I definitely noticed smaller versions of everything. The food at the Cambridge dining hall was served with a lot of flair but everything was weirdly flavorless. So we ended up at a nearby Burger King and Pizza Hut (at the time, signs were everywhere declaring Pizza Hut the UK’s favorite restaurant...), and sizes were significantly smaller there—especially soft drinks. When I was growing up here in the US, a large fast food drink was 16 oz, a medium 12 oz. Now at most places a large is 32 oz and at some it’s even bigger than that. They serve fucking buckets of corn syrup chemical water—so I don’t do fast food anymore.

Anyway, we also went to one bar in particular as well as several different pubs. They served burgers that were like burgers you’d likely eat at home with a small side of fries, not gigantic monstrosities that you’d get in an American bar. Also steaks in pubs...I ordered several, and they were always small, like half a sirloin, and served with half a tomato.

The one exception to small portions I saw in England, as noted above, is the English breakfast, which at the university was eggs, fatty bacon (ham), two kinds of sausage, fried white bread, stewed mushrooms and tomatoes and beans (which no Americans ate). Served with creamy milk just squeezed out of the cow and not pasteurized.

We’re just big boned.

R24, huh? "Bread - soy oil or canola oil. Virtually all bread. I can’t find any bread at all that doesn’t have soy in it."

Bread: flour, salt, yeast, water. And even that is negotiable.

I stayed in Amsterdam for a week a few years ago and I am pretty sure every food I encountered came in small portions. The Dutch seem to eat a lot of high-fat meats and dairy, but not in excessive portions. I had pancakes a couple of times because I was told “you have to” when visiting Amsterdam, and to my relief, the portions were small by American standards everywhere I got them. (Pancakes in the US always make me feel sick after I eat them even though I love them.)

We stayed in a big weird hotel (the Lloyd Hotel and Cultural Center) that I ended up loving. It has a large dining area and it offered a lot of selection for breakfast. The only place during the stay where I got a large portion of anything was there, and it was a huge croissant covered by hardened dark chocolate. I ate one almost every morning because it was there. Everything else offered for breakfast seemed like a better option to start the day, including lox, several types of unidentifiable sausage-y meats, soft boiled eggs, etc., presented beautifully.

R69 Very highly unlikely you were served unpasteurised milk at a university in the UK.

R73 I could be wrong. We were all (American students) under that impression and a little freaked out by it.

The milk was served from big pitchers. There were two: one was behind a sign that said “milk” and the other said “skimmed milk,” and both had cream floating at the top of the pitchers. The university told us that every time a professor reaches fellow status, Cambridge University adopts a cow in that professor’s name, and that the milk served in the dining hall is taken fresh from those cows every morning.

Maybe they were bullshitting us and we didn’t get it? That never occurred to me. They certainly seemed serious when telling us that...

I'm an American with Italian parents. My observation is that snacking isn't a thing for my Italian relatives. Not at all. You're hungry? Wait until a meal.

Breakfast: coffee, black, and this after a tall glass of room temperature water. Maybe pastries but not for most people. Oh, I'm wrong: biscotti, dipped in coffee. Two small biscotti, and not daily.

No snacking and no caloric drinks other than wine, and never drinking to excess. Moderation and walking.

A habit of distracted eating that includes incorporating food into activities. Why eat popcorn while watching a movie? It's distracting and perfunctory. That's not attentive eating, nor attentive watching. Food as "fun" and reward--not a healthy thing, popular in the US.

No kids' versions of food; food is food. There's no fun menu.

And lastly, knowing how to cook and prepare a meal is something everyone is expected to know how to do, so I think that helps make for discerning eating.

Rereading this I sound like a dick but every culture has good and bad. There's a lot I wish Italians would learn from other cultures*, but healthy attitudes about food are in place, and I respect that aspect of my culture.

(*I wish Italians would join the modern era with regard to equality and learn how to make one website that doesn't look like the ravings of a lunatic with wide margins crammed with dense, undifferentiated text, for example.)

People can and do share Pizza in Italy, they will even bring you extra plates and cutlery, you just have to ask.

I saw two Americans order a Florentine Steak Each in Lecce last summer. For Europeans it's generally a meal for a minimum of 2 people, sometimes 3.

R74 they were absolutely bullshitting you. one thing all europeans love to do is make fun of foreigners by telling them stuff about their country that's complete and utter bullshit. idk if that's a thing americans do, but over here, if we befriend a foreigner, be it someone who moved here or is only here for a short period of time, we'll spend half that time telling them things in a deadpan manner so they'll believe it, and then we laugh at them for believing it

R74 They were completely winding you up.

Raw/unpasteurised milk is rare in England (it's banned in Scotland) and there's no way it would be just served to you at breakfast unless you were at, say, a Raw Milk Lovers Convention or something.

R77 Well then it was lost in translation with all of us.

Anyway, whether or not the milk was pasteurized or squeezed out of Cambridge cows, the milk was unquestionably room temperature, not cold, and both the regular and ‘skimmed’ milk, served from glass pitchers, had a deep layer of cream at the top. That’s not something someone told us as a joke. It’s what we got with our breakfast.

The milk may not be homogenised in the UK; that's why there is cream floating on top. It is certainly pasteurised unless you buy it at a heath food store.

You mentioned not drinking to excess, R75, and that's another difference I've noted, at least in Italy, France and Spain. (The Germans really do love their enormous beers.) People, or at least people over the age of 25, very rarely drink to get drunk. Obviously, not all Americans do that either, but I've found the binge drinking culture is more a habit of the native English-speaking world.

I won't get into the drinking habits of Eastern Europeans and Russians!

R79 like R80 said, it was likely non-homogenized milk. but the serving in glass pitchers isn't weird at all. that's how water is served at restaurants too. you put a pitcher of water on the table and then people serve themselves. idk if the uk is similar, but over here, milk is kept warm until you open it. it's in shelves at the supermarket, not in the fridges, and at home, people keep them in their pantry until they open it, only after it's been opened is that we put it in the fridge. so chances are the milk was unopened and then put in the pitchers and served, thus being room temperature

R81 true, i'm 28 and never drink alcohol, but most people around my age drink in a social setting at a café/bar/restaurant, but not to get drunk, just a beer or 2 while chatting. they only get drunk when they go out to parties/events, but that's something they planned on doing that night because it's a day off and they can sleep in the next day

R81 You’re forgetting the English and Irish, who are at least technically European.

Anyone who has visited the UK has seen drunk British men pissing...anywhere—streets, walls, their pants. It’s practically their national pastime.

I’m not being mean. It’s just objectively true.

Alcohol-induced liver disease has increased 400 percent in the UK since the 1970s and it is the third leading cause of death in Britain.

R83 reread R81's post, they say binge drinking is more of a thing in the english native speaking world, the uk is part of that. so when they said binge drinking isn't as much of thing in europe, they were referring to the non english speaking countries

R84 I did notice that after I hit the “post” button...but I still think it’s valid to point out the designation since the topic of this thread is specifically Americans vs. Europeans, and British people as a whole drink to excess a lot more than American people do.

Also, as an annoying little technicality, Ireland of course is part of the English-speaking world, but the Irish language seems to be making a strong comeback and I suspect that regardless of what language is ever dominant in Ireland, overdrinking will remain a national pastime.

OP is talking completely out of his ass. I'm guessing he's never been to Europe and is presuming based on the American restaurant versions of European cuisine.

Italians do not eat tons of pasta and eat as much if not more fish and vegetables as meat. The pasta course is a small bowl--smaller than what's typically a side dish in the US. The big English breakfast is something you'd eat maybe once a week, such as on a Sunday when you have time for a long leisurely breakfast. And you'd likely eat a very light lunch and maybe even dinner after. Germans eat heartily, but don't just gorge on meats. Their diets are balanced out with lots of fruits and vegetables. French cuisine is very butter/cream heavy, but the portions are much smaller. In fact, it's a pretty good rule that in Europe you're going to find richer food but in much smaller portions than in the American counterpart.

One cheap and easy way to the difference is in places like McDonalds. Even Europeans looking to gorge on calories American-style can choose from richer selections. One thing this article doesn't mention that's a huge difference is the quality of the meat. In Europe, you're getting locally grown meat with no growth hormones or antibiotic feed, and you can tell the difference. Another thing is the portion sizes--small drinks in the US version are about the same size as the large in Europe.

The US is a place of all or nothings in all regards. Lots of deformity-level obesity can be found everywhere, but so can lots of livestock-like gym-built bodies built on protein supplements and engineered chemical foods and supplements.

Europeans overall, and this goes from the UK to Eastern Europe, seem to be more moderate. They eat real foods without as many fad diets. There’s obviously a variety of builds, but there is a stereotypical slim, narrow-shouldered “European build” that is pretty standard among men there, whereas in the US that unadulterated natural form that is not overstuffed or overfueled is less common.

And in keeping with the hyperbolic state of everything American, this guy’s body is pretty idealized in the US, with ripped abs and (in my opinion) freakishly oversized shoulders. He looks like a prize-winning creature from a 4-H fair. Whereas, in Europe, a muscular, very fit guy is still likely to have a little bit of padding including a little tummy paunch.

I noticed this 20 years ago during my study abroad in England. I picked up a copy of Attitude (gay magazine) at an Underground station and I was shocked that the shirtless guy on the cover was “fat.” On a gay magazine! He wasn’t really fat at all, but he had a very small belly and did not have an insect-like abdomen, which in the US is considered fat to people who are into fitness.

We’re just an all-or-nothing country of extremes, and Europe seems a lot more stable and sensible and less excessive in some ways.

I will never forgot my first trip to New York decades ago. We went to a restaurant and orders and entree and main meal each. The entree was huge and I simply couldn't eat more than a few mouth fulls. When the waitress came to take away the dishes she asked if there was anything wrong with the food. I replied "No, the helping but too large for me". It was the size of two main dishes.

I am American and used to large restaurant portions (the bigger they are, the smaller my appetite is), and I still remember the first time I went to the Cheesecake Factory. The menu is an actual book and full of advertisements. I ordered a turkey burger and my friends ordered salads. The burger was literally about eight inches across and five inches high, with at least three potatoes worth of french fries piled beside it. My friends’ salads were the sizes of watermelons. They thought the presentation was AWESOME and I thought the whole experience was American greed and consumerism at its apex. I went back with them many times at their behest and I was always honestly nauseated when the food came. I don’t understand this aspect of our culture AT ALL. People think food is entertainment, and making themselves physically ill and emotionally guilt ridden by these excessive meals is joyful for people. I think it’s a national mental illness.

As an American, I have been to Canada, Mexico, and Spain, and haven’t noticed a big differences in serving sizes in the food I order at restaurants (maybe small differences, if any). What I do notice is that the sodas in Spain were much smaller (10-12 oz. bottles and not a huge plastic cup), though. Also, when visiting bigger cities that are more centralized, I walked probably at least 5 miles per day just getting around compared to 1 or less normally in my home country. I actually tend to lose weight on vacations even if I eat lots of carbs because my activity level is much higher than average than in spread-out, sprawling U.S. where I can’t get around my own city or commute to work without a car. If I walked or biked to work daily like many Europeans, I’d be skinnier. Combine that with the research showing that people at the same activity level AND diet now weigh more in the U.S. than in the 80s tells me that part of the problem is also the crap in our food.

I honestly could not believe the activity levels of people in Holland. They do commute by bike as I knew, but many of them commute to Amsterdam from outside of the city, 15 or 20 miles each way every day, and then they walk around the city on top of that. We took an excursion to one area that had a residential development encircled by a wide flood canal. The driver said that most of those people bike from their homes to the canal, paddle across the canal in small boats with their bikes, and then ride their bikes into the city, and then the reverse at the end of the day.

That level of activity in the US for most people would be a family adventure vacation, not everyday life. I thought about it and realized I cannot imagine living that way. It just feels like way too much effort. And yet I know it’s a healthier and happier way of being.

The US is vast geographically so the food is engineered to travel great distances. A tomato from the same California farm might end up in a Walmart in Alaska or Miami, Maine or Hawaii. Foods like bread are loaded with preservatives and sugars. Very few people have the time, money or access to buy and prepare locally grown organic produce, so big box convenience foods are the norm. Compare this to France or Italy which are small enough geographically that fresh food can get to the field to the city in relatively short order. Plus a culture of appreciation for god ingredients and local recipes. The US is a country of excess. Think how big our cars used to be compared to the rest of the world. Big portions are also a product of this culture, plus their laden with crap engineered by the food industry.

I went to Ireland last spring and met a cousin of my mother. She’s 72 years old. She lamented a lot! About everything! But one of those things was that, she said, Ireland’s small farming industry has been veritably killed except for cattle, dairy and sheep farming—all animals. She said all their potatoes now are imported from Israel or Morocco, which seemed soooo strange. Irish people really do eat potatoes with EVERYTHING.

My anecdotal "evidence" as a casual traveler to the US: it seems to me that Americans consume more of those high-calorie coffee and chocolate drinks (and sugary "fruit" drinks) at places like Starbucks. I've also noticed people lining up at those Cold Stone ice cream places in airports--I don't think many Europeans would think of buying ice cream at an airport. Everything seems to be treated as an occasion to eat. Also, my brother lives in the US and I've attended events with him like strawberry festivals and blueberry festivals where people were filling up plates with hot food before noon on a Sunday (granted, this was in Polk Country, Florida). Also, the idea of a snack as a "reward" seems to be big. I always think of French kids, who get only one snack a day: the 'gouter' when they come home from school at 4pm.

Most Americans eat heavily processed and addictive foods which contain corn syrup/sugar and other unhealthy ingredients, do not eat enough fresh vegetables and drink sugary sodas. This has led to metabolic derangements and increased obesity and diabetes.

For example, it is almost impossible to buy a store-bought pasta sauce that does not contain copious amounts of sugar. In Italy, they do not drench their sauces in sugar.

UK aside, Europeans tend to eat less processed foods and more vegetables/fresh food. This is a major reason for the difference in obesity rates.

Will HFCS ever be banned in the US?

There’s a Popeyes in one of the concourses at the airport and the line is always out the door. I’ve even seen people bring grease soaked bags to eat it on the plane. I can’t imagine eating something like that anytime, let alone just before getting on an airplane. For lots of folks that is just what you eat for lunch.

“Everything seems to be treated as an occasion to eat.”

Yes, it is. I think eating specifically is the most popular American pastime, and consuming generally in all ways is our national value. You can see that in our political and business leadership.

I grew up lower middle class and we always had food but we never had an excess of money and therefore food was fuel and not fun. I was honestly thrown off as I grew older and came into this new American culture of people speaking of food as if food is an art and an aesthetic value, and designing all social occasions around it. That just is not how I grew up.

We ate dinner—basically meat, potatoes or some kind of starch and one vegetable—as a nightly ritual but it was not indulgent in any way.

By college, when I was also working, everyone I knew who grew up wealthier than I did centered everything around restaurants. I have many friends whose greatest ‘passion’ (I don’t get it!) in life is going to restaurants, overeating and criticizing everything they eat, and parking it there for three or four hours until they are uncomfortably full and drunk. And then they complain about being fat and say they don’t know why they can’t lose weight.

It’s a culturally pervasive addiction masquerading as a cultural value. People used to do activities together and now it seems for many Americans the only activity they participate in is indulging at restaurants. It’s become a huge facet of community economies and has contributed too to a bloated for-profit healthcare economy.

[quote] butter that comes from chickens

Monsanto is at it again!

More DLers posting from 40 years ago

R96 Absolutely not. Corn production is too high. I’m not even exaggerating when I say that nearly all of the land in the state of Iowa is used to grow corn, and most of that corn is inedible for human beings. It’s used for ethanol production and animal feed. But it also produces corn syrup in abundance. The availability of so much corn syrup makes is many times cheaper than sugar and so it is used as sweetener. Most farms now are huge corporations. Farms that grow corn receive government subsidies. So that is incentive to grow more corn when less corn is needed. Corn syrup is a byproduct of corn that is not grown to eat, and corn syrup is part of the profit model that big farming corporations derive profits from. So no, corn syrup will not go away in the interest of human health because corn syrup is a money maker, and it also drives pharmaceutical and healthcare industries by making people ill.

" I thought about it and realized I cannot imagine living that way. "

You get used to it pretty quickly. I bike to work every day (30 km in total) and it does not make me tired, on the contrary. It's fun, especially if there are good bike lanes. Amsterdam or Copenhagen are the bike capitals of the world for good reasons, not sure how dangerous biking is in a major American city.

Italians eat less than Americans. Yes there can be large dinners during the holidays but generaly pigging out is frowned upon. At restaurants portions are small. And things like sandwiches, pastries, portions of gelato are tiny compared to the US.

Also: people fat shame. I've never seen it directed toward women, but if you're a man and you put on a few pounds, your friends will point it out to you. You don't want to be a fat man in Italy.

Well, first of all, Germans are not known for being thin and neither are British people... both groups tend to be pretty fat for Europeans. But French people eat small portions of high fat food and NEVER snack & smoke like chimneys. French people don't do "distracted eating" at their laptops; when they eat, they sit down with family and friends and have a long meal. Also, Parisians are highly judgmental so most of them would rather die than get fat.

American food is jam packed with extra sugar and preservatives which makes us very addicted to fast food. Fast food is way worse than meals that are simply high fat.

Most Americans are the descendants of immigrants who came from other countries’ peasant underclass. These lowly men and women went from the regular experience of privation in the old country to the endless abundance of America. Large portions represent on a plate a people who have left behind poverty and want in exchange for wealth and plenty.

I think the Brits need to be excluded from the European way of eating. They drink an incredible amount of booze, eat fast foot, and a lot of the processed shit. All the grocery stores in London are geared for cheap, grab and go meals like pasta w/ tomato sauce in a up for 99P. Chips, cookies, and baked goods are everywhere. Sunday roasts are pretty common place which is chicken, potatoes, parsnips, Yorkshire pudding (bread basically), gravy. I think walkability and space are huge in the way Europeans shop for groceries. They tend to pick things up daily vs. doing an American Costco haul. A lot of flats don't have the space for super sized items.

[quote] Portion sizes are getting larger in many restaurants across Europe thanks to Americans who go in Trip Advisor and complain that for 5 EURO, "that plate of pasta was barely enough for a small child, this restaurant is a total rip off. I would like to give it 0 stars."

Rofl! That sounds about right.

R106 Yorkshire Pudding is not 'bread basically'.

I went to Europe on an exchange program, and my mom was horrified that I came back so thin. 6ft tall and 140 lbs.

I couldn't explain why, except that I walked EVERYWHERE, all day long.

The other thing was that I had such a hard time ordering food, because I didn't speak French. So I barely ate.

I got used to it after a while, but looking back at photos from the time, I really did look horrible.

One thing about France. EVERYONE eats baguettes. You can't go anywhere without seeing someone holding a baguette.

Britain also has a huge underclass, with easier access to cheap convenience food than 'proper' food. Class differerences are much more pronounced than in other affluent European countries. The same goes for Ireland, where the Dublin neighborhoods of Irishtown (rough, run-down working-class area) and Sandymount (comfortable middle-class suburb) are right next to each other. The Irish have eating habits quite similar to the Brits; Ireland is also the country with the shortest geographic and psychological distance to the United States, and the influence of the US is much stronger in Ireland, for obvious reasons, than in, say, Austria or Switzerland.

Does Britain have "food deserts"?

People really do love their cars. One of the things I miss about my old job is that I could walk there. A co-worker was almost comically shocked when I told him I walked about 25 minutes to get to work. This guy sat on his fat ass for 40 minutes each way driving to work, but seemed to pity me getting a bit of exercise in the fresh air. I only had one co-worker who regularly biked to work, plus a few weekend warrior types who would occasionally bike in.

Italians and japanese eat tons of noodles, but they're not fat.

So why are Americans so scared of carbs?

R112 because we don’t know moderation.

This smoking mythology is from the 70s I think. Only 27% of the French smoke and they are the top smokers. Sweden comes in at 7%.

The fact is that we stay slim without smoking.

R114: absolutely.

Incidentally, a study was just published revealing relatively high cancer rates (colon and breast, specifically) among the Dutch population. The study noted that a comparatively large number of Dutch women smoke, and that this could be one of the causes. Dutch women are not especially thin, though!

If you are French, R114, almost without exception, you are not slim if you live in the countryside and are over 40. I am in France now, and while it is true that I have never seen so many slim, attractive young people on the beach, most of the older ones are quite heavy.

My impression is that Italians smoke more than the French, at least on the street. It's cheaper to smoke in Italy.

R116: I'm sure you're right. In fact, one look at any photograph of a gilets jaunes demonstration confirms what you said: most are over 40, chubby, and out of shape. There were quite a few French tourists here in Amsterdam this summer, and I was surprised to see a few families where the parents and children were both overweight.

Older people weigh more in every country but obese hog people belong to the US.

R116 According to the WHO, Italians smoke less than the French. Less than the Germans too.

I hate the smoker bulling on here, but you may as well have the facts about Italy.

People in Rome/Lazio are the heaviest smokers in Italy. Hardly anyone smokes in Calabria (the toe bit) because they are so grindingly poor, unemployment averages 25%..

The facts about Italy are that the rate of smoking is less than Germany. France, Spain, Portugal...

i don't think we can take old people into account for the whole slimmer thing. my dad's been a skinny dude his whole life but now that he's in his 50s he's started having a bit of a gut. he's not obese, not even considered fat, it's just an aging thing i guess. and he's a heavy smoker, always has been. 1 pack last him 1 1/2 days. my mother on the other hand had to quit smoking for health reasons and although she's been a bit on the chubbier side for many years, she gained a lot more weight after she had to quit. this conversation should mostly focus on the younger side of gen x, and gen y and z

These days there is not much difference, because the cheap, unhealthy food is everywhere and people have fewer means to burn off all the massive calories they consume.

Our lives got a lot less labor intensive. Men had to work hard on the fields or in factories. Women had to work hard take care of the home. Nowadays, robots. machines, and home appliances do the hard work while we humans just sit back and eat over salted snacks and drinks with too much refined sugar in them.

R123 southern europe still has a LOT of men and women working in factories and farms doing a lot of heavy work. i'd know, i witness it every day. are there technological advancements to make those jobs slightly easier? yes, but those people are still doing hard and heavy work that definitely counts for a form of exercise

I’m Scottish. I have Bircher muesli or porridge with berries, or sometimes scrambled eggs for breakfast. I have a salad for lunch (my favourite is tomato with fresh mint, red onion and balsamic vinegar) and a light dinner, often fish. I have fresh fruit and vegetables every day. I don’t drink alcohol or eat sweets. I have a mostly sedentary job, so I try to reflect that in my diet. When I go on holiday (mostly Spain or Italy), I eat more but the food is very healthy.

Well, smell her 'I'm so fancy and healthy'!

Hey, German Goo Guy, you have 30 pounds to lose. You might want to follow R125’s diet for a bit instead of smelling anyone.

R127 I still fit in the clothes of six months ago! I am most definitely not fat!

I'm Scottish. Don't eat breakfast, have a lie-in. Then cuppa with milky milk. Lunch at the pub, 3 pints and crisps. Cheese and pickle, sometimes. Evening meal is fish and chips or kebab, 7 or 8 pints. Weekends have Indian after pub. Sunday lunch at ma's: roast and potatoes. Sunday breakfast: 2 eggs, bacon, suasage, beans, fried bread. Toss the tomato.

R125 what's your height/weight?

R129 are you joking? If not, then what's YOUR height/weight.

I'd love to compare and contrast. Sounds like R129 should be much heavier than R125.

But you never know.

I am 196cm and I weigh 101 kilo.

R131, so you were fat 6 months ago and are still fat now.

Damn, GermanGayGuy you're tall! And you sound like you have a nice build!

Too bad you're a bottom.

We don’t use metric ‘round these parts.

R98 is on the money. Everyone thinks that restaurant food is an art form and they are discerning types for being able to chew it up and turn it into shit. I wish we had more bookstores and fewer dirty restaurants.

It's the portion sizes and the constant "snacking". Many Americans snack on sweets and chips and every other fattening thing all night long until they go to bed. In the South, many drink sugary beverages all day and all night long. Sweet tea (you would be amazed at the amount of sugar), full sugar sodas, Kool-Aid, you name it - they drink it by the gallon. Most of my older relatives eat all night long (except for the few that no longer can due to health reasons). The time that I spent in European countries did not seem the same. Fattening food - yes, small portion sizes - yes, snacking - no.

R135 but actually people who DO treat dining as an art form are on average much thinner. I’m not taking about going to Olive Garden or Cheesecake Factory, but sitting down with a glass or two of wine at a relatively nice restaurant.

The other thing to remember is that on the whole in Europe all of the sides (contorni, plat d'accompagnement) aren't included in the price and you have to specifically order them (it can double your meal price). If you order a steak you will just get a steak, no salad, fries, onion rings or mushrooms, you'd be lucky to get a sprig of parsley.

It usually causes a great deal of confusion for Americans (and hilarity to everyone watching).

I've lived in Europe before and none of the natives were especially thin nor were they modest in their food consumption IMO.

R138 that’s also been the trend in US the past 15/20 years. Annoying af. Used to just be steak houses that did that.

R139 We Europeans aren't very thin, but mostly aren't obese either. We either eat a large meal at Lunchtime or at Dinner, rarely both.

But mainly we walk everywhere in town, even if it's a mile or two away.

R141 I agree, many densely-populated parts of Europe are very walkable and walker-friendly.

I saw plenty of fat and obese people there, though.

R140 It's annoying until you get used to it, people usually know to share side dishes here (if you order fries they aren't just for you). In the UK we used to have a system similar to the US where everything was included, but that is long gone.

You'd be more likely to go to an 'Indian' restaurant here in the UK anyway and everything is shared there.

R142 You are not wrong, but I'd tend to blame the Governments for their neglectful attitude on Mental Health for a lot of those people.

I meant to add that when they become immobile they then indulge and enable them with carers, motor scooters, hoists and cleaners - all for free here in the UK. We even have bariatric (obese) ambulances and fat bastard crematoria.

I love all the pseudoscientists screeching about GMOs and "chemicals"! NONE of that has anything to do with your health or your weight. Portion sizes and too many calories add pounds. There's nothing bad about GMOs (cross pollinated we used to say) that has ever been found, and chemicals in food are generally types of salt for preserving them and yes, types of sugar, often HFCS which your body treats the same way it would any other sugar. There's no secret toxic conspiracy other than all fats are flavor enhancers and cause us to want more. If you eat too many calories you'll gain weight!

Enough with the Mommy Blog science!

Why is it so bad that I am a bottom! You are bottom-shaming me!

R146 GMO has been banned in all countries that have socialized health care because their studies show that GMO is dangerous for the health.

LOL at your HFCS statement.

Enough with the idiot science.

Americans eat more...

Stop the insanity!

It is usual to get either fries, potatoes or rice and a type of vegetables with your order at a restaurant here. I never just got meat or fish and nothing else on my plate. Usually you get some green salad too. I’ve lived here all my life.

Steak-frîtes usually comes with fries. Moules marinières as well.

[quote] Steak-frîtes usually comes with fries

Hence the name.

R147 I thought you were a virgin? Please at least try to keep your pathetic story straight.

I am R154!

I’m a Brit, and have lived for periods in France and Germany. This thread is quite funny, mainly because of lots of the misconceptions. Here’s my experience:

- in the UK, our diet is probably the closest Europeans come to the stereotypical US diet. To many people graze too much, eat far too many carbs, cook with veg oils that are not normal parts of the diets of our ancestors, and prize convenience over quality. We’re not all living off of Pot Noodles, but we are keen on eating whenever we like. We’ve grown accustomed to believing that actually feeling even slightly hungry is abnormal, rather than just a sign that your body is preparing for the next meal in an hour or two.

However, we do eat less than I see people in the US. The portion sizes in the US are extraordinary. The idea of leaving a restaurant with a doggy bag in the UK is almost unheard of. In the US, I feel like people want value for money, which means abundance, whereas in the UK, you go to a restaurant to have something high-quality which you couldn’t make at home. With regard to our famous breakfasts, in reality it is generally a weekend brunch, which means that people will order it at 11am knowing that they won’t eat another meal until 7pm. However, it isn’t even that popular any more: people are as likely to have scrambled eggs and smoked salmon on a Sunday morning as a fry-up.

- in France, people traditionally eat much richer food, but it is generally much higher quality. I don’t think I’ve ever seen breakfast cereals in any of my friends’ homes. The markets in the centres of most small towns once or twice a week are a delicious assault on the senses. Fresh fruit, veg, fish of much higher quality than any supermarket, presented beautifully and reasonably priced. People cook with butter or olive oil. Traditional food culture still dominates. Lunch is between 12 and 2, and you shouldn’t bet on finding lunch being served in any decent restaurant past that time. People eat their meals at fixed times, at a table (if at home), eat quite a lot, but then they are finished until the next meal. They don’t graze through the day.

However, French food culture is now under the same attack as those of The UK and the US. There are more and more supermarkets pushing hyperprocessed food-like substances, and fast food restaurants trying to persuade them that it is normal to have a quick burger mid-afternoon between meals.

R151 I was mainly talking about Southern Europe as I have the most experience of dining out there. Outside of pub chain food (Weatherspoons, Toby Grill etc) It's pretty much the norm in the UK to order sides separately now.

R156 What is your impression on Germany?

R158, I hesitate to explain German food to you as a German, but I can say that to me, German food seems to be pretty healthy. People snack more than in France, for example, but they snack on better quality things: good-quality bread which is at least filling, lots of fruit, meat and cheese. People indulge themselves with Kaffee und Kuchen, but it’s done as a treat, with a certain amount of ceremony. You meet friends in a cafe, or you invite people round to your home and sit at a kitchen/dining table and people make an effort to have decent cake/pastries, presented nicely. That type of social eating is common, but people don’t snack on crap. They make an effort to make their “unhealthy” snack into a bit of a social ritual, done on an occasion, rather than raiding a biscuit tin Daily at home.

German people do eat loads of meat and dairy, but traditional fare (like Schweinshaxe) is always accompanied by large portions of vegetables. The food is indulgent, but it feels authentic and unprocessed. If you believe that meat and saturated fat is the cause of obesity, then Traditional German food would be a nightmare, but it is fairly low in carbs and genuinely avoids vegetable oil , which I think are poisoning us.

Germany also has great restaurants, especially Italian restaurants, which provide the best Italian food outside of Italy, based not on stodgy bowls of pasta, but decent meat and fish, presented beautifully alongside lots of veg. The only restaurants I avoid in DE are the Indian ones, which are nowhere near as good as those inthe UK.

German’s tend to have a great sense of regionalism, and I think you can see that in the food too.

Haviing said all this though, my experience of Germany has been as a tourist since I last lived there 20 years ago. I suspect things may have changed there too. Certainly, Aldi and Lidl seem to have taken over,and I’m not sure that is a good sign of health or quality.!

Do feel free to correct me if my impressions are wrong!

Aldi and Lidl both source their Meat and Vegetables locally in each Country, so it shouldn't change anything.

R159 You type awfully cute! Two years ago, I did Erasmus in the UK. I actually didn't go out to eat that often, because I was catered and going out to eat was kind of expensive and when I went out to eat, I did go to an Indian place and once ate at a pub. I ordered the steak well-done and it was very very well-done, so probably a mistake. At the university library, they had great vegan sandwiches - even though I do not eat vegan. They had beetroot falafel and grilled vegetables. The sandwiches in the stores are quite tasty and much better than in Germany. When I went on holiday with my family, we brought a cooler and filled it with sandwich spreads (Coronation Chicken, Tuna Sweetcorn) and brought it with us from Cornwall to Bavaria. In the library, they also had a very good raspberry drink. It was pink and it was stressed on the packaging that it is a British product. Weirdly enough, at the food market at the university they had very good strawberries for a really cheap price!! And it was autumn/winter! And at the coop at that time, they also sold British strawberries! You would never see that in Germany.

I also liked the millionaire's shortbread and weirdly the brownie bites you can find in Sainsbury's I think? But overall, when I ate out, I only fully enjoyed it once at a Thai place in Oxford.

I have to say, I am jealous of the selection in British supermarkets such as Tesco, Sainsbury's and Waitrose! So much fancy stuff! Unbelievable!

Unhealthy relationship with food is a global problem, especially in the Western World.

I think it's a waste of time squabbling about which country is worse. That effort and energy could rather go educating those with an unhealthy relationship with food or at least leading by example by sharing how healthy and good you feel by eating healthy. Of course, that would also mean to refrain from calling those who lead by example "posers", "show-offs", "fake", "attention whores", "stupid", etc. So yeah, never gonna happen. At least around here.

They don’t wrap the soap in the great hotel of Europe!

I like GermanGay. He started a most interesting thread about potato salad .

R164 Thank you, sweetie! But I didn't start it, I just contributed to it!

I’m fit now but remember when I lost my way and picked up bad habits. Living in Paris, I found the tap water very hard with minerals, and that made my breakfast tea taste lousy, so I started drinking coffee in the morning. I added the raw Madagascar sugar they served in the little cafes near my place in Montmartre, and hot milk. That milk and sugar crept into my morning routine, and little habits like that toggled up more calories than I burned. Since COVID I have cooked most of the meals I have eaten. The planning and preparation of my meals gives me more control over the ingredients and a better relationship to food in general. For me, black coffee alone, and the calorie savings from switching to it, helped spur me on. I’m fit now and hope I can stay this way as the world returns “closer to normal”. I hope I don’t lapse back into take-out burgers with fries and pizza. It’s so easy to do that. One danger is savoring the carbs I gave up. They taste amazing when you have not been eating them. I have to practice moderation and not eat sleeves of crackers or cookies or chips. I think of them less often now, but there is always that temptation.

[quote]...because their studies show that GMO is dangerous for the health....

I'm sure you have links to this assertion from reliable scientific sources.

That means "Not Dr. Mercola".

Non-science hysteria causes governments to do all sorts of things. This is a backdoor protectionist move to ban imports that compete with local farm products. You sound like you take a lot of unregulated supplements and vitamins. Are you full of "toxins" and "heavy metals"? Did your Chinese herbalist-Homeopath diagnose that yet?

R166 DL isn't your diary, you boring cunt.

Try not to give into your every base impulse, R168.

Americans snack more than any other nations I’d traveled to, and the snacks are the unhealthy varieties. Americans have bern conditioned to think that feeling hunger is abnormal and that we should ameliorate even slightest hunger by gorging on fatty, salty, sugary snacks. No, don’t reach for a piece of fruit when you can eat a jumbo size Snickers bar or an entire bag of chips.

Dear Idiot at R167

"Non-science hysteria causes governments to do all sorts of things. This is a backdoor protectionist move to ban imports that compete with local farm products. You sound like you take a lot of unregulated supplements and vitamins. Are you full of "toxins" and "heavy metals"? Did your Chinese herbalist-Homeopath diagnose that yet?"

Scientific facts cause governments to do all sorts of things. (typically idiots like you will squeal that you 'work at a university' and have never been paid off by Bayer Monsanto. Squeal when you are ready stupid little piggy.

I have never taken and unregulated supplement. I am not supplement person. Toxins and heavy metals...what bunk you spout dear stupid piggy. . I have never been nor will I ever got to a Chinese or other type of herbalist homeopath stupid one.

GMO is toxic swill. I assume you are a paid troll as you used the paid troll playlist to try and type me in with crazy people. If you are not a paid troll Bayer Monsanto pays well for your type of stupid. They love people like you, so go and make some money from it if you can use your brain cell to profit and not just troll for free.

A lot of people idealise Europeans and their food, but the reality may be quite different. EG, there are about 10 kinds of cereal with pieces of chocolate embedded in it (not just choc flavour). The ubiquitous croissant and petit pain au chocoat are saturated with butter.

I asked my German friend what people typically at there and she showed me a picture of a pig's knuckle.

Families at cafes typically order a coke for their children.

Health food really only means organic, ie no pesticides or herbicides. Most of the products in a bio shop are made with refined white flour and white sugar. There are 10 kg sacks of pure cane sugar.

The number of vegetarians and vegans is very small. They will not be catered to at all in a French school cafeteria.

As noted above, everyone eats baguettes, made with refined white flour. I have never see a whole wheat pizza.

Having said all that, you can get delicious food in Europe. You just have to make it yourself.

R172 In Germany you can get all of that!

R172 doesn't know what he's talking about.

i can't speak for the more americanized countries such as the uk and france, but here there's not that many of those american fast food chains. there's mcdonald's and burger king, although bk is much less common and also recent, there's pizza hut. there used to be a subway in my city, and it was near the highschool district, but it closed after a few months. students get good meals at school, and the few times they don't eat at school, they're all going with their friends to the mall, where the food court has tons of different restaurants with filling meals that are under €10. there's also a big exercise culture. teens tend to be part of sports clubs, not the highschool after class stuff you guys have, it's clubs ran by the big football(soccer) clubs that have a teens section. many of them then carry on to the adult clubs after they're 18, and they play well into their 40s. it's just amateur teams, they don't make any money, it's mostly just for their love of the sport and to spend time with friends, as well as remain active. and there's also lots of guys over 18 that go to gyms, although it's not uncommon for quite a few to be doing steroids. but it's still a good amount of the male population doing a lot of exercising on top of eating somewhat healthy. when it comes to women, you have the few that work out, the few that eat healthy, and the few that just have fast metabolisms that allow them to stay thin, other than that they're either curvy, chubby or overweight, but very rarely morbidly obese. so i think even if the big american fast food chains became more common here, they'd either not do well because of price/quality, or they'd hardly affect the younger male population, because most are very active

R175 Do you really think anyone wants to read a huge block of text? Have you ever heard of paragraphs?

R175 lol i made 4 paragraphs, but for whatever reason it removed them and put the whole thing as just one

Italy has almost 600 McDonald's restaurants, plus 350 McDrive and about the 320 McCafe (total 1,270) and increasing every year. All of the meat is supplied by local Italian company Cremonini though and they also serve pasta. Burger King are way behind with about 220 outlets.

Both are incredibly popular.

Germany, France and The UK have even more McDonald's than Italy.

R78 Italy has millions of tourists, the fast food chains serve a purpose. My town has banned McDonalds and other fast food chains from the town proper, but there is one out on a highway coming into town. You would never know it is there because of signage regulations. It does not seem to do a great business compared to a nearby food truck serving traditional sandwiches of pork and triple. Always crowded.

"traditional sandwiches of pork and tripe"

BUT let me add that the McDonalds menu in Italy is quite upscale compared to McDs in the US. One problem for them with Italians is that they are quite expensive compared to traditional options. But they do a good job with their food sourcing, menu choices and decor. They don't have the trashy vibe they often do in the US.

R179 I usually live half of the year in Lecce, Puglia. We only get daytime tourists and they don't visit the areas where our two McDonald's are located, they are busy with Italians from early in the morning until 2am (4am on Saturday).

It sure isn't that way in Tuscany outside of Florence. And most historic towns won't let them set up shop.

R158 It is fine to explain to Gay German Guy about German food as his posts have exposed him as neither German (he has posted German phrases that are grammatically incorrect), nor gay and has posted links to right wing sites.

Sorry to burst your bubble.

It's hilarious, because I actually am German. Are you assuming my nationality, bitch?!

R183 Less than a quarter of Lecce is Historic, the rest dates from Mussolini and later. A few McDonald's is an improvement to those areas.

You know that Rome has over 20? One is near the entrance to St Peter's Square at the Vatican and another is at the bottom of The Spanish Steps

R186 That is a very low number considering the huge area that is Rome, the population size and the millions of tourists that visit. London has over 200. Italians just aren't into McDonalds.

R187 I meant the the Historic Centre has over 20 (that bit is quite small). In you expand out into the other 120 communes of Rome there are a couple of hundred more. The Italians love McDonald's.

In all of Rome there are around 40. So stop making things up. Italians just aren't into McDonalds.

Europeans are not uniformly stick thin. They just dont usually get to the extreme levels of obesity seen here. Portion sizes is an issue but so is the bizarre American social stigma about walking. If you live in the suburbs ,people tend to stare at pedestrians. It actually makes the gym preferable , but not everyone has time for the gym.

R189 That only lists large restaurant type McDonald's and doesn't include McCafe or McDrive, They outnumber the dedicated restaurant one's. If you include those Italy has as many as the UK.

When I was a student in Rome 30 years ago we loved the McD's on the Viale Trastevere since it had both a.c. and beer.

Ireland's Supreme Court rules Subway bread is basically cake.

"You can't get a tax break for trying to fatten us up!"

In the non-Latin countries are where you’ll find Europe’s amply sized people. They eat stodgy food and drink lots of beer.

Stealth stupid thread.

Americans know Germans aren’t eating tons of schnitzel & Brits don’t eat English breakfasts every day & Austrians dont walk around in peaked caps smoking pipes & eating lots of pastries