Why Are Americans So Fat?
by Marilyn Mackenzie
I get lots of emails from far and wide. Somewhere along the line, I guess I admitted to being a few pounds overweight and having fibromyalgia to the wrong people. My inbox gets filled with information or "cures" for these maladies. I delete most of them, but for some reason "studies" fascinate me. If there has been a study on something - like the obesity of Americans - I want to know more.
I get regular emails from Dr. Mercola. I like his emails and his web site, because they often offer a look at things from a different perspective than the "regular" doctors. One has to look beyond the fact that he's also trying to sell a bunch of his "stuff" on that site, though.
This week, I got an email from Dr. Mercola that drew my attention. The subject was, "Why Don't The French Get Fat?" I've seen other studies about the French. People do want to know whey they're not fat, considering the kinds of foods they eat regularly. They want to know why they're not suffering from more lung cancer, since many are smokers. And why don't they have more heart problems with the foods they regularly consume?
In this article, it said:
Researchers found that while the French use internal cues -- such as no longer feeling hungry -- to stop eating, Americans use external cues -- such as whether their plate is empty, whether their beverage has run out and whether their TV program is over.
The study, which analyzed questionnaires from 133 Parisians and 145 Chicagoans, also found that the heavier a person is, the more they rely on external cues to tell them to stop eating, and the less they rely on whether they feel full.
I don't think a study with so few participants is that impressive. But I wonder if they're on to something.
How many of us were told to clean our plates? Or that there were hungry kids on the other side of the world who would love to eat our cold mashed potatoes? If you're a baby boomer, your parents went through the depression, a time when they probably did go hungry. They wanted their kids to never experience that. They didn't want us to be hungry. So they loaded our plates and asked that we finish each morsel.
The plate size today is much larger than the plate size when I was a kid. You can discover that by going to the Goodwill and finding some of the early Melmac dinnerware. The dinner plates are noticeably smaller than today's plates.
I wonder, if we ignored those internal hunger cues long enough if they might stop working. That's worth some pondering.
Here's the rest of the article: Why Don't The French Get Fat?
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Comments: 75
We have gotten used to larger portions.
I have been over there, and you don't see nearly as many overweight people.
Also, when eating there, portion sizes are much smaller.
Maybe we just eat too much?
More reasons: high fructose corn syrup, refined white flour and sugar, junk food, laziness, medications, no sidewalks in towns, etc etc
I like to walk everywhere I can. If you know me, you know that about me. My friends know; wear shoes you can walk in when you're out with me!
I also think the amount of stress, inactivity, medication and food additives has a lot to do with it.
I was mentioning to someone the other day that I walked almost a mile every day to get to my school bus stop. Here in our subdivision, the bus stops 3-4 times! And it's not a safety or traffic issue, because the only traffic here is residents.
After we got to school, we played on the playground until all the buses were there and the teachers were ready. We had a short morning recess, lunch recess and a short afternoon recess.
The school where I attended elementary grades didn't believe in giving much homework, so after school until dinner time, we played outside. After dinner untill the streetlgiths came on, we were back outside again. Unless the weather was bad, then we did have to play indoors. And hated every minute of it!
One thing: Small changes do make a difference with weight loss. I simply upped my fiber intake and there is evidence that you can eat MORE calories but lower your cholesterol and lose weight by getting at least 25 grams of fiber a day. It worked for me, made me feel fuller and brought my cholesterol down.
One other tip: Fiber often resides in foods that cause gas. So go slowly and carefully and be mindful of fiber if you have diverticulitis or anything like that. Talk to your doctor first, of course. That sort of thing. But for people who are often sedentary and want to lose weight even if they can't exercise easily, fiber can jump start a diet. Exercise is always a plus but not always possible. Persevere.
Loved your article :)
Fast food is my biggest problem now, that and the fact that I like food. It is easier to grab fast food on the way to and from work than it is to deal with taking time to cook and dlean up the mess.
I know in my own case my weight is partly because of my eating habits but it is also because I do not exercise. I used t exercise 1-2 hours a day and believe me - you exercise like I was doing and you will control your weight. But convenience foods and a sedentary lifestyle contribute to overweight as well.
And PLATES! My goodness.., my new plates and bowls hold well over enough food for two people! We have to train ourselves to take the amount of food we should eat, and not what "looks right" on the plate or in the bowl. That was how I managed my weight for years - take a little of whatever I wanted, and then promise myself more if I honestly wanted it later. I hardly ever did. I use my salad plates as dinner plates because they are only slightly smaller than the plates I remember growing up and early in my housekeeping.
I do think having been told over and over again. That I couldn't get up til my plate is clean has a big impact with me today. I am afraid to waste even the littlest of food for fear my stepmother will come crashing through the door ready to use the switch and force me to eat a second helping.
I do not force my kids to finish their plates. If they are full. Than they are full. Most tims it is because I did give a little to much of a helping.
I also take meds that causes weight gain. It does get discouraging knowing my meds cause weight gain but doctors want me to loose weight. I mean come on how am I suppose to loose weight if they meds cause me to gain it?
I too believe that we American live a sedentary life and don't get out enough to walk, cycle, and do one of the many different ways to get exercise.
Good luck to you with your fibromyalgia. Its a horrible thing and I know, because my Mom has it too.
must do something before i cannot fit out the door... haha...
Blessings to you and yours...
doing those things, moving around more, would make a huge difference in the weight, blood pressure, glucose, lung capacity & heart fitness of these people.
http://lifeandhealth.guardian.co.uk/food/story/0,,1614321,00.html
I have to be honest and say that we in the UK seem to be getting fatter - and I think that may be, in part, due to the proliferation of fastfood chains like McDonalds, Pizza Hut, KFC and others of that ilk.
I do not eat fast foods, try to eat food that is made from seasonal meats/veggies and eat only organic meats (have done so for over 20 years).
I know that when I have visited the USA in the past (not since 11 September) - the size of the portions frankly 'overfaced' me - I hate to eat from a really full plate, because I KNOW I won't be able to finish it, and I feel badly about leaving food untouched (put it down to the maxim my Mum used to use 'there are children starving in Africa would would LOVE to have so much to eat'!).
Dorothy H. and Veronica T. are not...;-)
They are both perfect from what I can see.....LOL
I do agree that portions are bigger nowadays but just because plates or food portions are bigger, it doesn't mean someone should overeat. I also believe the problem with most people here is lack of exercise. You don't get much exercise when you get in the car inside your garage and get off in front of the store or work place.
Have you ever noticed how people usually try to beat someone else in parking in the spot closest to the store, church, or work place?
I still tell my kids to clean their plate and remind them not to waste food, but I also make certain their food portion is suited to their need. I also try to discourage them from eating too much junk food and candies. Instead I offer them fruits and vergtable every chance I get.
A panino (sandwich) in Italy is a long hero like thing, with one or two slices of meat or cheese. And after eating it you dont feel hungry.
This is a very serious issue, and it is great that you raised it Marilyn. The obesity epidemic we now face could become a real threat to public health. We must find a way to change how food is prepared and consumed here, and I agree that studying Europe (Where being fat is much rarer) is a great way to start.
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I am inclined to believe that obesity in the US is related to more or less how oppressed you are in the capitalist market place, and is a class and ethnic race issue, not to mention public policies and deeper social issues, than it has to do with people eating way too much and exercising way too little. Although we do eat more than we should and watch way too much tv.
Maybe Americans are fat because we work too hard, too fast and too long and are under too much stress. All this leads to increased levels of cortisol, which influences insulin production, which all leads to lowered levels of glucose resulting in need to eat more. Add to that the fact that we have a ton of really bad fast food out there that is ready and available to eat at all times and places and at huge portions. Add to the fact that we are too sedentary and drive everywhere. Is it such a mystery why we're so fat? Not to me.
tamara- the processed foods are a factor. "processed food" is not "food", and neither is it food for you.
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My mom was in that depression generation and I was a "boomer". She tried to force feed me, so I became anorexic, as a teenager, for revenge. I did out grow that problem, but have never had a problem with my weight because I don't drive, I never owned a car, so have always walked a lot...it's a life style choice.
In elementary school, we walked, rode bikes and skated all the time. We had at least 3 recess periods each day at school and phys ed at least 3 days per week.
When I was in jr. high, we walked to the mall in the summer - 4 miles there and 4 miles back. I cannot imagine kids doing that today, and not only because of safety issues.
In both elementary and jr. high, we walked a mile to the school bus stop.
Our high school parking lots were not big enough to accommodate cars by students, and, in fact, many schools had rules that students were not allowed to drive. So you either rode the bus or walked to school. I walked to school - about 1.5 miles each way up and down steep hills. (When I visited when my brother died and I went back for the funeral, I was amazed at the steepness of the hills and the number of stairways on the side of the "mountains" that I had to climb to get to school!)
We eat poorly and don't exercise now, and we certainly don't encourage our kids to do what's healthy either.
If we had soda at family celebrations, even if they lasted all day, we were allowed one glass of Kool-aid and one glass of soda. We shared a 12 ounce can of soda between 2 or 3 friends or relatives. No one ever drank a whole one themselves! If Mom bought a bag of Fritos, it lasted a month - with 3 kids and our friends.