Simple question...why American are fat????

Why are over 50% of American population are fat? Food? No exercise? Genetic? I was just curious.

(Today, the weather was nice and I went running....60% of people I see on street are overweight.)

All the junk is just SOOOO easy to get your hands on in America.

It's not just America. I am really tired of that cliche. Clearly it's not "junk's" fault either, or Ronald's.

I know you're having a hard time here, but it's not because you're in America.

ADULT OBESE POPULATION

Nauru 78.5%

Tonga 56.0%

Saudi Arabia 35.6%

United Arab Emirates 33.7%

United States 32.2%

Bahrain 28.9%

Kuwait 28.8%

Seychelles 25.1%

Seychelles 25.1%

United Kingdom 24.2%

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/7151813.stm

freshbakedpi - 

WHOA....thank you! that information kinda blow my mind! My mom is overweight too...and she is not even in America :D

Thank you for answering my question. Even though, I have never herd of Nauru (I may know it in my language ... uhm..)

because people dont have to fight for survival, everything is easily ready and prepared, the worst foods for people to eat are the cheapest, people use everything but their feet to get from point A to point B, people work long hours and therefore are "exhausted" and just want to veg on the couch, entertainment is no longer physical people have movies video games and internet... um i think that about covers most of why people are fat nowadays.

People I know who go to the States (I'm in Canada) are boggled by the huge portions of food American restaurants serve.  I'm sure that's part of the problem.

Processed foods are plentiful, accessible, and cheap, the overwhelming (?) majority of people travel by car, portion sizes are frackin' enormous (because to the consumer, it's "more value!")

It's not just America, but it just so happens that there's a whole lot more attention focused there.

I recently got back from a 4 month stint in Italy, and I can tell you right now why Americans are fat: too many processed foods! While not everyone there was skinny, there were very few overweight people. And they eat really well; the family I lived with ate biscotti or a piece of crostata (like a pie) for breakfast with espresso or milk (not your typical healthy breakfast). My mamma always made pasta for lunch, usually with a tomato sauce. For dinner, it was always a starter of a big bowl of soup, risotto, or pasta, then a second course with a meat or fish plus a salad or vegetables and of course bread.

Needless to say, I ate a TON while I was over there and managed to lose 5 lbs without trying at all (my thinking was that I was not going to deprive myself while in one of the countries with the best cuisine in the world!). The biggest point I can make: most of this food was homemade (she even made her own marmalade); and the food that wasn't (the biscotti, bread, and tomato sauce were store-bought) was still made with natural ingredients! You never see high fructose corn syrup, hydrogenated oils, or artifical sweeteners there. I'm doing my best to eliminate these things from my diet now, but it is very difficult here (because it's more expensive and because it's in everything here)! I wish we had as much respect for food as Italians did! I'll also admit that the ability to walk everywhere in the city helps a lot too!

i went to america last year (from nz) and i was 'good' for a few days.. there's a good range of low fat/diet foods there, actually.. heaps.. diet drinks, low cal frozen meals, cheeses, desserts, etc. (in nz it's basically just low fat milk and dairy). but after that i discovered all the junk food. seriously.. theres such a variety like a whole isle for candy and it's cheap as well. maybe the fact that junk is cheaper.. more satisfying (temporarily) than healthy food. i got addicted to reeces cups and twizzlers (we don't have that here!) but i was walking all day so didn't gain anything.

i don't think there's a real reason.. as the first post states america isn't the fattest nation, but since it's masssssive it seems like more people are fat. also the fact that it's one of the most.. advanced/commercial nations which introduces a lot of products.. chain stores, etc. however it has just as much healthy food - farmers markets, organic grocers - and 'junk substitutes' as burger joints.

The obesity percentages don't take into account the number that are overweight and not obese. America is sky-high on that count. And medical care means more older adults, who are less likely to be overweight or obese because medical problems in old age, as well as wasting and poor appetite in old age, often cause some weight loss.

I blame it more on culture than anything. Food is everywhere, at every occasion, and usually it's bad-for-you things. We have a ridiculous amount of food advertisements and restaurants pushing unhealthy food in unhealthy portions. And the beauty ideal, for both men and women, is difficult to achieve, which makes a lot of people give up and not bother to try. If the ideal woman was a size 6-8 instead of a 0-2, and the ideal man had a body fat closer to 12-13% instead of below 10% with ripped abs, then more people would find it possible without the extreme measures that they're not willing to go through. Setting the bar too high is counterproductive.

i also dont understand why america is a nation of many overweight people too.

in many countries in africa people eat more than americans, in asia people eat way more than americans, but americans are still overweight. it must be the exercise that americans dont do because of their advanced technology, when i was in africa we had none of the stuff in the western world which we could use whenever we want, and in asia too.

Original Post by flamel:

People I know who go to the States (I'm in Canada) are boggled by the huge portions of food American restaurants serve.  I'm sure that's part of the problem.

When I went to Canada (I'm english), I was gobsmacked by the size of the portions there! I fear america... duh duh duh dum...

Now...

Should I be offended?

 or

Ashamed by this post because I'm an American?

Original Post by silentdeadlyrose:

Now...

Should I be offended?

 or

Ashamed by this post because I'm an American?

 You could always just... rave about the culinary delights of deep south whole pigs buried in a pit real barbecue, or something.

because in america, for the most part, more is better; more food for your money, more toys in the driveway, more square footage, etc.

and canada is virtually the same.  we're a little more conservative (like, more savings in the bank is generally preferable to more credit cards), but excess is still pretty rampant.

i think it has to do a lot with decreased activity level and big portions.

Original Post by lolalou:

i went to america last year (from nz) and i was 'good' for a few days.. there's a good range of low fat/diet foods there, actually.. heaps.. diet drinks, low cal frozen meals, cheeses, desserts, etc. (in nz it's basically just low fat milk and dairy). but after that i discovered all the junk food. seriously.. theres such a variety like a whole isle for candy and it's cheap as well. maybe the fact that junk is cheaper.. more satisfying (temporarily) than healthy food. i got addicted to reeces cups and twizzlers (we don't have that here!) but i was walking all day so didn't gain anything.

 

YAY! Shout out to another Kiwi!

I haven't been to the States but I'm curious about these massive portions I keep hearing about.  How big ARE they exactly?!?!?!

The portions are pretty big... I've never been able to finish a single meal when I go out to a restaurant and I'm overweight. Check out some of the menus at our restaurants to get an idea of how big they are. (For example, Outback Steakhouse, Applebees, McDonalds, Burger King, etc.) Outback restaurants serve anywhere between 6oz. and 22 oz. steaks along with huge sides. The numbers are incredibly high wherever you go in the U.S.

In reference to the original conversation, I'm American. I believe it's because we've gotten lazy. I don't know anyone who exercises on a regular basis.

I think it is becasue we are an indulgent society that uses food for everything.  You want to go out with friends; great get dinner and drinks, frazzled from work; grab dinner from the drive through, meeting with a client; make it a lunch meeting.  Everything seems to stem around food.  I think as Americans we have allowed ourselves to buy into this and become lazy.  Value now means more, not necesarrily the best for the money.  Anyway just my theory, I am starting to go off in another direction so I will stop

Original Post by freshbakedpi:

It's not just America. I am really tired of that cliche. Clearly it's not "junk's" fault either, or Ronald's.

I know you're having a hard time here, but it's not because you're in America.

ADULT OBESE POPULATION

Nauru 78.5%

Tonga 56.0%

Saudi Arabia 35.6%

United Arab Emirates 33.7%

United States 32.2%

Bahrain 28.9%

Kuwait 28.8%

Seychelles 25.1%

Seychelles 25.1%

United Kingdom 24.2%

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/7151813.stm

 

 Where's nauru..??

According to Wikipedia, Nauru is a tiny island in the South Pacific.  It's a whole 8.1 square miles big and has a population of just under 14,000 people.