4 ms·

Your portions are bigger. (Seriously.)

by adw 15y ago

potatolicious 15y ago
This is the absolute core of the problem. I'm a Canadian currently living in the US; our two countries are culturally very similar, and diet-wise practically identical (save poutine, sweet sweet poutine). But the obesity epidemic hasn't swept Canada nearly the same way it is commonly seen in the US. I just got back from a trip to Canada, and I can say with absolute confidence that the typical restaurant dish in the US is more than twice the size it is up north. It's this way in Asia too, and probably Europe (though I haven't been, shame). It doesn't matter how much you exercise (or don't), nor does it matter if you're eating steaks vs. granola bars. If you're eating twice as much as the rest of the world, you've got big problems. The US needs to halve their serving sizes in restaurants, and reduce the appetite of the general population. You can improve what you're eating, and you can exercise more, but none of that will do diddly squat until you cut down on intake.
- GregBuchholz 15y ago
  See: http://www.statcan.gc.ca/pub/82-620-m/2005001/c-g/adults-adutles/4053577-eng.htm http://www.statcan.gc.ca/pub/82-620-m/2005001/c-g/adults-adu... From: http://www.statcan.gc.ca/pub/82-620-m/2005001/article/adults-adultes/8060-eng.htm http://www.statcan.gc.ca/pub/82-620-m/2005001/article/adults... "The racial make-up of the two countries might explain some of the differences, as research has shown that obesity rates vary by ethnic origin. Nonetheless, when obesity rates of White Americans and Canadians are compared, White women in the United States were significantly more likely than those in Canada to be obese: 30.3% versus 24.8%. However, the percentages of White American and Canadian men who were obese did not differ."
watmough 15y ago
For myself and my wife, typical US serving sizes constitute 3 meals, though nowadays, we generally only eat out occasionally, and at local non-chain restaurants that serve decent quality food.
- JanezStupar 15y ago
  Anecdotally - I'm from europe and when I was in the US I only ate one meal a day. I simply didn't feel hungry for a whole day after a typical American meal.
  - watmough 15y ago
    My scariest experience of American food was on my first night in the country. I was in the lobby of the hotel and kinda peckish, so I ordered the nearest thing I could find to a ham sandwich, a montecristo. Despite it being actually fairly cheap, what arrived, was a MASSIVE batter encrusted mountain of about 50 sandwich quarters... Good grief America!

Your portions are bigger. (Seriously.)

by adw 15y ago

Your portions are bigger. (Seriously.)

This is the absolute core of the problem. I'm a Canadian currently living in the US; our two countries are culturally very similar, and diet-wise practically identical (save poutine, sweet sweet poutine). But the obesity epidemic hasn't swept Canada nearly the same way it is commonly seen in the US. I just got back from a trip to Canada, and I can say with absolute confidence that the typical restaurant dish in the US is more than twice the size it is up north. It's this way in Asia too, and probably Europe (though I haven't been, shame). It doesn't matter how much you exercise (or don't), nor does it matter if you're eating steaks vs. granola bars. If you're eating twice as much as the rest of the world, you've got big problems. The US needs to halve their serving sizes in restaurants, and reduce the appetite of the general population. You can improve what you're eating, and you can exercise more, but none of that will do diddly squat until you cut down on intake.

GregBuchholz 15y ago
See: http://www.statcan.gc.ca/pub/82-620-m/2005001/c-g/adults-adutles/4053577-eng.htm http://www.statcan.gc.ca/pub/82-620-m/2005001/c-g/adults-adu... From: http://www.statcan.gc.ca/pub/82-620-m/2005001/article/adults-adultes/8060-eng.htm http://www.statcan.gc.ca/pub/82-620-m/2005001/article/adults... "The racial make-up of the two countries might explain some of the differences, as research has shown that obesity rates vary by ethnic origin. Nonetheless, when obesity rates of White Americans and Canadians are compared, White women in the United States were significantly more likely than those in Canada to be obese: 30.3% versus 24.8%. However, the percentages of White American and Canadian men who were obese did not differ."

watmough 15y ago

For myself and my wife, typical US serving sizes constitute 3 meals, though nowadays, we generally only eat out occasionally, and at local non-chain restaurants that serve decent quality food.

JanezStupar 15y ago
Anecdotally - I'm from europe and when I was in the US I only ate one meal a day. I simply didn't feel hungry for a whole day after a typical American meal.
- watmough 15y ago
  My scariest experience of American food was on my first night in the country. I was in the lobby of the hotel and kinda peckish, so I ordered the nearest thing I could find to a ham sandwich, a montecristo. Despite it being actually fairly cheap, what arrived, was a MASSIVE batter encrusted mountain of about 50 sandwich quarters... Good grief America!