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After moving to Japan and living here for a while, I realized when I visited my family back in the US how much of a punch in the face of sweetness/richness lite

After moving to Japan and living here for a while, I realized when I visited my family back in the US how much of a punch in the face of sweetness/richness literally everything available in US restaurants is; it was honestly exhausting. Plus the fact that the portion sizes are double that of anything here, it's no surprise to me that Americans are obese and Japanese people by and large aren't. For another anecdote, my wife's friend worked at Starbucks in Canada and in Japan. She said the Frappuccinos in Canada use around double the amount of syrup than those in Japan.

novok 6y ago
There is a great youtube video about exactly that: Why is it so Easy to be Thin in Japan? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lr4MmmWQtZM https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lr4MmmWQtZM
FalconSensei 6y ago
When I moved from Brazil to Canada I was kinda surprised with the portion size in some restaurants here. Also: > how much of a punch in the face of sweetness/richness literally everything available in US restaurants is Yeah, too much sugar/salt/syrup/condiments, too many artificial ingredients on things. Today I was talking to my wife how the Cheetos here is not so good, as it has a weird orange color and the taste is way too much superficial. The cheese too. too many cheddar varieties with colors that doesn't seem like something made out of milk.
oblio 6y ago
American sauerkraut, the kind you can buy in supermarkets, has SUGAR in it! What is wrong with you?!? :-(
- 8ytecoder 6y ago
  Everything has sugar in it. Even Sriracha!!! My experiment with cutting adding sugar completely for a month was the single hardest experiment I ever did with my diet. I lost 10 pounds in a month - absolutely unhealthy and I had to reverse course because of that. But, that's how much sugar there is in American food.
8ytecoder 6y ago
Milk in general is high calorie + high fat and a Starbucks Grande is 5 times the size of a typical coffee I was used to. Not to mention the fact that they charge a good chunk more for other low calorie non-dairy substitutes. A typical meal at an American restaurant is two meals - easily - and our portion sizes are not small by any means. The sweetness is another major put off. There's no concept of a savory snack here. There's also no culture of an afternoon or tea time snacking. In my personal opinion, having a small post-lunch snack helps me stay satiated for longer and have a much smaller supper instead of a large dinner.

novok 6y ago

There is a great youtube video about exactly that: Why is it so Easy to be Thin in Japan? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lr4MmmWQtZM https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lr4MmmWQtZM

FalconSensei 6y ago

When I moved from Brazil to Canada I was kinda surprised with the portion size in some restaurants here. Also: > how much of a punch in the face of sweetness/richness literally everything available in US restaurants is Yeah, too much sugar/salt/syrup/condiments, too many artificial ingredients on things. Today I was talking to my wife how the Cheetos here is not so good, as it has a weird orange color and the taste is way too much superficial. The cheese too. too many cheddar varieties with colors that doesn't seem like something made out of milk.

oblio 6y ago

American sauerkraut, the kind you can buy in supermarkets, has SUGAR in it! What is wrong with you?!? :-(

8ytecoder 6y ago
Everything has sugar in it. Even Sriracha!!! My experiment with cutting adding sugar completely for a month was the single hardest experiment I ever did with my diet. I lost 10 pounds in a month - absolutely unhealthy and I had to reverse course because of that. But, that's how much sugar there is in American food.

8ytecoder 6y ago

Milk in general is high calorie + high fat and a Starbucks Grande is 5 times the size of a typical coffee I was used to. Not to mention the fact that they charge a good chunk more for other low calorie non-dairy substitutes. A typical meal at an American restaurant is two meals - easily - and our portion sizes are not small by any means. The sweetness is another major put off. There's no concept of a savory snack here. There's also no culture of an afternoon or tea time snacking. In my personal opinion, having a small post-lunch snack helps me stay satiated for longer and have a much smaller supper instead of a large dinner.