"That's why Americans are so fat."

[OscarMadison]

Spend time around anyone whose profession requires observation of North American foodways and this statement will come up.

Is it our food culture?

Is it the relative cheapness and easy availability of food that his high in salt, fat, and sugar and low on the stuff we really need?

Is it a weird wrinkle in American exceptionalism that we embrace overconsumption?

 

[Songbird]

Are there any fat Ugandans?

 

[Regan MacNeil]

Americans like everything to excess. Food, alcohol, drugs, guns, violence on TV. We're an addictive culture by nature.

Except when it comes to sex. We're still Puritans on that score.

 

[The Big Ragu]

70 percent of the American diet consists of processed foods. Americans spend 10 percent of their disposable income on fast food. Processed foods are ashociated with obesity.

America went down that stupid path decades prior to the rest of the world. The rest of the world is now catching up, unfortunately.

Even 5 to 10 years ago, I would be in France, and a staple of the TV News magazine show every night that Ms. Ragu's parents watch was a "Hey, look at the obese Americans" story.

In the last few years, though -- and this is just observational -- France has been catching up. More and more the supermarkets are packed with the same processed foods, and McDonald's and other fast food chains that were somewhat limited there even a decade ago are becoming ubiquitous. And people are getting fatter there, too.

 

[MisterCreosote]

The "recommended" amount of exercise/physical activity in this country is like 2 1/2 hours a week.

And less than a quarter of Americans even do that.

 

[FileNotFound]

I spent six months in Sydney this year. Using public transportation bumped my step count up to nearly 9,000 a day, more than triple what I get at home unless I schedule that activity into my day. And when I schedule that activity into my US day, I'm doing so on roads with no sidewalks or very narrow sidewalks.

It's easy to eat badly in Australia — I had more fish and chips than I should have, beer is abundant and very, very good, and fast food is generally accessible. But for most of us for whom public transit isn't a thing, that level of physical activity is just not something that's going to happen unless we actively make time for it.

 

[Hermes]

As someone who has weighed 320 pounds and a person who has lost 150 pounds, I can only speak for my own situation. And it's not just habits and diet and lack of exercise. People have mental health issues that are at the root of overeating. You have to figure out why you are eating to excess and then you can go about changing behavior. Once you solve the eating issues, I've found physical activity follows from the energy good food supplies.

 

[The Big Ragu]

I spent six months in Sydney this year. Using public transportation bumped my step count up to nearly 9,000 a day, more than triple what I get at home unless I schedule that activity into my day. And when I schedule that activity into my US day, I'm doing so on roads with no sidewalks or very narrow sidewalks.

It's easy to eat badly in Australia — I had more fish and chips than I should have, beer is abundant and very, very good, and fast food is generally accessible. But for most of us for whom public transit isn't a thing, that level of physical activity is just not something that's going to happen unless we actively make time for it.

This is part of the reason that in parts of NYC, people are less obese than they are in much of America. ... people walk a lot more as part of their day. We comment about it a lot.

We have to spend a lot of time in Philadelphia (unfortunately), and while even Philly is not as obese (except in really bad neighborhoods. ... obesity is socioeconomic in terms of outcomes) as a lot of America, you can even see a difference between NY and Philly in terms of overall fatness. We've always chalked it up to the amount of relative walking a lot of people do during their typical day. That, and maybe the overall levels of poverty.

 

[WriteThinking]

Spend time around anyone whose profession requires observation of North American foodways and this statement will come up.

Is it our food culture?

Is it the relative cheapness and easy availability of food that his high in salt, fat, and sugar and low on the stuff we really need?

Is it a weird wrinkle in American exceptionalism that we embrace overconsumption?

Most of us don't "work" for our food -- grow it, harvest it, or even, oftentimes, cook it, ourselves, anymore. We go to Vons, buy it (as much as we want and/or can afford) and put it in a quick-cooking microwave or oven. There are even many fully completed, processed meals that take no effort, or minimal effort. And we "have" everything easily available -- fattening food, sugary food, high-carb food, salty food, etc., instead of only eating cleaner, grown foods.

We are also highly reliant on cars, leading, therefore to an even greater lack of exercise than you would have if people were simply too lazy (which we are) to undertake it. It used to be that walking, even if just to subways, trains or buses, was the prevailing way of getting around. And before that/along with that, horse-back riding. Those were all greater means of exercise that now barely exist anymore.

If we all had to walk or bike to work, before even getting to work, we'd all be substantially less overweight.

 

[DanOregon]

I do wonder if the ingrained nature of saving money - getting more for less - not to mention income inequality plays a large role in it. The "hungriest" states, are also usually the fattest states because people can't afford fresh food, fruits and vegetables etc. Throw in "time" - people would rather throw something in the microwave and be eating in five minutes than spend an hour preparing a balanced meal with fresh ingredients.

 

[Driftwood]

Education plays a lot into it as well, I believe.
Someone who isn't well educated probably doesn't have a great job, so the fast food dollar menu is a regular thing for them.
1. They can't afford better.
2. They don't know what sucking down a McDouble five times a week does to your health.

 

[Jssst21]

I always liked the corn syrup theory that its omnipresence was a conscious decision made in the 70s to appease all of our corn producers. The obesity epidemic is an unintended consequence. Several interesting articles about it.

Blame Nixon for the obesity epidemic

The deadly legacy of America's fields of gold