Is there something wrong with the food in the USA?
This is no conspiracy theory, but a general question - Is there something wrong with the food in the USA? We can safely skip McDonalds and its alikes, as I'm not talking about junk food. Friends of mine in California, both Europeans and Americans, are very much into the so called [i]organic food[/i]. At first, I assumed it was yet one of those marketing buzzwords like [i]all natural[/i]. Then a German guy told me he gained 10kg after 12 moths in California. He assured he worked out as much as in Europe, and didn't change his diet. Few days later, I referred to the German guy's experience at an international dinner. To my big surprise, this did little impression on the gathered dinner guests, like as if it was completely natural to gain weight when in America. So I decided to investigate, and found out that many of attenders rather than buying food in ordinary grocery stores like Safeway, went to places like Slow Food or Planet Organics. Due to media hype? Lastest cool diet to catch up with (low carb, Atkins, etc)? I would like to emphasize they were not fat, just gained few kilos extra.
Personally, I'm sushi lover (no pun intended), and consume relatively small amounts of red meat, but like the others gained weight. By today, plenty of Europeans and some Japanese confirmed their weight increased upon arrival to California.
Recently, sitting and flipping through a magazine, I read about the powerful [i]sugar lobby[/i]. Apparently there are reps from sugar producers lobbying in Washington DC for adding excessive amounts of sugar, and sort of get consumers addicted to sweet taste. I recall rumors, later proven facts, from tobacco industry, which added an addictive substance to cigaretts. The question is whether some artificial food preservatives affect people's weight. We concluded obesity being a socio-economic issue, but how does one explain general weight gain among social groups with strong understanding of physical activity and calorie intake?
[quote=CBGBConnisur]Leuween is a very funny, a few years ago, I actually turned down a job offer in his home country of the Netherlands because it paid one third of my US salary. Obesity is a big problem in the US but the problem is just as severe in many Western European nations, Australia and NZ, and Canada as well.[/quote]Apparently Dutch employers don't value your professional skills as high as American employers ;)
Obesity is as severe in W.Europe as in the USA? I strongly disagree. Study 'average weight' statistics and you will see.
Perhaps an answer, Dr. Von Leeuwenhoek
I remember reading a few years ago about Japanese men emigrating to the US. There were two groups studied. One group had emigrated to California and the other to Hawaii. The Cali-bound men gained more fat-bound weight than the Hawaiian ones. If I remember correctly, the author theorised that since the Hawaiian-bound males maintained a lifestyle CLOSER to what they had experienced in Japan than the Cali-bound males, they gained less weight and were generally healthier. A change of lifestyle, locale and the types and amounts of foods may well be the culprit.
Also, Doc, you nailed it when you said that many women (and men too) eat 'cos they're bored. When you don't have time to be bored, the weight will fall off. Case in point is when I went to basic training. I had EVERY MINUTE of the day accounted for FOR ME, and they ran my ass RAGGED. By the time I got out of basic, my clothes were almost FALLING off me.
HAZARDOUS MATERIALS DATASHEET For AMERICAN WOMEN
HAZARDOUS MATERIALS DATASHEET For AMERICAN WOMEN
ANALYSIS
Element: Woman
Discoverer: Adam
Atomic Mass: Accepted as 55kg, but known to vary from 45kg to 225kg
Occurrence: Found in large quantities in urban areas with trace elements in outlying regions
Physical Properties
1. Surface normally covered with film of powder and paint.
2. Boils at absolutely nothing, freezes for no apparent reason.
3. Melts if given special treatment.
4. Bitter if used incorrectly.
5. Found in various grades ranging from virgin material to common ore.
6. Yields to pressure if expertly applied.
Chemical Properties
1. Affinity to gold, silver, platinum and all precious stones.
2. Absorbs great quantities of expensive substances.
3. Explodes spontaneously without reason or warning.
4. Greatly increased activity when saturated with alcohol.
5. The most powerful money reducing agent known to man.
Common Use
1. Highly ornamental, especially in sports cars.
2. Can be a great aid to relaxation.
3. Can be a very effective cleaning agent.
Tests
1. Pure specimens turn bright pink when found in their natural state.
2. Turns green when placed alongside a superior specimen.
Hazards:
1. Highly dangerous except in experienced hands.
2. Illegal to possess more than one, although several can be maintained at different locations as long as specimens do not come in direct contact with each other.
Country John