Are Americans fat just because of food? Or something more?

Question

I've been thinking. I am not overweight currently, but I often feel I'm bordering it (I know I'm not, but I feel that way a lot). However, there are a lot of overweight people, people who just can't get the weight off. And I know, personally, I am always hungry. I like to feel full, and I will eat til I feel that way. It takes a lot of food, even if I eat slowly. If my metabolism wasn't good, I know I'd be 300 lbs... my husband eats exactly the same amount of food I do, and he is 300 lbs, so I know I must be lucky with the metabolism (or he is very unfortunate with the metabolism, perhaps). Either way, what's the deal?

Have we made food a reward? A comfort? Why do salty, fatty, warm, gooey foods seem to be so much yummier than healthy things? I do love healthy foods, but if I had to choose between carrot sticks and mac n cheese, I know which I would pick (the mac, of course!) What are your thoughts on this?

Kimberly B, I am well aware that not ALL Americans are overweight. However, I believe the estimate I read was over 45% ARE. I am in the health care profession, I am not ignorant in these issues, and I realize people don't exercise. HOWEVER, I was curious why people seem not to be satisfied by even large amounts of food. Why am I always hungry? I know I eat more than I should. If I exercised more, I'd be even more hungry. Something about this seems to be not right.

Answer 1

Have you considered getting your thyroid checked? It sounds like my current problem - a bit of hyperthyroidism, making the metabolism run high, making you hungry all the time.

Yes, we have made food a reward, and it has always been a comfort - certain foods reminding you of times where you were younger, more innocent and things were "safe" and happy in your world.

But not all people are fat because of their food intake. Some large people eat probably a quarter of what most others eat, yet cannot remove the weight becvuase it is there due to chemical imbalances. Sometimes those can be fixed, sometimes not.

We can also trace things back to WWI and WWII when everyone was told to "clean their plates" because it was patriotic duty, etc. And meals were large because we were doing a lot of physical labor and actually used up that food efficiently.

Today, however, we are so much more sedentary in our jobs and lives, yet portions have not gone down in most restaurants. One of the restaurants I like gives you enough food on the table for 3 people when you are by yourself - I always have at least two meals of leftovers that I take home. Yet other people are still raised to clear their plates, so by god, they do.

And yes, junk food often tastes better, but paying attention to your body's wants is also important. Ever notice how sometimes you really want a salad, or a carrot, or something else that's "good" for you? Even over a candy bar or piece of cake? That's your body telling you that you lack nutrients found in those foods, so you should be eating them.

There are many factors for fat folks - and it's not just americans.

I am wondering who the "WE" is Kimberly is talking about though, because there are vast generalizations in there. Not everyone can afford cars, some places have no bus service, not everyone goes out every weekend, etc. Maybe gettoing out and seeing how the middle and lower classes live might help that perspective. Fat sometimes comes because of the food poor folks can afford - full of carbs and stuff not so good for you, BUT that is what they can afford. Sadly, really good quality fresh veggies - and even frozen ones - are expensive. That, and this so called "Organic" movement. Yes, some plants are grown differently, but "Organic" rice crispies? Please. They merely adapted the ingredients on the package to make it sound better for you - look at the nutrition chart- EXACTLY the same. Yet that box of "organic" costs $2-$3 more than a regular box of brand name rice crispies. Pitiful misuse of the term and marketinf spin.

Answer 2

I believe it's cheap fast food that are empty carbohydrates. All high carbs do is raise the blood sugar which makes the body think it has too much insulin. This is the case for every human not just diabetics.

Common table sugar represents about 20 to 25 percent of the daily caloric intake of the average American. This translates into the equivalent of half a pound a day and over 5 tons in a lifetime. In the early 1800's, the average sugar consumption was 12 pounds per person annually. This increased to 124 pounds in 1980 and to 152 pounds in 1997. It is estimated that 75 percent of all sugar we consume comes from processed food.

Answer 3

Contributors to overweight America:

1. Huge serving sizes/portions

2. too much fast food

3. too much junk food/processed food

4. Insufficient exercise ( You should aim for 20-45 minutes moderate ex at least 5 days per week, ideally)

5. Too much TV, time spent in front of the computer (yikes!) etc.

6. Sedentary lifestyles in general

7. Probably some of the things you identified...the yumminess of gooey, cheesy, salty foods

8. What we eat...too many fats, too many processed carbs, too much sodium, too few veg/fruit ( aim for at least 5/day and no, corn is not a veg)

9. Excessive stress/altered sleep have been shown to increase certain hormones that increase fat deposits/slow metabolism

10. Someone else said it too...we are very lucky and can get whatever we want ( almost and generally) and we can eat all kinds of fatty, calorie laden, goodies.........

In other words, we eat too much, don't move enough and live sedentary yet stressful lives ( and I don't know about you but I find myself reaching for the Cheetos when the going gets tough)

Great question though!

Answer 4

i think it definitely and obviously has a lot to do with our american food choices. look at other countries and their diets/lifestyle/life span(japan). genetics also play a large roll. not just your parents, but our genetics as a whole people. i read an article once that explained why we crave fatty foods (i think some 2006 issue of FLEX). it explained that our craving goes back to a simpler time when people lived off of animal fat. animal fat was used in everything! now, hundreds of years later, our instincts tell us we want fat. and actually our body needs fat, believe it or not. same goes for salty thing. how much salt did our ancestors use?? i think if you always eat to be full, try to spread that feeling throughout the day. i'm sure you've heard this, but eating several smaller meals throughout the day is probably the best dieting decision anyone can make (reasonably). theres a saying: "eat to live, don't live to eat". think of food as a survival source, or you basic need for energy (mental & physical), not a reward or something to please yourself. get this in your head, and you're on the right track.

Answer 5

There is an additive that is put in food that makes us want to eat more (proven in the book, Natural Cures: What they don't want you to know by Kevin Trudeau). It's not just what we eat or when we eat, but how much we eat. Many Americans eat more than they should and many do not exercise like they should. If Americans ate 6 small meals a day, they would more than likely lose the weight. Many of us don't eat enough meals a day and eat too many calories per day. Most Americans don't eat supper until 7 pm or later; the later we eat in the evening, the more that food turns to fat in our body.

Answer 6

if you eat anywhere else in the world you get accurate portions. in europe they give you little cookies that are probably about 1/10 of the fat and calories of an american cookie. Eating steak is a big american past time. steak is fine in 6 oz portions -- thats what your dinner is supposed to be. try ordering a 6 oz steak anywhere though.

we have learned to eat for comfort because we are fortuante enough to be able to afford to eat just about anything we want. the united states is very lacking in cuisines. cuisine usually comes from the regions poor -- necessity is the mother of invention.

we are also so completely suburbanized we are practically vegetables. we sit and sit and sit some more and then sleep. there has been much written about metabolism and breathing. we don't even have healthy breathiing habits in this country because we are sprawled on the couch.

Answer 7

i think portion size does have alot to do with it, and also lack of exercise. i know the subject has been beaten to death, but think how much less we have to move: a remote control to change the channel, video games instead of playing basketball or riding a bike, etc. I know when I was little, I rode my bike everywhere! Now my kids' bikes sit in the garage while the computer and video games are smoking from being overused. Have you ever heard of the book "French Women Don't Get Fat"? The author says it's because of portion size, and the amount of exercise europeans get. They walk or ride a bike alot more than americans do, and they have very small portions of their food, particularly sweets. I know that the japanese also eat very small portions, even though they eat a lot of white rice. Interesting concepts.

Answer 8

The food industry has been pounding into our heads for years that we have to eat more.
T.V. ads are designed to make you hungry, as well as additives in processed foods to make us want to eat more and crave sweets & fat.
Plus servings are getting bigger, for example a typical fast food burger (that is designed to make you fat to begin with) is 2 to 3 times larger than they were when I was a kid. Also candy bars are 4 to 10 times larger.
People in other countries for the most part eat more natural foods
therefore they are more trim as a population.

Answer 9

I think society has gotten larger for many reasons. We don't exercise as much as we did before because of so many different inventions that do the work for us. Also, much of our food is processed now and with that is added fat and sugar. Also soy is added to many processed foods and soy can lead to thyroid problems, which in turn puts weight on.

Answer 10

I have a metabolic disorder that makes me overweight. I do the best in controling it with medicines and proper diet with a nutrionists etc. I have tons of healthy cookbooks and I measure and wiegh my food. Some people are overweight cause they have a horribl diet with processed foods, pizza, fast foods, high fat and cholesterol diets. They dont watch their caloric intake or proportion sizes. So that makes people whether they are american or not overweight. Hpe this answered your question good luck tc