American reacts to 'How living in Europe made me healthy'

Thank you for watching me, a humble American, react to How living in Europe made me healthy

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[elsafariastorres]

I'm German. I spent a year in the US, as a part of an exchange program. All of us gained around 20 pounds in that time! The amount of junk food the average American consumes, was simply amazing to me. And it seemed so normal to everybody.

[MrStarkiller]

I am from EU. When GPS and google maps were invented i told my Remember when you were telling me about your 7 km walk to the elementary school in snow? Its 1.3

[choupinette]

i lived in boston for 3 years and i had no car so i biked and walked everywhere, all year long, i watched what i was eating and still i gained 10kg. i am now back in france and within 6 months i already lost 4.5kg on top of having no more hormonal problems and i live in the counrtyside so i have a car here. food is for sure a big factor and stress in the usa.

[seijika]

Not having high-fructose corn syrup in everything under the sun helps a great deal over here.

[Brownie]

I’m Dutch and I remember that in 1984 when I was still in school, a classmate and girlfriend of mine went to live and study in the US for a year as an exchange student. She was a beautiful slim girl to see. After that year when she came back, she had gained almost 15 kilograms 😱 We couldn’t believe our eyes when we saw her. And how come? For instance, here at home she had to bike around 20 kilometers every day to and from school. Where I lived that was/is completely normal to do so. In the US everywhere they went, was done by car. Another thing she told, is that every time she came home from whatever, the first thing to do is get to the refrigerator to get something to eat, hungry or not. Everybody did she told, that was completely normal over there. And like we knew from television back then, US refrigerators, to Dutch standards, were huge and fully stacked with food. That’s what amazed her most, that life in America evolved around eating food, lots of it and not necessarily the most healthy things. Luckily for her she came back to her normal weight but it took her around 6 months as I recall. And still the US in general has a very unhealthy relationship with eating food when it comes to both quality and quantity.

[colinbirks]

Most simple answer, is that Europe probably has set meal times, with reasonable amounts of food. Americans probably eat more frequently, by grabbing quick bites of junk food when they can.

[PachezZ]

Fastfood in europe, atleast for me and my close ones, is considered either the treat or long-drive-higway-food... we wouldn't eat McD etc as regular dinner or lunch...

[GianniDN]

There are a lot of reasons why Americans are much fatter. I was an exchange student in the US and people are overworked and stressed. Instead of trying to find a way to relax they dive into tons of comfort food in front of the TV, while sugar and just sitting gives you even more stress. My first week in the US, I suffered from severe belly pains, I begged my exchange family to let me return back to Italy. Finally we decided to go on a healthy diet and I learned them the Italian recipes my Nonna taught me. We all cooked together and it was much fun. We started to do more in the evening, going for a walk, instead of being in front of the TV, playing board games. Or other outdoor activities. The amazing thing was that they all lost so much weight, especially their son who has my age, he lost half of his weight in 3 months. Another thing, they were very Catholic but never really did something for a good cause. My family is Catholic but I have my own views on religion. I believe God is our own heart. I don’t pray in churches, I donate food to people who need it. We baked several cakes with my exchange family and we packed them and distributed them to the homeless people. They said I was a Gods gift when it was time to say goodbye. I said I am just like any other Italian of my age. We value our family deeply, we care a lot about our health. We enjoy activities that cost nothing, we don’t value expensive stuff. I don’t need the newest IPhone to be happy, I gladly use mine until it’s broken, because it doesn’t add any value to my life.

[DenUitvreter]

I often get the impression that Americans feel they have to shape and reinvent everything, and have no holistic approach to inherit from generations before but it's all deconstructed in seperate parts. For physical fitness you have to go to the gym, for health you have to follow a special diet and take special medicine.
"We Europeans" do a lot like our ancestors because that worked with a general good outcome for health and fitness in regular diets and 'exercise' through mobilty, which is much easier. We also didn't feel the need to reinvent bread, the genetic make up of food crops, the way to preserve food etc. Just keep the good.

[lipgloss]

Just walking in general instead of sitting in a car sounds like a good start.

[silvijepremus]

Living in EU, I dont really watch what I eat I never even think about it. I consume 2/3 home cooked meals made from organic sources (and its easy to get them because so many people grow food). You can buy homegrown meat, fresh fish - even supermarkets have 50/50 organic/industrial products ratio. I admit I am a little overweight but im over 50 and spend too much time on computer. I could use more outdoor activity - but my Cholesterol levels are healty

[AGA]

It is not true that in Northern European countries we walk less because it is cold. You only need clothes and shoes for snow. Instead of surfing we have skis and sleds. My dogs love winter walks more than summer ones, so I walk with them at least three hours a day and more on weekends.

[AussieFossil]

Walking is a fantastic way to keep the weight off. I live close to a huge supermarket and I always drove there, but one day I saw one of my neighbours walking back from the supermarket and it suddenly it occurred to me that driving there was pretty silly. A 4 minute drive and park compared to a 7 minute walk. I had to spend 3 minutes longer to get there ; what a huge difference! I used to drive there once or twice a week, now I walk there two or three times a week. I went from weighing 207lbs to 198lbs in a few weeks. Now I'm down to 187lbs because walking every day now is just so "normal" to me.

[herrrorschach]

I mean, if you exclude at least 800 calories of various sugars from your daily diet, it is a good starting point. If everything you eat is more natural and higher quality, it helps. On top of it, if you start using less your car and walk/bike more...

[davidmalarkey]

I have lived in Malaga in southern Spain for over 12 years now. I feel healthier and I attribute that to eating a Mediterranean diet. The food that I eat is free from preservatives and additives. I get fresh bread each day from a local bakery and fresh vegetables from the local market each Tuesday.Nothing I eat is processed all fresh ingredients from veg, chicken and fish the local food is fantastic and tastes great and is way more healthy. Lots walking each day don't own a car don't need one use public transport great bus service and superb high speed trains. The infurstructure is superb makes travel so easy and convenient. Compared to America food is processed crap the inferstructure is none existent and as a nation the car is king. I have heard Americans complain about McDonald's in Spain saying its not the same as in America of course it's not going to be the same you are in a different country. The local food options are way better than McDonald's or Burger King. The is shop near my house that sells a whole chicken from a rotisserie for €6.00 absolutely delicious. I have a great fantastic stress free life here in Spain.

[jasonsmart]

Southern Europe has a wonderful diet and some really great food. The idea of stuffing yourself with junk food when you have so much variety and fresh food available, doesnt even enter your mind. Sadly back here in the UK obesity is king, you just have to see the mobility scooter lined up outside McDonalds. Id say I in 3 is obese where I live in SE Kent.

[jeschinstad]

For a lot of people, the exercise you don't notice is the most efficient. I moved to an apartment in Oslo which was on the 6th floor without elevator. The first couple of weeks were a nightmare, but then I got used to it and walked up and down many times per day without thinking about it. I've never been in better shape. That's a bit extreme, but just walking five minutes here and ten minutes there adds up through the day. But there's no doubt that it has something to do with the food as well. For instance, I read that American bread typically has 7-8 times more sugar than typical Norwegian bread.

[taffygeek]

Brit here, our diet is more similar to the USA than a lot of our European neighbours but even here portions are smaller than the USA . Our obesity rates are @ 28% compared to USA 40%.
Not only are your food portions a lot bigger but one thing you don't get here is endless refills of sugary soda at restaurants.

[mhordijk]

I read stories from American expats, stating that, since they moved to Europe, they lost weight, acne and other inflamations disappeared, they had lower cholesterol and blood pressure and some even got rid of their diabetes meds completely.
When they went back, they gained 10 pounds in 3 weeks and all the other issues were starting to come back, too

[alicetwain]

Cookies in milk with coffee is what the average Italian eats at breakfast. It's actually my daily breakfast.