Healthy Eating in other nations

I'm european and anytime I've travelled to the US, the biggest difference I've noticed is portion size. They're at least twice the size as over here.

..agree. I lived in Europe for a long time. we need to work with portion control. and..."all you can eat" affair.

So why do they always pick on us for being so fat

because we also have terrible foreign policy? and fatbashing is easier?

While New Zealand does have high-ish rates of overall obesity, these are skewed by racial composition. For example, Pasifika and Maori people normally have bigger frames and therefore can get counted as overweight on the BMI scale even when they are a normal weight for their body. Since Maori and Pasifika people comprise about 22% of our population this distorts the overall picture.

Anyway, there are some food and health differences between NZ and the USA that might go some way to explaining any difference:

- NZ has almost no food made with high fructose corn syrup.
- Portion sizes in NZ are generally half or three quarters of USA portions (e.g. largest drink at Maccas is 500ml/16oz here, but 950ml/32oz in USA).
- People here walk a lot of places instead of driving, especially if walking time is less than 25 minutes.
- Outdoor activities are very common and popular, and often the basis for socialising and holidaying. Also people play lots of sport, go to the beach, and other stuff that involves exercise.
- Fresh fruit and vegetables are readily and widely available and seasonal produce is relatively cheap. Also canned vegetables are less common (e.g. would be anathema to most NZers to eat asparagus from a can).
- There are fewer additives and processing (e.g. in NZ cheese is a normal pale yellow colour not bright orange).
- We are more likely to have food in its natural state (e.g. cream is usually purchased in liquid form and then whipped whereas aerosol spray or synthetic/mock creams are far less common).
- NZ has free and universal healthcare (doctor visits are the main cost but are subsidised for those on low incomes) so problems get addressed before they become emergencies.

Um...there are probably other things too, but that's all I can think of right now. In any event, I don't think there is just one reason to explain cultural differences in health. The picture is very complex.

I have relatives in both Taiwan and Japan. They tend to eat smaller dishes (served family-style), more veggies, less dairy, and walk more than Americans.

There's a huge stigma of being even a tiny bit overweight in both countries. Adults and children WILL make fun of the chubby kid (to be obese is the ultimate shame). Asians are small-framed in general as well, helping to give an immediate appearance of slimness. Also, most mothers pride themselves in healthy home-cooking (usually veggies with rice). I find that in America, a lot of families rely on take-out at least two days a week.

There will be junk food everywhere you go. Japan is notorious for their tempura and sodas and Taiwan for their street-market sweets and bubble tea. They both sport many McDonald locations; in fact, it's even considered a "cool" hangout place for high schoolers. What makes the difference is that Taiwan and Japan have cultural attitudes toward food that is based on slow enjoyment, ritual, and aesthetics. Of course, there are exceptions, but that's the general approach. Being Asian-American, I grew up seeing neighbors and friends eating for immediate gratification. Americans nowadays, including myself, rarely sit down to appreciate their meal sensorially from start to finish and without multitasking (such as watching TV, checking phone).

If I had to take a guess as to why the US has a big obesity problem, I would say it's because of the car culture more than the fast food or portion sizes.

^^ This too. I'm from New York City where natives rarely ever use or even own a car. Most New Yorkers are slender as a result of walking everywhere (then again, a lot of people here are health-conscious).

Like also, I'm sure the cost of groceries are the same and everyone else works a 9-5 job and has the same issues we have here with not having time (At least, I assume) to cook and often graze on junk food.

I live in one of the most expensive countries in world when it comes food. So I can tell you that in USA (where I lived for a year, got some experience) the food, especially the processed unhealthy variety, is way cheaper than back here in Finland. Not saying that we don't have any obesity problems here, we do, but not in the same scale as you do. We have high taxes on sweets (including ice cream) and alcohol, so that brings those prices up.
Like someone already mentioned, one big thing is the portion size. And another driving everywhere. I walk and bike way more here than I did back in USA. It makes big difference.
We pay three times as much for gas as you do, so it's obviously one reason to avoid using car.

ETA: oh yeah, and forgot to mention the healthcare, it's affordable here (because of high taxes), so people tend to get doctors advise before things get out of hand.

I live in Mexico (though I'm from the UK) and I think Mexico has now actually overtaken the US in the obesity rankings...there's lots of posters and campaigns strangely not encouraging people to eat healthier, but just reminding us that "7 out of 10 Mexicans are obese".

There are markets everywhere and the fruit, vegetables, meat, dairy etc. there are a million times cheaper than in the supermarkets. But people work long hours and have long commutes and greasy street food like tacos, tortas, and tamales is really cheap and accessible. I used to give English classes to a guy at Coca Cola and he told me all about Coca Cola's marketing strategies to cater to the poorest of the poor. They keep introducing increasingly smaller bottles as prices go up, so coke is always cheaper than water. So there's an incredibly obvious correlation between weight and socio-economic status...