Americans eat too much!!!
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Coming from Holland, the first time i went to a dinner out in the US i was shocked about the portion size. The refills of soda's etc. Was totally unfamiliar with it. People in Holland dont take left over food from restaurants home, well it is rare. Also the buffets are not so common as in the US.
A lot of people do gardening or some sort of mini garden. Which means moving more ( after work) keeping up your garden and fresh foods.
But what is worrying most is the whole commercial industry around the food in the US. The US food commercials are everywhere. And a lot of people see this as normal, children grow up with a couple of "take outs" a day. Go to school by bus ( well a lot) etc etc
Were i come from a take out like McDonalds is for special occasions like birth days. Or just sometimes. Going out for dinner is mostly on Sundays People still cook.
Going to work or school they take the bicycle if they can. People move more in general.
Drive through's ???? only Mac has it...mostly restaurants dont have it. btw there are less restaurants and take out services too. Less advertising for them also.
People pay for their shopping card and have to bring it back to get their money back. etc et So they move more
Children bike to school or walk sometimes the bus.
In general they are member of 1 or 3 clubs and are active. So less tv watching and video games
Aldo everything is changing slowly too. And with the change the overweight people percentage will grow.
Really a shame
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Did you miss the bolded part?
Of course.I don't think we can say it's just Americans which you can see by the fact that there are not only Americans on this and other sites like it
But in all honesty, I have noticed a difference in the portion sizes in the US. I live in Canada but very close to the US border and travel to the US frequently, at least once a week. I am always surprised at the serving sizes when I eat out in the US.
That's not to say that the US is the only country with an obesity epidemic, just an observation of mine.
Then how are other nations beginning to become too overweight as well? Are they still eating the same portion sizes as before, just more of them? Or are the portion sizes beginning to grow, just as at one point, they began to grow in the U.S.?
Because one thing's pretty much sure: the UK, for example, isn't getting fat by continuing to eat small portions without snacking.
As I said, personal observation.
I don't have the answer and wasn't claiming to.
ETA: that didn't quote properly. What I was meaning to highlight was my previous comment: "That's not to say that the US is the only country with an obesity epidemic, just an observation of mine."
(shrug) No need to get defensive. Just as yours were personal observations, so too are mine, and I felt the question was legitimate. And important, and here's why...
Yes, although you sandwiched a half-hearted disqualifier in there, obviously, the main thrust is (and will continue to be) how fat Americans are and how gigantic our portion sizes are, shame shame, tsk tsk. Although I don't disagree with either of those sentiments, we're no longer unique on at least the former; the latter deserves an explanation - and a more critical eye. Because if one is deciding one is "doing things better" by not eating "American" portions, but is fat, well, there's obviously a reason, correct? It's no less important to look for those reasons as well - at least if one doesn't want to be (or no longer wants to be) fat.
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When family/friends go on holiday to America this definitely the feedback. Restaurant and cafe servings are massive. I'm sure it's not true of super posh places. Definitely bigger than standard servings in UK restaurants.
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Especially my palm which is 3"x2.5". Now if we're talking the size of Zēng Jīnlián's palm, I'm all for it.Someone would be getting very short shrift if they served me a piece of chicken breast the size of a women's palm.0 -
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TheOwlhouseDesigns wrote: »Coming from Holland, the first time i went to a dinner out in the US i was shocked about the portion size. The refills of soda's etc. Was totally unfamiliar with it. People in Holland dont take left over food from restaurants home, well it is rare. Also the buffets are not so common as in the US.
A lot of people do gardening or some sort of mini garden. Which means moving more ( after work) keeping up your garden and fresh foods.
But what is worrying most is the whole commercial industry around the food in the US. The US food commercials are everywhere. And a lot of people see this as normal, children grow up with a couple of "take outs" a day. Go to school by bus ( well a lot) etc etc
Were i come from a take out like McDonalds is for special occasions like birth days. Or just sometimes. Going out for dinner is mostly on Sundays People still cook.
Going to work or school they take the bicycle if they can. People move more in general.
Drive through's ???? only Mac has it...mostly restaurants dont have it. btw there are less restaurants and take out services too. Less advertising for them also.
People pay for their shopping card and have to bring it back to get their money back. etc et So they move more
Children bike to school or walk sometimes the bus.
In general they are member of 1 or 3 clubs and are active. So less tv watching and video games
Aldo everything is changing slowly too. And with the change the overweight people percentage will grow.
Really a shame
Thanks for sharing that. I love hearing other perspectives.
I just got back from Mexico. While there are plenty of fattening foods to be had there is virtually no fast food. It was so refreshing. I want to go back so badly. Fresh fish everywhere, little taco stands....
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Eating reasonable size portions at a meal is not a problem for me. Between meal snacking is the problem. If I cut out snacking and just have 3 meals a day, I can make those meals pretty big and I'm still within my calorie goals.
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Mots industrialized countries are well on their way to the same sort of obesity issues that we have here in North America. What people here consider a 'normal' portion size is grossly overstated. Plates are getting bigger and so are our waistlines!
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Koldnomore wrote: »Mots industrialized countries are well on their way to the same sort of obesity issues that we have here in North America. What people here consider a 'normal' portion size is grossly overstated. Plates are getting bigger and so are our waistlines!
Surely no one thinks a litre bottle is meant to be a single serving though?!0 -
The intent of my comment was not "shame shame tsk tsk". I am in agreement that the obesity epidemic is not solely a US phenomenon but I do agree with the OP, and a number of other posters here apparently, that typical US portion sizes do appear to dwarf those of other countries.
Did you miss the bolded part?
Of course.I don't think we can say it's just Americans which you can see by the fact that there are not only Americans on this and other sites like it
But in all honesty, I have noticed a difference in the portion sizes in the US. I live in Canada but very close to the US border and travel to the US frequently, at least once a week. I am always surprised at the serving sizes when I eat out in the US.
That's not to say that the US is the only country with an obesity epidemic, just an observation of mine.
Then how are other nations beginning to become too overweight as well? Are they still eating the same portion sizes as before, just more of them? Or are the portion sizes beginning to grow, just as at one point, they began to grow in the U.S.?
Because one thing's pretty much sure: the UK, for example, isn't getting fat by continuing to eat small portions without snacking.
As I said, personal observation.
I don't have the answer and wasn't claiming to.
ETA: that didn't quote properly. What I was meaning to highlight was my previous comment: "That's not to say that the US is the only country with an obesity epidemic, just an observation of mine."
(shrug) No need to get defensive. Just as yours were personal observations, so too are mine, and I felt the question was legitimate. And important, and here's why...
Yes, although you sandwiched a half-hearted disqualifier in there, obviously, the main thrust is (and will continue to be) how fat Americans are and how gigantic our portion sizes are, shame shame, tsk tsk. Although I don't disagree with either of those sentiments, we're no longer unique on at least the former; the latter deserves an explanation - and a more critical eye. Because if one is deciding one is "doing things better" by not eating "American" portions, but is fat, well, there's obviously a reason, correct? It's no less important to look for those reasons as well - at least if one doesn't want to be (or no longer wants to be) fat.
Is that the only reason for the obesity epidemic? Obviously not, given your keen observation that many other countries struggle with it as well.
So in reality, we agree. Sort of. Truce?
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I had 6.4oz of chicken breast for lunch yesterdayflippy1234 wrote: »a serving of chicken is the palm of a woman's hand. NOT the fingers, but the actual palm. I bet most of us are or at least were, eating a whole chicken breast.
I would love to hear your thoughts on this...
I could have had another
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The intent of my comment was not "shame shame tsk tsk". I am in agreement that the obesity epidemic is not solely a US phenomenon but I do agree with the OP, and a number of other posters here apparently, that typical US portion sizes do appear to dwarf those of other countries.
Did you miss the bolded part?
Of course.I don't think we can say it's just Americans which you can see by the fact that there are not only Americans on this and other sites like it
But in all honesty, I have noticed a difference in the portion sizes in the US. I live in Canada but very close to the US border and travel to the US frequently, at least once a week. I am always surprised at the serving sizes when I eat out in the US.
That's not to say that the US is the only country with an obesity epidemic, just an observation of mine.
Then how are other nations beginning to become too overweight as well? Are they still eating the same portion sizes as before, just more of them? Or are the portion sizes beginning to grow, just as at one point, they began to grow in the U.S.?
Because one thing's pretty much sure: the UK, for example, isn't getting fat by continuing to eat small portions without snacking.
As I said, personal observation.
I don't have the answer and wasn't claiming to.
ETA: that didn't quote properly. What I was meaning to highlight was my previous comment: "That's not to say that the US is the only country with an obesity epidemic, just an observation of mine."
(shrug) No need to get defensive. Just as yours were personal observations, so too are mine, and I felt the question was legitimate. And important, and here's why...
Yes, although you sandwiched a half-hearted disqualifier in there, obviously, the main thrust is (and will continue to be) how fat Americans are and how gigantic our portion sizes are, shame shame, tsk tsk. Although I don't disagree with either of those sentiments, we're no longer unique on at least the former; the latter deserves an explanation - and a more critical eye. Because if one is deciding one is "doing things better" by not eating "American" portions, but is fat, well, there's obviously a reason, correct? It's no less important to look for those reasons as well - at least if one doesn't want to be (or no longer wants to be) fat.
Is that the only reason for the obesity epidemic? Obviously not, given your keen observation that many other countries struggle with it as well.
So in reality, we agree. Sort of. Truce?
No need for a truce, it was never a war. Yes, it appears we agree on these points.
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Koldnomore wrote: »Mots industrialized countries are well on their way to the same sort of obesity issues that we have here in North America. What people here consider a 'normal' portion size is grossly overstated. Plates are getting bigger and so are our waistlines!
oh yeah this too lol
The portions in supermarkets
I was used to liters.... 1 liter soda and milk etc
Here in the US its a gallon or two liters
The crisps bags are bigger the cereal EVERYTHING
I had the biggest laugh when i showed my son a plum over the web cam. His eyes went wide open in unbelief because of the size of plums and other fruit. In the store/supermarkets we cant even buy 2 steaks most of the time...it are 3 grrrrr. The whole chickens and Turkeys are huges. And so are the other portions of meat. Everything is much much much.... So yes all portions are bigger here.
Now i am more used to it. I cut everything up to more normal sizes and divide it in smaller portions. But many people dont. Many people eat the whole pizza instead of saving the rest and freeze it. They rather destroy their weight and health than "waste" their food by saving or freezing it.
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I don't think we can say it's just Americans which you can see by the fact that there are not only Americans on this and other sites like it
YEAH!!! But being the super power and world leader we lead and world follows ...
No wait ...0 -
TavistockToad wrote: »
Surely no one thinks a litre bottle is meant to be a single serving though?!
You'd be surprised. Look at fast food places like Wendy's where their mediums are 32oz and large are 42oz (or something close to that). This is the reason why I order water with all of my meals now. 32oz of water is the same as a 12oz
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Which goes to another point. It's what people are used to. And people expect to get more for their money, so a bigger package size for the same amount of money? Bonus!TheOwlhouseDesigns wrote: »Koldnomore wrote: »Mots industrialized countries are well on their way to the same sort of obesity issues that we have here in North America. What people here consider a 'normal' portion size is grossly overstated. Plates are getting bigger and so are our waistlines!
oh yeah this too lol
The portions in supermarkets
I was used to liters.... 1 liter soda and milk etc
Here in the US its a gallon or two liters
The crisps bags are bigger the cereal EVERYTHING
I had the biggest laugh when i showed my son a plum over the web cam. His eyes went wide open in unbelief because of the size of plums and other fruit. In the store/supermarkets we cant even by 2 steaks most of the time...it are 3 grrrrr. The whole chickens and Turkeys are huges. And so are the other portions of meat. Everything is much much much.... So yes all portions are bigger here.
Now i am more used to it. I cut everything up to more normal sizes and divide it in smaller portions. But many people dont. Many people eat the whole pizza instead of saving the rest and freeze it. They rather destroy their weight and health than "waste" their food by saving or freezing it.
It's also a lack of education. I don't think most people would rather "destroy their weight and health" than waste food, they simply don't know. Think of most of us here on MFP and our lack of education when we started our own journeys and how far we've come. My personal belief is that a lack of education about caloric intake is another piece of the puzzle.
It's a complicated issue to be sure.
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Exactly what I was just going to say
Which goes to another point. It's what people are used to. And people expect to get more for their money, so a bigger package size for the same amount of money? Bonus!TheOwlhouseDesigns wrote: »Koldnomore wrote: »Mots industrialized countries are well on their way to the same sort of obesity issues that we have here in North America. What people here consider a 'normal' portion size is grossly overstated. Plates are getting bigger and so are our waistlines!
oh yeah this too lol
The portions in supermarkets
I was used to liters.... 1 liter soda and milk etc
Here in the US its a gallon or two liters
The crisps bags are bigger the cereal EVERYTHING
I had the biggest laugh when i showed my son a plum over the web cam. His eyes went wide open in unbelief because of the size of plums and other fruit. In the store/supermarkets we cant even by 2 steaks most of the time...it are 3 grrrrr. The whole chickens and Turkeys are huges. And so are the other portions of meat. Everything is much much much.... So yes all portions are bigger here.
Now i am more used to it. I cut everything up to more normal sizes and divide it in smaller portions. But many people dont. Many people eat the whole pizza instead of saving the rest and freeze it. They rather destroy their weight and health than "waste" their food by saving or freezing it.
It's also a lack of education. I don't think most people would rather "destroy their weight and health" than waste food, they simply don't know. Think of most of us here on MFP and our lack of education when we started our own journeys and how far we've come. My personal belief is that a lack of education about caloric intake is another piece of the puzzle.
It's a complicated issue to be sure.
MORE FOR LESS? Yes please.
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Which goes to another point. It's what people are used to. And people expect to get more for their money, so a bigger package size for the same amount of money? Bonus!TheOwlhouseDesigns wrote: »Koldnomore wrote: »Mots industrialized countries are well on their way to the same sort of obesity issues that we have here in North America. What people here consider a 'normal' portion size is grossly overstated. Plates are getting bigger and so are our waistlines!
oh yeah this too lol
The portions in supermarkets
I was used to liters.... 1 liter soda and milk etc
Here in the US its a gallon or two liters
The crisps bags are bigger the cereal EVERYTHING
I had the biggest laugh when i showed my son a plum over the web cam. His eyes went wide open in unbelief because of the size of plums and other fruit. In the store/supermarkets we cant even by 2 steaks most of the time...it are 3 grrrrr. The whole chickens and Turkeys are huges. And so are the other portions of meat. Everything is much much much.... So yes all portions are bigger here.
Now i am more used to it. I cut everything up to more normal sizes and divide it in smaller portions. But many people dont. Many people eat the whole pizza instead of saving the rest and freeze it. They rather destroy their weight and health than "waste" their food by saving or freezing it.
It's also a lack of education. I don't think most people would rather "destroy their weight and health" than waste food, they simply don't know. Think of most of us here on MFP and our lack of education when we started our own journeys and how far we've come. My personal belief is that a lack of education about caloric intake is another piece of the puzzle.
It's a complicated issue to be sure.
It is yes, you are right about the education.
This is also one of the reasons why fast food and booze advertisement are restricted in Holland. And the ones you see have the same disclaimer as medical advertisement as in the US...only saying that they are bad for you health when you have to much of it.
But children still get brought up there in a way that you bring your lunch to school and there is a cooked dinner at night etc etc. So they grow up with other habits....but like i said it is slowly changing sadly enough.
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Which goes to another point. It's what people are used to. And people expect to get more for their money, so a bigger package size for the same amount of money? Bonus!TheOwlhouseDesigns wrote: »Koldnomore wrote: »Mots industrialized countries are well on their way to the same sort of obesity issues that we have here in North America. What people here consider a 'normal' portion size is grossly overstated. Plates are getting bigger and so are our waistlines!
oh yeah this too lol
The portions in supermarkets
I was used to liters.... 1 liter soda and milk etc
Here in the US its a gallon or two liters
The crisps bags are bigger the cereal EVERYTHING
I had the biggest laugh when i showed my son a plum over the web cam. His eyes went wide open in unbelief because of the size of plums and other fruit. In the store/supermarkets we cant even by 2 steaks most of the time...it are 3 grrrrr. The whole chickens and Turkeys are huges. And so are the other portions of meat. Everything is much much much.... So yes all portions are bigger here.
Now i am more used to it. I cut everything up to more normal sizes and divide it in smaller portions. But many people dont. Many people eat the whole pizza instead of saving the rest and freeze it. They rather destroy their weight and health than "waste" their food by saving or freezing it.
It's also a lack of education. I don't think most people would rather "destroy their weight and health" than waste food, they simply don't know. Think of most of us here on MFP and our lack of education when we started our own journeys and how far we've come. My personal belief is that a lack of education about caloric intake is another piece of the puzzle.
It's a complicated issue to be sure.
^ My husband has always made that comment about "not wasting" food. My thought is: if all I'm going to do from that extra food is evacuate a portion of it, then need to actively undereat in order to get rid of the fat that accumulated from it, how was THAT not a waste of food? I wasted the food either way, isn't that correct?
He (my husband) also sincerely believes in getting "a better bargain" by the larger serving which is technically less expensive per gram or ounce, or is a freebie (such as a refill). Again, how is that "the better bargain" when later, I'm going to be expending energy to get rid of the aftereffects, may have medical expenses if it's consistent and cumulative, need to buy bigger clothes and so on? Where was the bargain?
The whole "don't waste it" thing when you're going to wind up trying to get rid of it anyway through diet and exercise is a real puzzle to me.
It was also always a puzzle to me when I was a child how my eating all of my dinner would keep children "in China" from starving. It wasn't like I was going to absorb it, then psychically send the energy to Asia. Now...obviously she meant it more as a lesson in gratitude, but really, that's how it comes off to a kid when you say "Eat all your food, because children elsewhere are starving."
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TavistockToad wrote: »Koldnomore wrote: »Mots industrialized countries are well on their way to the same sort of obesity issues that we have here in North America. What people here consider a 'normal' portion size is grossly overstated. Plates are getting bigger and so are our waistlines!
Surely no one thinks a litre bottle is meant to be a single serving though?!
It's not like someone sits down to a drink like they do to a meal. Plenty of people go through multiple liters of pop a day, because they drink it instead of water. Instead of carrying a water bottle with them, they carry a Mt. Dew or Coke with them. They use 2 liter bottles because it's more convenient than going back to get another can once an hour.0 -
As long as we are on the subject, how many portions are in a pint of ice cream? I've always assumed it is one serving.
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And here I've been disappointed because it seems like the contents of items are shrinking, yet prices are increasing... a pound of bacon? nope, it's now 12 oz packages. 5lb bag of sugar? nope, now they are 4lb bags.
And I swear, you don't get nearly as many Doritos in a bag yet the size of the bag is the same and price has gone up! Oh well, I guess it's a good thing At least for Doritos since I can polish off a bag in one sitting.
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As long as we are on the subject, how many portions are in a pint of ice cream? I've always assumed it is one serving.
Most ice cream here (Canada) is 1/2 cup (125ml) for one serving. Most people don't eat 1/2 cup of ice cream. There's a local Gelato place here that offers 'child size' portions which are closer to 1 cup than half a cup - and that's supposed to be for a child. It's scary!
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truth 0
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As long as we are on the subject, how many portions are in a pint of ice cream? I've always assumed it is one serving.
I have no idea, but even as an American I have to say, isn't that quite alot? I mean isn't the caricature of the PMS-y chick or the person crying and getting over a breakup and overeating, a whole pint of ice cream? Or eating directly from the pint carton with a spoon or whatever?
I have always scooped out portions and when the pint it was done it was done...I suppose somebody around here could not be lazy, and could do the math...but that person won't be me.
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One serving.
As long as we are on the subject, how many portions are in a pint of ice cream? I've always assumed it is one serving.
And also this:
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It's not only food portions, but also good choices. Fast food places and most restaurants serve lots of high calorie dense foods and beverages. Also the snacking is a big factor. Everywhere you look there are pre - packaged foods like chips, cookies, crackers, etc., which tend to be calorie dense even for a small portion, not to mention they don't really satisfy the hunger so it's too easy to overdo. A serving of chicken has the same calories as some cookies. If I eat that chicken I will feel satisfied, if I eat that cookie I will still be hungry and want more food. I'm not saying you can't eat the cookie, but I think one of America's problems is they go for the cookie first, and the chips, and fast food and never really satisfy their bodies. One thing I have learned on mfp is to eat for the macro and micro nutrients first, then if I have calorie room I can eat the empty calories if I so desire.0
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