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If you spend any time in the United States, you will notice that America has an obesity problem. The severity of the problem varies depending on which part of the country you are in. In some parts of the south the problem very serious. But the problem is pervasive throughout the U.S.

Occasionally I see articles that try to justify the weight problem, saying it is not unhealthy. These arguments are pure B.S. Much of the western world has gotten too fat and is less healthy than much of the developing world.

Now of course every country will have a few overweight people. Some people are just inclined to put on weight. And most people add a few extra pounds when they reach middle age. My concern is with the health and well-being of young people, especially kids of high school and college age whose bodies are forming and who are developing eating and exercise habits for the the rest of their lives. If they are already overweight at 21 or 18 or 15, what happens when they reach 35 or 45 or 55?

My Informal Survey
I spend a lot of time traveling and get to meet and observe a lot of people from  different countries. Here are my observations about weight in some of the countries I have visited. This is not a scientific survey, but just personal observations.

USA Wins the Gold Medal in Obesity
America is definitely leading the world in obesity. Canada is probably a close second. The odd thing is that America also leads the world in gym memberships. But I have seen plenty of overweight people that go to the gym three or four times per week. This leads me to conclude that the problem is the American diet and not a lack of exercise.

England and Scotland are not far behind the U.S. and Canada. The British have gotten huge. While the French and Dutch are thin, German and Austria have their share of overweight people. The French eat small portions. Germans and Austrians eat large portions. The Dutch eat a lot of deep-fried junk food like croquettes that Americans would say are fattening, but yet they are thin. I think the key is they don’t eat a lot.

The diet in Poland and Ukraine would be considered very fattening by Americans. The eat pork, pierogis, and many fancy deserts. Yet they are not fat. I have observed thin Bulgarian girls eating huge slices of pizza and drinking Coca-Cola, followed by three huge scoops of ice cream. yet they are rail thin. Meanwhile American women on diets eat cottage cheese and can’t loose one kilogram. Figure that one out.

Fifteen years ago, I did not see a weight problem in the Czech Republic. So it can not be because of Czech beer consumption. Today I ride the tram in Prague and many of the teenagers are too fat. It is no coincidence that in the past decade, American fast food restaurants like McDonalds, Burger King and KFC have opened up on every street in Prague.

Thankfully, this epidemic has not yet reached rest of Eastern Europe. But it is probably just a matter of time before the fast food restuarants are everywhere and all of Europe is filled with overweight people like in the U.S.

Eating Fat Does Not Make You Fat
It is clear to me that the problem is the western-style diet. The food found in American supermarkets and restaurants is high-processed and not natural. The chemical-laden food is making the country fat.

The low-fat mantra of in the United States means that fat has been replaced by carbohydrates like processed sugars in much of the U.S. diet. But eating sugar just makes your body crave more sugar, resulting in over consumption. Maybe some day nutritionists will figure out that eating fat does not make you fat.

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