Thirty percent of the adult population in the U.S. is said to be obese and two out of every three people are considered to be overweight. For slender Japanese visitors, the sight of people walking around with big bouncing bottoms seems almost comical. Being overweight is no joke, however, when the number one cause of death in the U.S. is cardiac illness.
One of the main problems is a food culture that deep fries everything. Seafood that is fresh enough to eat as sashimi ends up covered in brown batter. Sports bar Hooters, famous for its tightly clad waitresses, offers a menu that includes bizarre items such as fried pickles. Salty pickles, generously coated with bread crumbs and deep-fried, is the ultimate triple play of salt, calories and fat.
Baby food manufacturer Gerber* satirizes this dietary style in a TV commercial. When asked which vegetable is most often eaten by America's toddlers, most people on the street guess "carrots." They are then shocked to hear the results of a study that found fried potatoes to be the answer. It is not hard to imagine them being given to babies instead of soothers, keeping upset children quiet and content by letting them munch on French fries.
I met many overweight native people while visiting a American Indian Navajo reservation. Although I initially thought that this might be hereditary condition among the native people, old photographs in museums revealed that they were rather skinny in the old days. When I asked what happened to these people, who used to eat simple meals mainly consisting of dried foods, my guide answered by simply pointing at the towering Golden Arches in the distance.
In February 2009, the results of a sobering study were released in the U.S. The study, funded by the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, compared four weight-loss approaches that include different intakes of fat, protein and carbohydrates. The results showed little difference between the four in achieving weight loss. Whether you are on a low-fat or low-carb diet, you just have to control your calorie intake and get enough exercise. To put it simply, just don't eat so much!
Here's a very-American joke. "The other day some birds got sucked into the engine of an airplane and caused a big accident, but do you know what the most dangerous bird is? It's fried chicken!"
*Gerber's commercial on YouTube:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NmNRykRo61g
