In case it helps anyone...
Sorry cats. I’ve lived in many places and spent a good deal of time in Europe. Brits get fat...
Nobody in my family ever got fat...
I realize there are differing opinions, but I am personally certain that soft drinks, nightly desserts, and high intake of “processed” foods makes you fat.
I am a chef and like the French we have a high-fat diet including lots of butter, thick sauces, etc.
What we DON’T do, that so many Americans DO do, is consume lots of simple sugars by way of sodas, cokes, and other “flavored” things.
“c’est juste mes deux sous...”
I’ve seen lots of fat chefs on Chopped. What’s with that?
“In a desperate effort to satisfy us, the North American food industry strives to give us flavour, but in the cheapest way possible. So they give us salt, grease and sugar. And we gorge and gorge, hoping for something better, something real.”
Indeed. And not even sugar, usually “high fructose corn syrup”. I myself can’t taste the difference between “Throwback!” soda from Pepsi that I see on the shelves now and then, BUT I find that one 12-oz can or bottle of “Throwback” is enough, whereas finishing off 16 or 20 oz of the “regular” stuff with HFCS in a big glass still leaves me thinking I’d like a refill.
A recent development here in the US fast food places is to put some kind of sauce on any kind of sandwich or side dish. It’s basically just some kind of soybean-oil-based mayonnaise with the flavor of the season (chipotle, bbq, “ranch”) mixed in, then spread on the sandwich or offered as a “dipping sauce”. It’s a quick and easy 100 calories of that flavor that probably offer nothing else whatsoever to your body.
“What we DON’T do, that so many Americans DO do, is consume lots of simple sugars by way of sodas, cokes, and other “flavored” things.”
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Check out the heavy amount of sugar we consume in various “foods” and drinks:
If your meals are properly satisfying, then you are less likely to snack between meals. IMO, the French do not snack much.