You better ask the other way round: what about the American diet and eating habits cause the high prevalence of severe obesity in the US?

Here they are:

1. Sugary beverages. Americans drink a lot of sodas, juices, lemonades, ice tea and milk. All these beverages (yes, milk too!) contain huge amounts of sugar. It does not help if you drink “diet” or “light” beverages with artificial sweeteners because every sweetener spikes insulin. And insulin triggers hunger. And eventually diabetes. Europeans drink much less sugary beverages and the cups are much smaller. We mostly drink water.
2. The habit of eating snacks between meals. (Slim) Europeans eat three meals a day: breakfast, lunch and dinner. This means, you have 5–6 hours between meals, enough time to get a normal insulin level. Many Americans (not all of them, but the obese ones) eat snacks between meals: a donut here, a muffin there, a chocolate bar, ice cream, a quick hot dog, a burger, a slice of pizza, a handful chips… And most of these food items contain lots of carbohydrates which spike insulin. And the result is: you are always hungry.
3. The habit of eating fast food. It is not alone the fast food per se, it is also the habit of eating while doing other things, like driving, watching tv, working, playing with the smartphone etc. Europeans sit down for eating and they concentrate on their food. By doing this, you get a better satiation from a given amount of calories. Or in other words: you eat smaller portions.
4. Portion sizes. Obese Americans eat incredible portion sizes and when they travel to Europe they complain about the small portions. There is a proven psychological effect: the bigger the portion the more you eat. BTW, there is another proven effect: the smaller the plate the less calories you take.
5. Too much sugar, carbohydrates and fat. Look, what dishes obese Americans love: pizza, lasagna, hamburgers with French fries, deep-fried dishes, donuts, muffins, waffles, ice-cream, brownies etc. The combination of carbohydrates and fat is deadly. Europeans eat more lean protein, vegetables and legumes.
6. Toppings and condiments. Who needs a sauce with a steak? Many Americans eat ketchip, steak sauce or bbq sauce with their dishes. All these sauces have almost the same amount of sugar as jam. And obese Americans eat huge amounts of cheese on top of everything.
7. Not enough fibers. Fibers are very important – some scientists say that fibers are the main factor of preventing diabetes. But look at the typical American diet: where should the fibers come from? Not from breads with white flour, French fries or pasta. Europeans take their fibers mainly from healthy breads (whole grain breads, rye breads, dinkel breads etc.) and also from legumes, nuts and seeds.
8. Not enough physical activity. America is an automobile society. Europeans walk much more. 10,000 steps per day is nothing in Europe. You do not need exercise to make 10,000 steps, you need just do your daily routine.

So, dear Americans, if you want to stay slim just change your eating habits. Eat three meals per day, with at least five hours between them, eat real food, freshly cooked, instead of convenience products and ready-to-eat items, avoid children’s food like pizza, lasagna, hamburgers, hot dogs etc. It is as easy as this.

Some examples of healthy European dishes:

Salmon with seared fennel and onion (needs just one pan and a few minutes of searing)

Omelette with vegetables (quick and cheap):

Lentil stew, rich in fibers:

America’s relationship with food is different from the rest of the world’s. I blame consumerism.

Americans believe the more they consume, the more prosperous they are. This can be seen in many areas of our culture, especially in our eating habits. The people who profit from our consumption continually lower the bar for quality in the name of profit. We make bad choices because they’re handed to us on a silver platter and we’re often not informed enough to make better choices. Our health suffers as a result.

The other day I was headed to work, a bicycle jumped out from the bushes, tackled me and then sped off down the street. It has done the same every morning since. It’s a vicious cycle.