So good, it’ll kill ya… eventually!

I’ve been travelling across the USA with my fiancée for nearly 4 weeks now. We’ve eaten lots if different meals, from local delicacies to the occasional fast food meal. 95% of the time the food has been delicious and wholesome, but one thing is apparent the portion size in the USA is massive!

After a few weeks of travelling, we realised that sharing a normal American portion was generally the best thing to do. Portions such as this are aimed at ONE PERSON:

No wonder America has a rapidly developing diabesity epidemic. The trouble is, all the food tastes so good. The tastiest foods tend to be the high fat fried meals which in turn cause heart disease, diabetes, hypertension, renal disease and cancer leading to increased morbidity and mortality. Bummer!

I’m sure this is a crass generalisation, but my impression is that lower income individuals and families unable to afford expensive, healthy meals tend to eat processed food or fast foods which are high in calories and due to lifestyle factors, are less able or less inclined to exercise.

In New Orleans, a poor city with a majority Afro-American population, obesity is a big issue due to the high GI foods consumed. As my partner and I walked all the harbourside, the only people we saw exercising were white American runners, who tend to be on faddy diets which also harm the body.

I feel I have gained weight whilst here on holiday and have had several days off certain foods due to excess consumption eg BBQ meats, burgers.

The trouble is putting weight on is easy- I can attest to that. Getting the weight off is the hard bit. Apparently it took Morgan Spurlock, the director of Supersize Me, 18 months to lose the weight he gained. For many the time taken and the effort needed has led to the exponential growth of the dieting industry, which continues to expand despite only 5% of diets ever working.

So, once I get home, I’ll be back to UK portion sizes, less high GI foods daily and start some exercise.

Let’s hope I don’t become a statistic and burden on the NHS sooner rather than later.