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Another of our problems is just cheap processed food in grocery stores, which they have quite a bit less of (but more than they did 25 years ago).  Maybe they won't end up US-fat, but they are definitely on a downward trend.

Ever look at a crowd photo from something in the USA... say... after WW2?  I can remember one from Times Square with all sorts of folks including a lot of men in uniform, and they're all super-skinny.  Then you look at something similar from maybe the 80s and the difference is remarkable.

That's the same thing I've noticed from 1995, to 2019 (I haven't been over there since COVID, we're planning a return trop in 2023).

100%. The processed food issue in grocery stores + American's love of soda + fast food joints on literally every corner in every town in this country = a massive obesity and diabetes epidemic that is rarely talked about. 

I think the grocery stores in Europe are starting to get more processed foods, and the bigger cities and suburbs around the big cities have more and more fast food joints popping up, and they definitely love themselves some Coca-Cola- but they have a long way to go to catch us.

US just takes everything to the extremes. I know people who only drink soda throughout their entire day - as I'm sure many of you do. And there are fast food joints on every freaking corner of every town. And now people have gotten so lazy and fat they just download apps and have their McDonalds, pizza, or taco bell delivered to them on doordash or ubereats. Not even burning the calories walking to the car and driving and walking inside anymore. We just sit on the couch and have our food sent right to our fat asses now.

When I gave my talk at a wine conference near Paris, I explained to the audience that the US Motto is:

"If some is good, more is better."

Folks make IPAs of course, and the balanced ones are great, and then someone makes a killer IPA with more hops, and someone tops them, and so on, until you have something that tastes like turpentine.

Co-ops in Italy are interesting stores. Basically a full-service grocery store stuffed into the footprint of a New York bodega.

Poor people have poor diets because unhealthy food is less expensive than healthy food.

Poor pregnant women eat crap and feed their children crap, because that's the only food in the house.

(on the whole, on the average)

Poor people have poor diets because unhealthy food is less expensive than healthy food.

Poor pregnant women eat crap and feed their children crap, because that's the only food in the house.

(on the whole, on the average)

Bananas, lettuce, carrots, most fruits and vegetables....pretty cheap. Most grains like rice and dried pasta- pretty cheap. You can make pretty healthy pastas- without creams and fats and cheeses- that are very tasty pretty easily and pretty cheaply. Even the really bad for you pastas with all that crap isn't that expensive to make. And the Italians don't eat a lot of pasta- you're not meant to eat a giant bowl with over half a pound of heavy/creamy/cheesy pastas like we do here. They'll eat a decent sized, but small portion as part of a larger meal. Chicken breast, ground beef, ground pork - also plenty cheap cuts of beef. And the gov't does give out WIC pretty easily to low income women with children.

I think the real problem is one of convenience. It's way more convenient to eat cheap fast food or open highly processed junk foods out of a box and eat them or open highly processed canned/frozen foods and throw them in a microwave for a few minutes and eat them than it is to grocery shop continually for fresh produce/meats and cook.

The only time I've spent a lot of money at grocery stores is when I'm buying certain high quality free range eggs or high quality steaks or high quality shellfish like lobster or jumbo shrimp or high quality imported italian product like parmigiano-reggiano cheeses- which can cost a damn small fortune.

But most fresh produce and a lot of meat (bacon, ground pork, pork chop, chicken, ground beef, and many cuts of beef) are pretty damn affordable at most supermarkets.

A lot of the processed foods and crap aren't so cheap. Junk food is almost more pricey than the real food.

I think a big part of the problem here is the portion sizes and complete lack of exercising as well. They walk a lot in Europe. We don't do that so much here. Unless you live in New York City- you take a car everywhere.

Yeah, I guess you could have cabbage soup every day and it would be cheap.

A carrot is cheap.  But how many does it take to feed a family of 4? 

Nothing is cheaper than Ramen.  Or Mac & cheese. 

Plus they need money leftover to buy lottery tickets.

Idk but like 2 lb bag of carrots can't be more than $2. Can make a lot of soups and salads with that amount of carrots.

Nothing is cheaper than Ramen or Mac & Cheese, that is definitely true. But rice and dried pasta is pretty damn cheap as well. And probably a lot better for you than Ramen or Mac & Cheese- but takes way more time and effort to actually make.

The processed junk food crap like chips, cookies, cereals, cheetos, gushers, cheeze its, pop tarts, yada yada yada and ice creams and all the frozen foods really aren't that cheap. You can wind up spending a lot of money on that crap. And none of it is good for you.

LOL'd at the underlined. Funny cause it's true.