Americans are the fattest people in the world: Nationmaster.com has data on obesity, and Americans are the big (emphasis on big) losers. I love my country as much as the next guy, but all this eye pollution does make me embarassed for us. And one of the few joys in life is to see pretty women during my otherwise unpleasant day. (I refuse to apologize for enjoying this--blame it on God if you like, I was born this way). It is getter harder and harder to find these girls since 1) they are all fat now, and 2) all the fat people block one's view.
It's natural to infer from this website that I am anti-immigration, but such an inference is wrong. I would love to see the country flooded with thin Asian women. But as you see from the rankings here, Mexico is not helping us: they're the number 2 fatties, and don't I know it.
Percent Obese
United States 30.6
Mexico 24.2
United Kingdom 23.0
Slovakia 22.4
Greece 21.9
Australia 21.7
New Zealand 20.9
Hungary 18.8
Luxembourg 18.4
Czech Republic 14.8
Canada 14.3
Spain 13.1
Ireland 13.0
Germany 12.9
Finland 12.8
Portugal 12.8
Iceland 12.4
Turkey 12.0
Belgium 11.7
Netherlands 10.0
Sweden 9.7
Denmark 9.5
France 9.4
Austria 9.1
Italy 8.5
Norway 8.3
Switzerland 7.7
Korea, South 3.2
Japan 3.2
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Ron the OECD data for "Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States, figures are based on health examinations, rather than self-reported information. Obesity estimates derived from health examinations are generally higher and more reliable than those coming from self-reports, because they preclude any misreporting of people's height and weight."
ReplyDeleteI remember someone pointing this out when Bill Maher commented on the obesity levels of the 'Coalition of the Willing' countries.
I have been to the US three times in the past ten years. Yep, you guys are fat! I live in Australia. We are fatter than ever! I visit Sweden once a year. Not as many fatties there.
The complementary bread that comes with your meals, and the free soda refills, helped us pack on the pounds while we were in the States.
Hey - pardon me, I see that it´s only indistrialized countries, but I remeber another hitlist:
ReplyDelete1) Samoans (people from Samoa)
2) Saudi Arabians
3 US
correct me if I´m wrong - alle the best from Denmark
You should organize the profs at your institution to make it as easy for you all to work abroad in France or Italy as it is for the undergrads!
ReplyDeleteI visited Sweden (Stockholm) recently. The only fat person I saw was a woman working in a vegetarian restaurant (nice meal btw).
ReplyDeleteInteresting that the Japanese are not fat, although wealthy.
ReplyDeleteWhy is this? Do they walk a lot?
Any data on ethnic Japanese in the US?
Why is this? Do they walk a lot?
ReplyDeleteAsian children adopted into white American families do not become obese like their white siblings.
Related: Saw this in Slate today:
The standards set by Milan fashion-industry heavyweights require models to obtain a license issued by a panel of experts before being allowed to walk the runway. This panel is supposed to take models' ethnic and geographical background into consideration before issuing or denying someone a permit. Some research suggests that Asians, as well as members of some Australian Aboriginal tribes, may have a naturally lower BMI than Caucasians. However, the details on this are still unclear.
"I would love to see the country flooded with thin Asian women."
ReplyDeleteDarling, why? Would you not rather see ze fat American women not lose the blubber & become pretty again?
I lived in Japan and Taiwan for 10 years - 1991 to 2001, with minimal trips back to the states. I can tell you, Americans are definitely fatter than they were in the 80's. I noticed it as soon as I arrived at LAX or SFO.
ReplyDeleteEuropeans, on the contrary, seem to remain slim thoughout their lives. I believe this is due simply to the fact that Americans eat too much. In Germany, the food you get in restarants is heavy and high calorie. However, I noticed that Germans (and other Europeans) tend to eat a reasonable amount (the serving sizes are not as large as in the U.S.) then stop. In the U.S., we have the double deluxe serving size, then continue to eat even more.
Also, in East Asia, people walk, ride bikes, and take the train to get around. In America, we just walk out to the car and drive wherever we want to go.
I wonder if New Yawkers are as fat as the rest of the country, given that they probably walk and take the trains as well.
"Darling, why? Would you not rather see ze fat American women not lose the blubber & become pretty again?"
ReplyDeleteI'm not holding my breath, Zsa Zsa.
kurt9: Yes, this is one example of how wealth is bad: you drive everywhere and get fat. Reminds me of Tolstoy's story where the village has a great wheat harvest which only turns the town into drunks because the excess gets made into booze.
ReplyDeleteI was in Glasgow recently and literally it seemed like half of the teenage girls there were seriously overweight. I have never seem anything like it. Edinborough its share of fatties but not like Glasgow.
ReplyDeleteRobert Hume said...
ReplyDeleteInteresting that the Japanese are not fat, although wealthy.
Why is this? Do they walk a lot?
Any data on ethnic Japanese in the US?
It's hard to eat a lot with the chopsticks! Moreover, you would need a lot of fatty foods, such as meat, which is not welcomed in a Country with a Zen tradition, such as Japan, where the very lean soya products are popular instead.