Not Just an Eating Disorder

Why are Americans so fat?

This question is frequently pondered and expounded upon by various academics and health professionals, all offering different ideas about the core reasons why over a third of the US population, both adult and adolescent, is obese. Some propose solutions, including banning fast food, requiring restaurants to post calorie counts for their offerings, and even implementing special soda taxes. However, these control freaks forget that looking at obesity solely from the food angle misses out on over half the problem.

Walking into a typical chain grocery store, it doesn't take too much imagination to see where an unhealthy diet could come from: shelves full of prepared foods steeped in unnecessary sodium and MSG, corn syrup, and artificial flavors and sweeteners, all offering themselves as cheap and easy alternatives to things like fresh fruits, veggies, and grains. And let's not even talk about what you can find in the frozen food section (2 words: El Charitos). My guess is that the produce section of most grocery stores, particularly in the South, is visited a little less frequently than the paper and cleaning products aisle. Needless to say, if you show up at the cash register with a bundle of red chard, it may take the cashier a minute to locate the proper code for it since they don't sell it too often.

With that said, I know plenty of people who eat loads of unhealthy prepared food and even straight-up junk food who are actually quite healthy and in great shape. The difference is, they actually get off their butts every now and then to exercise and play. That's the missing piece of the puzzle: it's not just what you put into your body and how much but how you actually consume those calories that determine your body shape.

About a month ago, the results of a national study were released stating that over 80% of Americans don't get enough exercise at work. No kidding? As if we really needed a study to tell us that, though. I mean, how many steps do you take during a day at the office? How many people physically do anything as part of their job? As if total reliance on automobiles and hours and hours per day spent sitting in front of the television weren't enough on their own, we welcome 8 sedentary hours every workday.

So what is it that's making Americans fat? It seems the answer is employment. Now, don't get me wrong, I'm not advocating unemployment, but I am suggesting that if you have some free time or happen to be between jobs, there's no reason you shouldn't take the opportunity to get yourself into great shape. Just take a 2-mile walk every day, and by the end of a few weeks, you'll have calves of steel. Unless you stocked up on Lay's and Little Debbie's to keep around as snacks...

Identity Crisis

Talk about culture shock.

For 8 months in Europe, I never needed to drive. I took trains, buses, and coaches across the continent, and I loved not needing a car. Flash to 3 weeks ago, when I arrived back in the US. There is no public transportation in the South, and I've probably averaged driving 50 miles a day getting across the sprawl.

Europe: I could walk into any store, buy a bottle of wine, and walk out without needing an ID or a brown bag to hide it in. After buying said alcohol, I could walk to a park or get on a boat and openly drink with friends, and nobody passing would even bat an eye. US: Alcohol has a pretty bad rep, and drinking when you're under 21? Criminal. Drinking outdoors? Only on very special occasions, where there are plenty of police patrolling to keep the rowdies under control.

Despite priding itself on being freedom-loving, the US has some pretty serious hangups involving things I perceive as "personal freedoms" that Europe doesn't. Whereas Europe is open and free with alcohol, PDA, and body image, Americans have a confused and at times repressed relationship with drinking, sex, and skinny people.

I'm caught between a rock and a hard place. On the one hand, I'm fairly European in my behaviors, consumption patterns, and appearance. On the other hand, Europe doesn't want me. The US may be the only place in the world I'm allowed to call home for the moment; I can't even go live in Canada without some serious visa paperwork! Going through customs in Philadelphia was a bittersweet moment: the man behind the desk welcomed me back to the States, and I couldn't help but feel a little sad, knowing that I'd feel a little out of place but with nowhere else to belong.

Fortunately, it's not nearly so dire as I paint it. There is a sunny side, and that sunny side is Americans. I may not be a fan of American consumerism, the valuing money over all else, a culture of disposability, sexual repression, confused body image, and dependence on cars, but the people are the best I've met anywhere. They're welcoming and kind, friendly and willing to chat with and befriend strangers. I've felt so energized since being back, and it's largely due to the people I've been able to surround myself with for the past few weeks. Southerners are great, and despite the negative points about being back in the US, I'm happy to try to add a drawl to my speech to fit into my new niche.