In the 90s, a vicious tradition arose in Russia, which has not been eliminated to this day - to idealize the United States. The creation of a captivating image of overseas life was largely facilitated by Hollywood films, an obligatory "component" of which were slender beauties and athletic guys. But the reality is far from Hollywood ideals.
Russians who visit America are surprised at how many overweight people there are. Americans have a completely different view of this: a person who in Russia would be considered overweight is considered quite normal in the United States.
To a certain extent, this is due to the economic well-being of the country: no matter what they say about "metabolic disorders", a starving person will not become fat. Antibiotics also play a role, disrupting the production of substances that regulate appetite and satiety. But the massive spread of obesity is caused by some of the eating behavior rooted in the national way of life.
Freedom and tolerance
One of the causes of obesity is the notorious American freedom. In the USA, this concept has been elevated to a cult. But freedom brought to the point of absurdity easily turns into permissiveness. Juvenile justice adds fuel to the fire: parents are afraid to forbid a child to eat an extra ice cream or drink a glass of Coca-Cola.
Formed in childhood, the attitude to food as a pleasure without restrictions remains in the adult state. One Russian tourist asked a very plump American woman why she continues to eat huge portions of French fries, knowing how much harm it does to her health and figure. “I don't care,” the woman replied. "I live once."
Another American idol is tolerance. In Russian schools, classmates scoff at overweight children, which encourages them to fight overweight; in the United States, people already at school age learn that one should not laugh at sick people. Overweight in America is viewed precisely as a disease - the state spends a lot of money on grants to biologists looking for "obesity genes."
Lifestyle
One of the main features of the American way of life is tension, an accelerated pace. An American is always in a hurry, because of this, during the day he has no time not only to cook a full meal, but also to eat in a relaxed atmosphere. People are forced to have a snack on the run, and for this it is most convenient to eat pies, hamburgers and everything else that is collectively referred to as "fast food". Cheap fast food contains soy and palm oil in abundance - these foods easily lead to obesity.
Many Americans can eat well only in the evening, and gorging themselves at night is a direct path to excess weight.
There are as many people involved in sports in America as in other countries, and they are not obese. But in Russia, even an unsportsmanlike person is less likely to get fat: the distance that a Russian will walk on foot, an American will travel by car.
It should be noted that although America retains the leading position in terms of the number of obese people, other countries are already catching up with it, including Russia. The number of obese people is growing in all developed countries.
