9 Comments
User's avatar
patannobetz@gmail.com's avatar

My first story: A good friend of mine, born and raised in Switzerland, moved to the US at 25 years old. First thing that happen (eating the same diet) weight gain. She always said in Europe it is many, many years for a product to be tested as healthy and safe (including toys) In the US, it goes right on the shelf then we wait for the results.

Second story: We had a neighbor who was a single mom and always try to find ways of making ends meet. An AD in the paper led her to a company in South Jersey that paid $150.00 to pick up a new product and fill out a report. Testing it on yourself for a 2 week period. Her and the other women in the group would fill out the report, not taking the product.

Expand full comment
Kevin's avatar

Wow! I’ve been a carnivore for about 3 years so I no longer eat the items in the US UK comparison. It is still mind blowing and makes it obvious that the FDA really doesn’t look out for the best interest of the people.

Expand full comment
Steve's avatar

It is more complicated than calories in calories out, both physiologically and socially, but it’s still part of the equation. At the end, an energy surplus will lead to weight gain, and a deficit will lead to weight loss. Some links below to look at the social-economic aspect of obesity and health in general….

“One in six households experience food insecurity, which means they have limited or uncertain access to nutritionally adequate and safe food. Individuals who are food insecure are two times as likely to suffer from diabetes and are three times as likely to have poor overall health status.”

https://i.insider.com/56006930bd86ef14008bbf59?width=1200format=jpeg&auto=webp

What we can see is that the total amounts of calories per capita increased from 2,077 in 1970 to 2,590 in 2010, in other words about 500 calories more per day.

https://i.imgur.com/dFo3zit.png

Expand full comment
Renee Sutin's avatar

One of my gluten intolerant sons found that he could eat wheat products in Italy.

That aside, I have only shopped the outer aisles of the grocery store for many, many years therefor avoiding all processed foods. We rely on only butter and olive oil, can tolerate whole grains in moderation, eat protein, fruits and vegetables daily all while maintaining relatively good health. This information really resonates with the diet that works best for me.

Expand full comment
Steve's avatar

Properly fermented wheat products help with proper absorption. Also, the holistic diet you describe for yourself, would also work best for the vast majority of the population over the standard diet of processed foods.

Expand full comment
adam i sargis's avatar

The Viet woman, who used to cut my hair, informed me about the harmful oils used in food preparation, when dining out, over 5 years ago. She was able to solve her health problems by cooking at home, so she could control the ingredients. After a year of home preparation, she was well again. I took this example as a wake up call. I greatly appreciate your verification of these veg/seed-oil dangers, ongoing. I am still finding difficult to give up food I've loved; like my past loves, they don't love me back. Yes, there is poison in the oily mix.

Expand full comment
Bill Stevens's avatar

Wow! The whole US/Europe thing is very interesting. So these manufacturers create a totally different product to sell in Europe? That’s interesting and baffling at the same time.

Expand full comment
Steve's avatar

Yes, the same companies have different formulations depending on the market. Food regulations are different in different regions, so the will use different ingredients. The same product will different in the EU, but also in our northern neighbours in Canada. As usual, profits over people.

Expand full comment
Bernie's avatar

I like the idea of moving to Europe...Italy sounds good to me.

Expand full comment