Conscious Eating

It’s no secret.  Americans are fat – much fatter than our European relatives.   While there’s been a lot of blame tossed in the direction of genetics and inactivity, other developed countries have been slow to match our obesity rates.  The average North American is more than 16 pounds heavier than the average Northern European. But gross obesity is where we really excel. We have almost three times as many grossly obese people as Sweden; four times as many as the Netherlands.

There are certainly many factors contributing to America’s growing waistlines, but one often overlooked cause is our food culture, or lack thereof.  While Americans scarf down food on the drive to work or quickly grab a lunch at our desks, European cultures value eating as an experience, putting higher value on the pleasures and rituals of dining.  Europeans tend to eat slower, spending time at the table savoring food with family or friends.  To them eating is a social experience as well as a sensory one.  In France for example, meals often consist of several courses, are eaten at a table (both adding a sense of structure to a meal), and consist of a variety of flavors from savory to sweet. 

In contrast the typical American diet tends to be monotonous.   Pizza, burgers, chicken nuggets and copious amounts of meat provide the taste buds little variety.  Food is often consumed on the fly, in the car (19% of all meals actually) on the way to the next busy activity, or worse, in front of the television.  Such blatant disrespect for food likely contributes to weight problems by leaving us perpetually unsatisfied. Tellingly, eating fast has been linked to an increase in weight problems while regular family meals are associated with decreased risk of obesity.

While it may not be the magic answer to America’s weight problems, eating more consciously like our European neighbors certainly couldn’t hurt.  While your busy American schedule may not allow for every meal to be truly appreciated, take some time occasionally to drop everything, sit down and just eat a meal.  Chew it.  Actually taste it.  Notice the textures and flavors. Try something different.  Share a meal with a friend over stimulating conversation.  In other words, enjoy the experience of eating not because you have to in order to survive, but for the sheer joy of eating all in itself.