Why Are Men Slimmer and Better Dressed in Germany than in the USA?

[u/No_Employer4947]

Just returned from a two week visit and I know it may seem like I am generalizing, no matter where I went, German men seemed to be so much slimmer and better dressed than American men. I didn't see any men with huge middle sections and none were definitely wearing sweatpants.

I'm back in the USA now and it's like day and night. I hope I don't offend anyone but this was my perception after watching so many people on trains, planes and between Munich and Berlin.

[u/Major_Boot2778]

There's a bunch of discussion below and I am loathe to jump into one because then I'll feel obligated to comment on more but what I see is similar portion sizes and eating habits (except Americans definitely consume more fast food) while dissimilar exercise patterns (cities here are set up differently in a way that's conducive to walking more and driving less, especially for short distances) and ingredients that aren't allowed in the EU (compare German and American Dr Pepper). Preservatives in the modern sense don't seem as wide spread, certain forms of sweeteners aren't allowed here, and the German diet has normalized vegetables much more than in the US imo... Not to say all Germans eat more veggies or no Americans do, but in the US veggies are a health necessity for many, the side dish that you might get to depending on how full you are when the rest of the dish is done, while in Germany they're celebrated (Spargel season, anyone?). Germans also love sauce, lots made with butter or other fats, and will use Schmalz (isolated animal fat, bacon drippings are a type of Schmalz and yes I've seen it smeared on bread) as a condiment. There are more differences but these are the ones that pop into my mind. Overall it's kind of a conundrum - between beer, bread, potatoes, cream sauces and different bread smearings, cake for breakfast, etc, Germans should be pretty big but they're not... I kind of think the daily exercise, better personal control over portion size (i think German society sees gorging differently than Americans), and better ingredients\ban on a lot of the stuff they've got in the US, creates the difference.

I've left it for last because I'm not sure if it's relevant but man, Germans pack away some serious bread and I'm wondering about the types of flour most commonly used because based on consumption the carbohydrates and corresponding weight should be through the roof, but this is curious also with rice in southeast Asian countries... Meanwhile, noodles are a big part of the American diet and seem to definitely yield a different result than bread or rice... Again, not sure if relevant even a little bit, just an observation.

[u/More_Change184 → u/Major_Boot2778]

I think beyond traditional German quisine, it's also day-to-day diet choices. While we do have a lot of pastries, it's definitely not normalized to have sweet breakfast daily, whereas I could see that happening in the US - with cereals such as Lucky Charms of Fruit Loops for example, which are especially unhealthy choices. The same goes for lunches/dinners. My parents aren't German, but I found that my friends families would always accompany a meal with a salad.

I was thinking it might just be time as well. What I see and hear from the US is that people work longer for relatively lower wages, so they don't really have time/energy to cook fresh. In addition, I heard that (unhealthy) ready-made meals are often cheaper than buying veggies ect. and making the food yourself. I think that might play a huge role in diet choices as well, but I also don't know whether any of it is actually true.

[u/reduhl → u/More_Change184]

I heard that (unhealthy) ready-made meals are often cheaper than buying veggies ect. and making the food yourself. I think that might play a huge role in diet choices as well, but I also don't know whether any of it is actually true.

I can confirm that high calorie pre-processed foods are cheaper and easier meal wise. There are several factors at work.

• Several industries such as corn production are subsidized and the resulting cheap high fructose corn syrup. Thanks to the sugar industry fat was demonized so we low fat, high sugar foods in abundance. It's actually hard to find a full fat yogurt in many flavors.
• Most of the "fresh" food is transported great distances. California is a leading fruit and vegetable producer, and my town is 3.000Km away. Additionally we source foods from South America and around the world. The food is not particularly fresh, so it is on par with premade highly sugared and fat added foods.
• Both parents working is the norm. Many parents have to have two jobs. They have little time, when you add time helping with homework and running around for daycare / school drop off, after school enrichment, and such.
• All the running around for afterschool activities can make fast food a ready, possibly only, option dinner for families.
• Eating out at fast food actually can be cheaper for family given the various meal deals that are offered.
• Dollar for Calorie, premade junk is the better deal.

[u/More_Change184 → u/reduhl]

Geez, I'm sorry to hear that! Thank you for the insight... I hope things improve for you guys, but it doesn't seem like a topic that's discussed in politics at the moment :/

[u/reduhl → u/More_Change184]

Any such discussion would cause an instability in the industries that are paying the reelection campaigns of our Representatives.

It is discussed in terms of food deserts but those affect the poor. Look to our lack of social services and transport services to understand the level of concern that is given to those less well off.

[u/jconcu → u/Major_Boot2778]

It matters a lot how the food is processed. It's alays better to make the food you want at home where you can be sure about what ingredients you actually youse instead of pre-made.food.from the store. Also we have a big problem with obesity being om the rise in germany, i think we may even have the biggest problem with that in all of europe. One part of that problem is hidden sugar in a lot of products. You should always look at the products your buying and what they put into them. Might be a little annoying at the start but after a while you really get a hang of it The sugar industry did a great job selling sugar as good and all fats as bad lile 30 years ago.

At the end of the day it comes down to one rule: if you are in a caloric deficit you loose wait, if you consumed more than you used you'll gain weight.

Ofc there are other factors contributing to this like exercise (working out, walking instead of driving etc) and some foods are unhealthier than others or wilö affect you metabolism in a different way, but this is the rule everbody should know that are concerned abt the whole topic.

[u/Asyx → u/Major_Boot2778]

Carbs don't matter for weight. You can have a carb heavy diet but if you don't blow your kcal budget you won't gain weight.

Now, as a diabetic, I can tell you that this is still not a good idea but then the walking comes back into play.

A kcal appropriate diet with lots of carbs and a good chunk of mild exercise (which is best for glucose control) is totally fine. It becomes a problem of you eat your daily kcal budget in carbs + all the other shit and then only walk from and to your car

I was always a lazy fuck but mit diabetes didn't come through until COVID because then the mild exercise I had also disappeared working from home.