The Americans love to diet. Nearly 40 percent of women and 25 percent of men in America are on a weight-loss diet at any given time. And yet, they have the highest rates of obesity, heart disease and diabetes anywhere in the world. And the sad truth is that the vast majority of dieters eventually fail, despite their earnest efforts to control their weight. What are the main characteristics of an American diet?
Diets that promise immediate results and don’t require too much effort enjoy the highest popularity among Americans. The problem is that fast results are rarely sustainable over time. The word diet itself suggests an only temporary break from one’s regular lifestyle, and the diet will end as soon as the intended goals are accomplished.
Instead of dieting it would be more beneficial to have a long-term strategy that goes beyond instantly gratifying results. In other words, instead of focusing on dieting for the single purpose of weight loss, we would rather favor a systematic development of an overall healthy lifestyle.
And this is the keyword: lifestyle. Experts have looked at the lifestyle differences between different cultures and they stated that the overall health status of the public seems better in the Mediterranean region than in the USA, including the average life expectancy. So they obviously do something differently than the Americans: the way they are cooking and eating. This method is called the Mediterranean diet, but it is rather a lifestyle than a diet. Look first at the Americans: their diet is typically heavy on animal foods, processed carbohydrates and sugar, but devoid of fresh fruits, vegetables and whole grains. Food items are too often chosen for convenience rather than for their nutritional value. They usually skip breakfast, love fast food, snack all day and get a pizza (or two) for dinner.
The Mediterranean food includes a lot of fresh fruits, vegetables, whole grains, beans, nuts and legumes. Olive oil is the primary fat source. Meat and poultry consumption is minimal. Fish, on the other hand, is frequently served. Unlike in America, speed and efficiency are not so important in cooking. Most meals are made from scratch using only fresh ingredients. People enjoy eating. Sharing food with family and friends is a central part of the social life and spending time eating together is highly valued.
It is really the lifestyle that makes a difference. People should look at food as something more than fuel to keep them going. Buying food and cooking dinner should be considered as a time to relax and to connect with loved ones. Sitting down at the dinner table instead of mindless munching in front of the TV should enrich our day, not complicate it.
The history of Mediterranean diet, health effects: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mediterranean_diet.
The UNESCO description of the Mediterranean diet: www.unesco.org/culture/ich/en/RL/00394.
Secrets of the Mediterranean diet from the European Food Information Council: www.eufic.org/article/en/page/FTARCHIVE/artid/mediterranean-diet.
American eating habits – a webproject by Lisa Eriksson: www.eng.umu.se/E3ht03/manchester/Lisa/index.htm.
Results from lifestyle: nodietlifestyle.com.
Our body and lifestyle design expert: www.fourhourbody.com.
