Getting used to the American way of eating

Probably the most common stereotype of American people that we hear is that everyone in America is fat/obese/overweight and that American people eat fast food every single day. These stereotypes are not entirely true, and of course it depends on which state you live in and whether you live in the rich or in the poor part of town. So, in this blog post, I am going to describe the things I have noticed about American way of eating.

Americans eat a lot of deserts. And this type of ice cream is something I have not (yet) seen in Europe. MiniMelts, also called Dipping Dots ice cream.

It does not like an ice cream at all, but it is. And a delicious one, I must say.

The portions are bigger than elsewhere

One American portion will feed two or more European people. Well, here is your excuse to share a meal with your friend or whoever you are eating with. Or even better, when you decide to eat out, bring more people, order a few dishes and each one of you gets a small part of each dish. It is fun because you get to try different foods and not eat too much at the same time.

The food is much more filling

In Europe, I could eat an entire small or medium pizza by myself. In America, I am full after a single slice of pizza. Not just full, to be honest. Stuffed. I cannot imagine how my transition back to the European way of eating will look like once I move back home next summer.

Everything contains too much sugar

Good thing is that amounts of sugar and other things that a certain type of food contains, have to be clearly labelled on the package. Bad thing is that sometimes they use different names for different sugars and you do not even know you are eating it. I tried to cut all the sugar out of my food for a week, and let me tell you I failed miserably on the second day of this little experiment. Not to discourage you, of course it can be done, you just have to try harder than you would in some other countries.

If you want to eat healthy, you can, but prepare to pay more

Sweets and other unhealthy foods will cost you much less than healthy foods. And we all have those moments when we just do not feel like making a healthy meal and go for the faster, cheaper and more unhealthy option instead.

Eating out at least once a week is completely normal here, especially on Friday nights.

You know that feeling, last working day of the week (at least for most people), you do not feel like making dinner at all, so you decide to go eat out. And here we go again, bigger portions, meaning you will eat more than you would if you made your own dinner.

Not every American eats at McDonald’s every day

The food you eat greatly depends on where you live. Why? The answer is pretty simple. If you live in a poorer neighbourhood and you work in a low paying job, what would you pick - a hamburger at McDonald’s that costs a dollar, or a healthy salad that costs five dollars? I think the answer is quite obvious and salad is only a treat for special days. It is a sad reality. But that does not mean literally everyone here is a frequent visitor to fast food chains.

You are either a healthy eating fanatic or you do not care about food you eat at all

There is no in between. People I know here either watch what they eat, count every single calorie, prepare their meals in advance and try to stay healthy this way; or they just eat whatever they feel like.

Leftovers. Left - what?

So far, I mentioned bigger American meal portions quite a few times. So, if you do not manage to eat all your food, you save it for the next day. Even in restaurants, it is super common to bring home food you did not finish. And, in most cases, you do not even have to ask the waiters to bring you a container for the food. If, after you are done eating, they see there is still food on your plate, they will simply ask if you would wish to take it home with you and they put it into the container for you. I have only encountered this practice a few times while living in Europe. And I have lived there for 22 years.

A few thoughts for the end

When I moved to the United States of America last summer, people back at home were teasing me with phrases like: ‘You will get so fat over there. ’ And I did gain a few pounds in my first few months here. My weight gain was a combination of several factors:

I wanted to try all the new foods. In my home country, we literally have two Oreo flavours. In the closest supermarket here in the States, I can think of at least ten. Regular, Chocolate, Dunkin Donuts Mocha, Coconut, Lemon, Cinnamon roll, Red velvet, Mint (eww), Double stuffing, Oreo thins, and, last but not least, the mystery flavour. To me, it tastes like the famous cereal Froot Loops. And they smell sooooo good. But two Oreo cookies have whooping 160 calories and I do not even want to think about all the sugar. But not only all the different kinds of Oreo cookies, there is so many foods that I still have to try. And I know it does not sound much, but one cookie here, one donut there, and you quickly gain a few extra pounds.

How can anyone possibly resist this?

Or this?

Or this! If you have ever tried a Hershey's chocolate and loved it, you are in for a real treat. Hershey's chocolate spread. Or, as my friend calls it, liquid porn.

As I have mentioned already, portions here are much bigger. And my parents were always telling me and my sisters that you are supposed to eat all your food and not waste it. This is the reason why I always tried to finish those enormous portions by myself. Later on, I figured out that one American portion is big enough to feed two people. So I started splitting meals with friends. That way, I also saved some money, because, of course, we split the bill in two parts.

I love sweets and all the sugar that food in America contains, was not helpful. But I started to go to the gym to use all that extra energy, and after a workout, I can eat that Oreo without feeling too bad about it.

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