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Europe is rather vague to use as an example. My Hungarian relatives stuff themselves with food and my cousin is rather obese, first generation to veer off the meat and plant reservation keeping my ancestors healthy for generations to opt for packaged foods. In Czech, most pubs will serve portions are well beyond what I can eat and sometimes bigger than American restaurants.
Yes... rather than saying "Europe," we should probably say "France" and whatever other nations still stay largely slim. Certainly the UK is neck and neck with us, and Germany has a problem too.
I reject this whole "portion size" argument. What, are people blaming their fatness on whoever prepared their plate? "Oh, Im fat because the portions I get are so large". Stupid.
Obviously that is ridiculous is anyone does claim that. However, it's no secret portion sizes have increased since the 1950s, and thus calorie intake has increased.
Yes... rather than saying "Europe," we should probably say "France" and whatever other nations still stay largely slim. Certainly the UK is neck and neck with us, and Germany has a problem too.
It's hard to say now, because so many countries are bringing over American style food and the same portions. Japan is blowing up fast with nasty food, same with China. They still eat a large majority of seafood and remain relatively thin.
It is legit when you are talking about youngish people.
My father loaded my plate up as a kid, and I had to clean it. Now as an adult, I am aware of how much I should eat, and use the 1/2 cup measure frequently. But 20+ years of eating too much accustomed my stomach to eating a certain volume, and I now go through discomfort teaching my system that it needs less food than it wants - discomfort that someone raised with correct portions does not have.
This is why I don't require my kids to "clean their plate". I do make sure they eat the majority of fruits and vegetables, but otherwise, I just ask them if they're truly full/done. If so, then the remainder of the food is tossed. But we do try to get the right amount to avoid waste.
And I totally agree that when you go to a restaurant and the portion is too big, you're much more likely to eat it all and feel over-stuffed. I've noticed that chain restaurants tend to serve too much food (that has too many calories and sodium) whereas locally-owned restaurants have more reasonable portions.
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