Why (I believe) Europeans aren’t fat
A common discussion in the healthcare debate is America’s obesity rate and its health complications and costs. I think a more important discussion is why other countries aren’t are as obese and what can we change to mimic their lifestyle. A healthy population is not just about personal responsibility, but also public planning and policies that encourage and discourage certain behaviors. Based on my observations, I have a (completely unscientific) theory to why Europeans aren’t fat: taxes and public spaces.
I have lived in Europe and visited several times over the years, most recently to the Benelux countries (Belgium, Luxembourg and The Netherlands). And every time, I look around and ponder “Why aren’t Europeans fat?” Based on everything as Americans we have been told Europeans should be, they drink lots of beer, eat lots of cheese and potatoes, love desert and chocolate, and vegetables are expensive and hard to find. You don’t see any gyms or many people exercising to exercise (i.e, jogging in a park).
Everyone seems to think the secret to Europeans svelte physiques is portion control. I disagree. On this trip, I had several dinners in which I couldn’t finish my meal. There was no shortage of cheese, pork, fried potatoes, bread or sweets. However, it was next to impossible to find a vegetable and it was usually twice as expensive as other options. Therefore, I am crossing that reason off my list, but here is my theory I do think why Europeans aren’t fat.
1. Taxes.
Taxes are levers used to motivate certain behaviors and Europeans use taxes to encourage healthy behavior in several ways.
Gas. Gas is expensive. As of last week gas in Belgium was about 1.35€/liter* ($6.61/gal). This is the norm for Europeans and so is public transportation. Public transportation is egalitarian and not viewed as something people use because they can’t afford a car. With public transportation comes more walking without even trying. On a typical work day in the States I can easily not walk more than 10 meters at a time. I walk out of my house to my car in the driveway, drive to work and park and walk into the office, sit at my desk, then drive somewhere for lunch and drive home. If I don’t make the conscience decision to exercise before or after work, I would get absolutely no exercise, and honestly there are some days I don’t. I am afraid I am quite typical in this way. I would *have* to walk more than that if I had access and used public transportation to get to work. I would have to walk to and from metro or bus stops that would be further than my driveway or parking lot. In addition, the bike friendliness of European cities combined with the high cost of gas, also greatly encourages bike riding. People of all ages can be seen riding their bikes all over the city in the same way we drive everywhere.
As with most Americans, if I want to get any amount of exercise I have to make a very conscience effort, instead of just being part of my day like for Europeans. In addition, with lifelong walking and bike riding, you see much fewer mobility issues in older Europeans.
Soda. Soda is taxed heavily and is expensive. A 500ml (16 oz) bottle of soda in the grocery store is about 1.80€ ($2.30). In restaurants you are served soda in 33cl (11 oz) or 25cl (8.5oz) containers. These relatively small amounts cost at least 2€ and have no free refills. Beer is generally the same price or only slightly more than soda. This encourages drinking reasonable amounts and not buckets of soda. A “supersized” value meal comes with 500ml without refills in Europe, much less than the 21oz regular sized and 32oz large soda here (with free refills). In the US, soda is cheap and plentiful no matter where you go. Would Americans drink less soda if it were more expensive and not free flowing?
2. Public spaces.
Almost every European city no matter how small or large has at least one bustling town square with a pedestrian only shopping district. Sure there are shopping malls outside the cities, but these squares and public spaces are where people meet, walk and congregate. Even well past when the shops close (which is 6pm in most cities), people are still strolling along and enjoying their city. These are safe places for people to walk and children to play. In smaller squares and parks you can see children and adults alike playing impromptu games of soccer. Similarly sized and larger cities in the US, downtown areas are ghost towns without pedestrian zones after hours and on weekends. Even worse, in some American cities, the safest places for kids to play are playgrounds in fast food restaurants.
I am not saying there is no personal responsibility for our obesity epidemic, however, I am saying planning and public policy can help. What if cities were denser with better public transportation? What if driving short distances was cost-prohibitive? What if cities had safe pedestrian areas and well defined bike lanes? What if there were no free refills on soda? What public policies could encourage these types of behaviors?
Comments
Quitting soda was one of the hardest things I've done in 2010, but I don't regret it at all. My energy is much more consistent throughout the day. I rarely get the blinding headaches I used to get.
I'm addicted to fruit smoothies now, but I think the trade off is for the best.
@Allison: Free refills certainly don't help the obesity trend. I did a supply chain management project about my college's soda syrup supply. I calculated that each paper cup of soda contained perhaps $0.10 of raw materials.
Having pedestrian-friendly activities after 6pm has an economic benefit too -- it helps local businesses. Tourism consultant Roger Brooks reports that 70% of consumer spending occurs after 6pm, which cities lose if things aren't open later: www.destinationdevelopment.com
@Jay: Now that you're addicted, are you risking withdrawal headaches if you don't have a smoothie by 8am?
@karl When I studied abroad and would tell my fellow European classmates that I would drive somewhere to go for a walk or ride my bike, they looked at me utter surprise.
Leave a Comment