Cigarettes and Coffee

I’ve read a lot in various women’s magazines about why Europeans are thinner (ops, I mean, healthier) than Americans. It usually seems to boil down to really enjoying what they eat, walking more, and eating more fresh produce. From a public policy perspective, this is a pretty compelling explanation: if people believe those are the reasons Europeans are healthier, they will make healthier lifestyle choices.

I’m not sure it adds up, though.

I am guilty of a couple of unhealthy behaviors. I certainly drink more caffeine than recommended, and probably more alcohol too. I think cheese should be eaten at every meal. I have to be forced to stretch and rarely get enough sleep. (I live dangerously, I know.) On the whole, though, my college friends and I would make excellent “healthy Europeans.” We eat produce several times a day and walk whenever it is remotely possible. This leaves me confused why an American size small is a Greek anything-but (Oh, just wait till Japan…) especially as most young Europeans seem to drink more and workout less than the typical young Americans. I still believe that the ‘healthier living’ explanation may be why there are fewer obese Europeans than Americans, but I think it falls a little flat when comparing young people.

One reason that may partially account for the European-American size gap occurred to me one morning at breakfast in our hotel. I was sleepily munching on a bowl of whole grain cereal, and noticed my tablemates were already lighting up their cigarettes as they picked at their pain au chocolate. Vindication.