Obesity in America: America Keeps Getting Fatter Because Meals Keep Getting Bigger

In America today, you'll find increased news coverage about the obesity epidemic, as well as hundreds of books on dieting, dozens of fat-burning pills, and fitness gurus touting exercise techniques.

Yet America keeps getting fatter, despite the advent of more nutritious foods available and increased awareness of health, nutrition, and exercise playing a daily role in how we maintain our weight.

There are many factors that can be attributed to this, such as general laziness, nonchalant attitudes towards eating healthier, low willpower, and others. But one factor that I find to have also contributed to helping America grow fatter is our own eating habits, fostered by restaurants, fast food joints, and candy and snack manufacturers.

America has become a society dependent upon large meals, often complaining when a portion of food is seemingly too small. Restaurants have steadily increased the overall size of their meals, with even soups, salads, or appetizers often large enough to be a meal on their own. Yet we are compelled to purchase and eat appetizers, entrees, and desert, along with the accompanying bread basket, despite our bellies telling us that we are full.

Perhaps we do this not just because we are used to having large meals, but also because we want to get the full value for the money we our spending, and so we gorge ourselves. It isn't always what you eat that affects your weight, but often how much of something you eat.

Not many people get fat from eating an excess amount of vegetables or fruit, and of course we all consider salad, fish and poultry to be healthy as well, but when you order these items in a restaurant, they are often served with fattening sauces, marinades, and dressings, along with other items that help increase our overall weight. And larger portions mean more of the fattening accompaniments.