dbd33

Moules frites, steak frites, chocolate. Now that's basic.

Lemonfish

Obesity stats are interesting, in that UK is significantly worse than Canada.

Can only assume that this is due to the more outdoor and sporty lifestyle here which burns calories - in my area anyway.

Because there is indeed a lot of added sugar and salt in the processed foods here compared to UK. Am back in the UK this week and can taste this.

Sure, all the affluent types can buy food from various farmers markets and wholefoody shops, but for the average person, the added sugar and sodium in standard Canadian supermarket food cannot be good.

Fed govt also recognizes this - there are plans for campaigns on reducing sodium for example.

Not as bad as US though - added salt and sugar there is truly scary...

Almost Canadian

I suggest that your average Canadian is as sporty and active as your average Brit.

Atlantic Xpat

The simple answer is 'Don't eat processed foods'. Or 'Don't eat too many processed foods'. We shop in Dominion (Loblaws) and can generally find all we need without resorting to specialist food shops. (Which are in short supply here in any event). We eat reasonably healthily, cooking our own meals from raw ingredients. Quality of veggies and fruit can be a problem but that's testament to the distance they have to travel. Although since Tesco ship fruit and veggies in from around the world every bit as much as Canadian grocers, perhaps they are better at handling them rather than neccessarily having a better quality of produce! We buy frozen vegetables for convenience and neccessity at times.

You do learn which foods contain too much sugar and find alternatives. For example, North American Marmalade is inedible to my taste. One seeks out genuine UK or French marmalade at a premium cost. Bottled fruit punch contains way too much sugar so make sure you buy the bottled fruit juice instead. (We dilute this with water most of the time).

Wringing your hands any just saying the Canadian groceries are crap and all food is unhealthy is just an excuse for not being bothered to shop and eat healthily. (& here I am generalising not aiming at the quoted poster.)

jimf

I doubt its anything to do with active lifestyle Canada and UK are similar on that front. I've never seen overweight Chinese/Indian and there are a lot more of those immigrants in Canada which probably account for the figures. Actually thats not quite true I've seen a few young Chinese overweight here so they've probably been brought up here and assimilated sufficiently to pick up bad habits.

Within the last year or so there was something in the press about Canadian foods being really bad for salt/sugar/fat compared to their equivalents in the UK and USA which have better rules for identifying these on food labels. In north america there seems to be a big industry in converting corn starch to fructose and adding it absolutely everything.

Oink

I got some at Jackson's, a Kitts butcher's shop, and while the owner has a dog it looked rather over-weight and unhealthy.

ExKiwilass

I don't agree.

It's actually cheaper to buy from ethnic stores (and farmers' markets) here, and there's plenty of choices - like frozen veges - that you can get at Stupid Store for cheaper than a supermarket that don't have added xyz. It's a choice and some people like to eat crap food. Fine, but that's not because they don't have options or lack the money (imo).

That said, I don't see a lot of obese people around here so maybe there's just a better and cheaper variety of food here than in other parts of Canada.

Lemonfish

This may be true - but not everywhere has ethnic stores. Some places have pretty poor choice in fact.

OK, so if its not more exercise, why are there less obese people in Canada than the UK?

Either:
a) Canadians eat more healthy food - seems implausible I'd think
b) Canadians do more exercise - seems to have been roundly disagreed with
c) Canadians drink less booze - maybe something here?
d) They are a younger healthier population generally - doubt it
e) Some kind of genetic or other X factor

Or of course some mix of those factors.

ExKiwilass

or maybe some parts of the country skew the results.

the booze thing? you might be on to something there. There's def. a more sanctimonious lululemon-pant wearing culture in Van...heavy drinking is not so common.

Also there isn't a living on benefits culture here. Generally you have to get some kind of work to live or live a very difficult life. You don't see many obese homeless people. Ok that's the extreme end, but I wonder.

Oink

I think you are right both in the UK and in Canada. In the UK the south would tend to eat more healthfully and exercise more while in Canada, Vancouver and maybe Toronto you'd tend to find the same. Once you get out of the big cities here, the diet and exercise habits of Canadians look appalling.

Novocastrian

There's another point of view: it's well known that obesity (and life expectancy) strongly correlate negatively with level of education.

Can it be that Brits are stupider than Canadians?

Oink

That would correlate with my southern UK and big city Canada theory.
Evidenced by Bob and Margaret who lived in Balham, while their obese cousin Cookie lived in Canada.

Novocastrian

Over my head that.

Perhaps I'm stupid.

shelley748

you cannot get:

Many UK sweets eg Curly Wurlys etc..

Individual desserts such as Cheesecakes, trifles etc like you can at Tescos's.
Any decent convenience foods like Aunt Bessies roast tatties etc..

Decent English sausages- I've tried them all.

English crisps and snacks.

Fish Pastes.

Polo's

and much more

the supermarkets are owned by one company primarily and so choice is not something to be proud of!

Tesco's would clean up here!

shelley748

that would be hard!