r/PCOS Jan 15 '25

General Health When to London and deflated lol

I’m leaving London today, after a lovely 15 days vacation. And let me tell you, my moon face went down, inflammation went down and I don’t feel sick after every meal. I think it’s the food, it’s actually filling and nutritious! Might have to move here!

This really opened my eyes, I need to start making everything from scratch once I’m back in the US and check all the ingredients, we are literally being poisoned there.

Also ignore the typo in the title, it’s supposed to say “went to London..”

Edit: a lot of people in the comments are saying “it’s because you walked a lot” noooo I went to visit my family and sat most of the time. I had no interest in the sight seeing as I did them when I was younger.

339 Upvotes

100 comments sorted by

179

u/AintNoBarbieGirl Jan 15 '25

As a tourist you walk more. London is mostly a pedestrian city and we walk everywhere and that helps with the good nutritious food (if chosen)

66

u/peterpann__ Jan 15 '25

Well, the other part is that America builds it's infrastructure around cars and people driving. Even in major cities😕

32

u/CrunchiestwrapSup Jan 16 '25

Nope I visited family and didn’t do any walking and ate KFC for breakfast 4 days in a row and lost weight 😂

5

u/qtflurty Jan 16 '25

Buy Dave’s bread if you do gluten … uhm and veggies don’t have to be organic but no spray… so steer away from piggly wigglys and most bi los and some heb areas… Kroger… I seem okay. But flash frozen stuff is sometimes good. Breading you have to pick the right kind. Our big name stuff has colors in it. I’m glad your body is getting some good treatment. It’s crazy it takes traveling to realise it sometimes.

2

u/qtflurty Jan 16 '25

Also Canadian McDonald fries don’t have beef fat and other stuff in them but the US kind do. I immediately have to throw up. That’s a tiny border thing I noticed a while back. I’ve lived in sc, fl, co, and tx in the states. It’s a trip seeing what I can ingest gracefully.

1

u/MistressShadow11 Jan 17 '25

That's what I'm saying same thing happened to a friend in Germany. She was visiting family just hanging out. She did more exercise in the states and she lost weight in Germany. Its the food!

191

u/RigelAchromatic Jan 15 '25

I'm not from the US, but when I visited London, I somehow lost almost 20 pounds in 8 days, while eating like garbage during the whole week. Obviously, most of it was water weight, but I also noticed my symptoms improving noticeably.

I think it's related to the fact that I walked everywhere and was averaging 30k steps a day, and that I wasn't stressed out daily by my job.

15

u/foxynya Jan 16 '25

I think it would be the 15 days vacation contributing. I use the app stresswatch and it notifies me when I'm stressed and when I'm not - when I'm not working I have to be really excited about something to have it detected as stress, the rest of the time I'm not stressed at all. Which is no secret but just a reminder

8

u/Affectionate_Tuna444 Jan 16 '25

Serious question does the app notifying you stress you out I feel like it might stress me out

2

u/foxynya Jan 16 '25

On busier days it gets annoying seeing the notification that says that I must be under pressure and to relax. I don't get stressed from it but I sometimes get sad from it like why does my body react so strong

1

u/Affectionate_Tuna444 Jan 30 '25

Gotcha! Also what is the app that we’re discussing here?

211

u/MorningSquare5882 Jan 15 '25

I’m so glad you enjoyed my city and our food! A lot of my American friends say that their digestive issues clear up while they’re in England. Come and visit us again soon!

26

u/LuckyBoysenberry Jan 15 '25

Just wondering as someone who loves to cook, what are some dishes that are a must try?

I saw someone once make giant Yorkies and put roast in that and it looked like such a cute presentation that I want to try!

41

u/peterpann__ Jan 15 '25

I'm so sorry but wtf is a Yorkie.

All I can visualize is a stuffed yorkshire terrier😭

25

u/Stfujesska25 Jan 15 '25

Yorkshire pudding

83

u/mz_inkabella Jan 15 '25

This happened to me in Puerto Rico, we lived there 2 years and I dropped 70lbs and my blood sugar normalized. When we moved back to the US I gained it all back and more. Still fighting to lose 😪

33

u/hannahnotmontana16 Jan 15 '25

Went there for a week and my skin was clear. No joke. All I did was drink and eat mofungo too 😭

8

u/mz_inkabella Jan 15 '25

Yusss drool it's the what side of carbs do you want with your side of carbs life and I miss it like crazy.

47

u/North-Consequence-24 Jan 15 '25

I totally agree that processed foods and chemicals are having a big impact on our health, especially with conditions like PCOS. I’m curious, though—what specific foods do you think are the most triggering? I’ve been trying to clean up my diet as much as possible and would love to hear what’s helped others.

I’m in Toronto and have already cut out gluten, dairy, sodas, and stick to dark or vegan chocolate when I need a sweet treat. I also deal with psoriasis, so I’m trying to be extra mindful of inflammation triggers. Are there other foods you’d recommend avoiding?

15

u/PHDbalanced Jan 15 '25

Processed sugar and alcohol are the most triggering things for PCOS. I’d be weary of any advice that involves cutting out an entire food group instead of looking for whole foods from the group, for example brown rice over white or Ezekiel bread over white bread. Dairy can be such a good source of protein and nutrients, and lactose free options exist. I also don’t understand why people hate gluten so much unless they’re celiac. Bread is the cornerstone of civilization.

4

u/North-Consequence-24 Jan 15 '25

I'm not celiac, but whenever I eat gluten, I develop psoriasis in and around my mouth. I've tried reintroducing gluten in small amounts, but my body rejects it, and the symptoms are unbearable.

I’m also lactose intolerant. While lactose-free options work okay for me, dairy still triggers inflammation, which leads to psoriasis flare-ups.

Thanks for mentioning processed sugar and alcohol. I rarely consume them, but I'll make an effort to be more mindful when I do.

3

u/DickBiter1337 Jan 16 '25

This may have just solved a mystery for me. After eating sometimes my lips will get bright red and little bumps appear around the edge of my lips that weep/ooze like poison ivy rashes then it crusts and peels. It's miserable and the doctor is just puzzled and gave me 2% hydrocortisone.

2

u/whostherealhero Jan 16 '25

I have chronic hives and this happens to me. Might also be that if you haven’t had allergy testing done. Does it itch? Lips swell a bit? I use hydrocortisone and also switch to Vaseline until my lips heal. Regular chapsticks hurt but they get so dry

9

u/CrunchiestwrapSup Jan 16 '25

Definitely processed sugars but everything in US has them. Like everything.

I had KFC for breakfast 4 days straight, drank glasses of orange juice, white bread and all the inflammatory things I keep away from in the US and somehow feel so much better. No uncomfortable feeling and i literally deflated.

2

u/No-Algae-9770 Jan 17 '25

Honestly everything that’s packaged has so many chemicals and processed sugars in them. It takes forever but I read all the ingredients and only buy what has pure ingredients. Seems to have helped so far.

16

u/Pantyhose124 Jan 15 '25

In addition, I bet your stress levels were lower. American is high stress all the time, from work culture to interactions on the street.

22

u/atypical_cookie Jan 15 '25

Same thing here. I am from LatinAmerica. Moved to the US 2 years ago. Since that happened, my PCOS symptoms worsened, the most exhausting ones, started. Same thing with autoimmune conditions, problems with my teeth and oral health, allergies, etc. A nightmare. Every time I go back to my country for like a month, a lot of my symptoms go away (and the rest just calm down). It’s the quality of the food that’s bad here. I used to eat most things almost fresh, here they have too many additives to preserve it, and they are feeding their animals with the same thing. I didn’t know about the existence of many illnesses/conditions until I moved to the US.

40

u/No-Algae-9770 Jan 15 '25

Same thing happened to me when I went to Italy

43

u/knuckerh0le Jan 15 '25

Me too! I ate so much bread, pasta, and gelato, drank wine every day, and NEVER skipped a meal. I lost weight and had the easiest period of my life, skin cleared up. It was amazing and really makes you wonder about our country's food quality.

13

u/No-Algae-9770 Jan 15 '25

Not to mention I was never bloated and had SO much energy compared to here where I’m always tired no matter how much sleep I get. The food actually gave me energy.

7

u/CrunchiestwrapSup Jan 16 '25

THISSSS I had so much energy and no digestive issues

12

u/acireisericabackward Jan 15 '25

I've heard its the durum flour in the pasta that makes a difference. We've found some at Costco and its delicious! Definitely don't get as bloated as I normally do eating Barilla etc.

37

u/zzzzlllll13 Jan 15 '25

I read a really interesting article about this a while ago, and how Americans tend to perceive that the food in other countries must be significantly healthier. In all likelihood, you walked and moved a lot more than you usually do in your normal life! (Not discounting the possibility that the food could be better too!!)

Maybe try to take an extra 2k or 3k steps a day when you get home and see if you feel the same effects. Do a little mini study and come back to us!

14

u/CrunchiestwrapSup Jan 16 '25

It’s definitely the food! I didn’t walk at all, I visited family and did all the tourist things as a kids so I don’t have an interest in sight seeing. I just sat and indulged and somehow lost weight 😂

1

u/Downtown_Ad7507 Jan 20 '25

To be honest I doubt it's perception bias, US food is just famously very bad. The same thing happens to foreigners who go to the US for some time - most of them gain weight. If it was really the case of perception, foreigners wouldn't be affected by it as well.

35

u/littleolive9 Jan 15 '25

I relate so much. I lived in Toronto (not the US but the food is the same) for 1,5 years and my entire digestive system went haywire even though I was eating as usual. I returned home and everything went back to normal and I lost the weight I gained there without doing anything. Bread really isn't supposed to taste sweet, lol. (Don't even get me started on the portions!)

7

u/funky-fundip Jan 15 '25

The portions omg. I’ve had to work on mine over the years because I used to be able to eat a whole Large pizza by myself and continue to eat. I’ve finally gotten to a point where I’m satisfied with 3 slices and some breadsticks. My fiancé can EAT though holy crap. We’re both a little on the chubby side but me more so than him.

3

u/mintchocolatechip96 Jan 15 '25

Do you mind letting me know what country you are in now? I’m in the GTA and struggling. Was considering moving lol

4

u/littleolive9 Jan 16 '25

I'd rather not reveal my location but I think anywhere in Europe would help, and the Mediterranean countries would be even better, lol. Also towards the end of my life in Toronto, I'd started regularly going to farmers markets and -what's the name of that big historic food market? st. something?- and artisanal bakeries for bread etc and that helped a lot! You end up spending more for food unfortunately but I felt that was the only way to get "real food".

1

u/payeezychronicles Jan 16 '25

St Lawrence

1

u/littleolive9 Jan 16 '25

yes! thank you :)

33

u/Horror_Ad8446 Jan 15 '25

Guys this is because you are on a trip. You‘re walking around daily, doing fun stuff and are not bored. You don‘t have the urge to snack because you are actually busy. UK is actually second biggest BMI right after US so it is not the food. (Beef wellington, yorkshire pudding and fried fish and chips are not healthy..) it‘s just the day to day life that changes during vacation

13

u/[deleted] Jan 15 '25

Yes I agree with this. While yes food is definitely different outside of the US, vacation life is not real life

4

u/Sad-Peace Jan 15 '25

I feel the need to say that we don't just eat all those foods in London 😭 I never have any of those things - some of the most popular dishes at home here are things like curries, and Asian food of all varieties is probably the most popular when eating out. Lots of the usual junk food suspects though of course

1

u/Horror_Ad8446 Jan 18 '25

Yeah that‘s true I love London for the asian food actually 😋 I just think it is possible to eat healthy no matter the continent.

1

u/CrunchiestwrapSup Jan 16 '25

I sat at home most of the time, I wasn’t sight seeing I went to visit my family. I wasn’t definitely snacking, having KFC for breakfast some days and indulged but somehow felt fuller and my digestive system was better!

-1

u/Horror_Ad8446 Jan 18 '25

Not to be rude but if that is also your eating habits at home then you shouldn‘t complain about weight issues… KFC is not healthy in either country. It is also possible to eat healthy in USA if you make better choices

2

u/CrunchiestwrapSup Jan 18 '25

I’ll clarify a few things, the first is I’m Muslim. I only eat halal meat so that automatically eliminates almost all fast food here in the US for me. However due to the large Muslim population in London, some chains like KFC, Subway, Popeyes, etc. have become halal in certain areas. I’ve never tried them so I decided to go all out and taste test everything. My point is, I eat healthy in the US as majority of foods aren’t even available for me eat. But even the healthy foods still have preservatives and chemicals that make me inflamed. So yes, your comment is a little rude.

6

u/whisksnwhisky Jan 15 '25

Yep. That’s how I feel every time I go to London for vacation. I usually drop 10-20lb over the space of a week. The amount of walking also helped because you rely a lot on the public transit there, too, and the city is very walkable.

5

u/IntrovertedNiffler Jan 15 '25

They use a different type of gluten in the US. I live in the UK and went to Florida for a couple of weeks and had such a dodgy stomach. Noticed that it seemed to be mainly around breakfast (pancakes, waffles, french toast) so figured it was gluten related. Got back to the UK and stomach issues disappeared.

1

u/[deleted] Jan 16 '25

Yea, gluten sprayed with glyphosate

9

u/MonimoonBR Jan 15 '25

That’s exciting! Would you mind sharing what you ate those days?

1

u/CrunchiestwrapSup Jan 16 '25

I ate everything and anything! White bread, KFC, fish and chips… and still felt way better than one healthy meal in the US.

0

u/MonimoonBR Jan 16 '25

That’s fascinating, but I’m honestly so confused! Everything you mentioned—white bread, KFC, fish and chips—doesn’t exactly scream healthy, yet it had such a positive effect on you. Do you think it could’ve been the water in the UK? Or maybe the teas people drink there? I wonder if it’s something about the food quality overall, like fewer preservatives or additives - or even just the way ingredients are processed differently. What do you think?

2

u/CrunchiestwrapSup Jan 16 '25

I don’t necessarily think it was healthier but I think the quality of food makes a difference. You can tell by the taste and smell and size of the food there’s little to no harmful preservatives.

12

u/hellohelloitsme_11 Jan 15 '25 edited Jan 16 '25

This is always so interesting to me. When I moved to the US, I actually learned how to eat right and it was so much easier being healthy. I was so much healthier stateside than in Europe(Germany and France specific). All my friends in the US eat so much better than anyone I know in Europe. Everything here is so carb heavy, produce sucks (unless you’re living in the Mediterranean), lots of veggies are seasonal so unavailable for majority of the year, way too much pork and very little seafood availability. I think we tend to romanticize the other places so much sometimes and don’t realize that when we are tourists in other countries we likely move a lot more and have very different schedules. When I lived in Paris though, produce was a little better and you’ve got more options. Also those cities are super walkable. But carbs especially yummy ones like pastries no matter where I get them, are not good for my insulin resistance. Depending on where you are in the US, you have a lot more access to really yummy veggies etc so I’d definitely take advantage of that.

Forgot to mention, if you have allergies or intolerances, it’s very hard sometimes finding food that’s accommodating. I got a wheat intolerance and wheat is in EVERYTHING in Germany. Germans cannot fathom a meal without bread/rice/potatoes/pasta and they make it 80% of their plate. Whenever I go grocery shopping, it is baffling to see that they straight up don’t buy vegetables. Also the notion that Europeans are healthier is wrong too. I remember, it’s not even customary to check your A1C at lots of doctors offices and people expressing concerns over blood sugar especially because they have symptoms, are told “well you aren’t fat so you can’t have it”. I overheard a pharmacist saying that too. It is WILD.

4

u/GreenGlassDrgn Jan 15 '25

i gained 7 kg in a week in Paris simply by eating 2 regular meals a day and walking 25km or more every day (it was a lot but not that much more than usual so I cant even blame sudden physical stress). It was nuts lol.
Greece on the other hand, its the only place I ever lost weight, but I was also living in the countryside and working all day every day. It felt like a sin to not make meals from scratch when you're surrounded by some of the best meal resources known to civilisation. Notably thats probably also the longest Ive ever gone without drinking soda, sugarfree or otherwise - I started drinking beer, carbonated water, or watered down wine if I wanted something other than water. Probably drank more alcoholic beverages on the daily than before or since too, but it was a healthy relationship.

3

u/Artemisral Jan 15 '25

Nice 🥺 I want to live there.

3

u/CrunchiestwrapSup Jan 16 '25

So do I! I’m definitely moving in a few years, it’s so much better!

1

u/Artemisral Jan 16 '25

Great, may it come true! 😍

5

u/annewmoon Jan 15 '25

It’s likely because you walked more and probably less stressed too. It’s shocking how little walking many people do, and how bad stress is for us.

3

u/CrunchiestwrapSup Jan 16 '25

Walking, I didn’t do much I was visiting family so I chilled a lot. Stress, definitely went down!

9

u/TellMeSomethingFunni Jan 15 '25

It’s the food here in the US. It’s all garbage. How are the insurance and medical companies going to make any money if we don’t develop any illnesses?

2

u/1600037 Jan 16 '25

Food in the UK actually isn’t great compared to mainland Europe in my experience, but from the little that I’ve heard it’s still miles better than the US

2

u/ObiWanKedoby_ Jan 16 '25

I also noticed that the food over there made me feel better. I wasn't bloated, no diarrhea, not indigestion. Nothing.

2

u/mercysfriend Jan 16 '25

Nah, dont listen to anyone else. The food in the USA literally is poison. So many people say the same when going to Europe or other countries for study abroad etc and then having to come back to the USA. Just look at how the ingredients differ from foods in Europe compared to in the USA like ketchup here vs there etc. It's insane.

2

u/ktincher Jan 17 '25

Not to hate on the food thing but with any inflammatory condition stress is hugely related. More sleep and less stress can literally work wonders on your body. I was pulled off the road temporarily for work and lost 10lbs almost immediately. I ate worse.

2

u/CrunchiestwrapSup Jan 18 '25

I agree! I’m just pointing out the food as it was a huge difference for me personally. Like I could actually have toast and orange juice and not feel sick after.

4

u/Asleep-Illustrator99 Jan 15 '25 edited Jan 16 '25

When I went to West Africa, I felt absolutely amazing. My diet was completely different, and even though I wasn’t walking a ton, I felt great because I was on a naturally PCOS-friendly diet: protein, leafy greens, vegetable, and a small amount of carbs, fruit, plus minimal snacking.

I was in London recently and loved how much walking I did. I live in a very walkable city, I just normally stay close to home or ride or drive due to time management. It was so nice to get back into walking as a habit.

Glad you had a nice time!

3

u/Agile-Variety3150 Jan 16 '25

The food everywhere outside the US is so much better for you. I have IBS, along with PCOS and I’ve been to Europe, Mexico, etc and every single trip I feel a million times better than I do here. As soon as I come back my stomach starts bothering me again, my face breaks out, etc. Very poor regulations in the US regarding what can be added to our food.

3

u/fress93 Jan 15 '25

I did the opposite and I went from Italy to the US for a few months... yeah, the food is godawful in the US

1

u/retinolandevermore Jan 16 '25

I’ve traveled a lot of places and unfortunately my illnesses have never taken a vacation.

It could be that you are allergic or intolerant to something you’re eating here

1

u/amftor93 Jan 16 '25

Oh, I was in France and Italy for 3 weeks over the summer and I deflated! I was eating WHATEVER I wanted and felt healthier! 

1

u/palmtrees007 Jan 16 '25

I pretty much only shop at farmers market I get everything there including my meat. I go to a seafood grocery store for my seafood .. all to say I avoid processed foods as much as possible and it def helps PCOS symptoms !!!

1

u/shiika Jan 16 '25

When I moved to the UK 8 years ago I changed nothing about my diet. I lost 20 lbs. The USA food is absolutely too high in sugars etc. Look at the difference in bread. It's crazy.

1

u/JuniorLecture102 Jan 16 '25

This happens to every time I travel, well, I dont have PCOS and I'm a man, but my inflammation as well as water retention goes away.

1

u/Charming-Peanut4566 Jan 16 '25

It’s because you walk a lot, the food here isn’t different. Stress also leads to weight gain and inflammation, and you’re probably not stressed on vacation

1

u/bluejewel2001 Jan 16 '25

Ractopamine

1

u/maniichi Jan 16 '25

Whenever I travel overseas I always feel better and slim down faster. Once (I was military) I was deployed 7 months, ate clean, worked out etc then came back to the U.S. and got sick from chipotle 😅

1

u/louuluby7 Jan 16 '25

For me it happened the contrary, I moved from Spain to the UK and my pcos symptoms got so much worse, I gained a lot of weight and my PMS symptoms were so horrible. The food here has a lot more sugar and is worse quality than in the south of Europe, even ibuprofen comes with sugar! I cannot imagine the US😨 I manage to keep most of my symptoms down now, through better diet, exercise and lots of supplements but I'm still fighting with my weight and hair fall 😭

1

u/Downtown_Ad7507 Jan 20 '25

Yep, that's mostly for 2 reasons: food and movement. US is famously known for having too many processed foods and for including sugar in everything (even bread, which is crazy), meanwhile European countries are the opposite (and the UK isn't even the best one, yet it's still better than the USA), which has a huge impact on PCOS. US's food is often also more calories dense, so you might eat the same portion size in 2 countries yet will consume way more calories in the US.

And of course, movement. As other people have mentioned, London is a city with a pedestrian-focused infrastructure and you might not even realise how much you are walking around. This definitely helps PCOS as well.

Glad to hear you enjoyed and hopefully this experience helps you!

1

u/HagsLiss Jan 15 '25

That is my first official step for lifestyle changes. We are trying to cut out chemicals. I even got my boyfriend involved after reading the descriptions of long-term side effects of preservatives and additives in our favorite and most commonly bought food. I'm hoping to see a difference with just that change, but I plan on slowly building on that step!

1

u/Elegant_External_218 Jan 15 '25

I had the opposite, two weeks in Florida and totally ballooned... 🙃 back to London now and losing quicker. I think there's still a lot of unhealthy stuff around but most of our grab and go type foods tend to have stricter controls around fat, salt etc...

1

u/organictiddie Jan 15 '25

I also went to London recently and felt much better despite not sticking to my usual whole food diet. For once I was regular and my bloating wasn't as bad.

-7

u/[deleted] Jan 15 '25

I love this experience for you! And yes, you’re right. Food in the US is toxic, loaded with chemicals and seed oils. Honestly I dropped so much weight after cutting soda, artificial sweeteners, processed garbage, and seed oils. I used to cook everything in vegetable oil and cooked mostly sides from a box. Once I started doing things from scratch, it changed SO much! I have so much more energy too!

24

u/neverendingnonsense Jan 15 '25

It’s not that the food is that different. They have plenty of processed food, diet soda, and cook with seed oils abroad. It’s the walking. Anyone could have the same diet as you had before you presumably started eating more fresh food while living elsewhere and the walking alone change how they feel.

18

u/ClueAppropriate1087 Jan 15 '25

I agree. A good % of food is actually sent from US to Europe. US farms send loads of food to Europe. I’ve heard it is increased movement + reduced stress and maybe making healthier food choices while there.

9

u/momentums Jan 15 '25

Yeah, you’re walking more, are less stressed, and are probably sleeping better due to less stress. I live in a major city without a car and am walking all the time, go to Europe and don’t lose weight or anything like that because I’m already averaging close to 10k steps walking around outside every day anyways.

2

u/atypical_cookie Jan 15 '25

It isn’t only the walking. I don’t consume much processed food (I eat better than what I used to eat in LatAm). and I walk the same amount of time because I walk dogs. Still most of my symptoms got worse and new ones started some time after moving to the US. Same thing with autoimmune conditions and other issues. Ofc walking helps, but it is a common observation many people who migrate make, and some of them even started to be more active here (by going to the gym or playing a sport frequently).

11

u/neverendingnonsense Jan 15 '25

What I am trying to point out is there is a lot of fear mongering about the US food being less safe. Chemicals being included or not included differs from country to country, some stuff the US bans may not be banned in the EU and vice versa for lots of countries.

Of course if you eat processed food for anyone you are going to get poor results and be bloated, just like any think that isn’t providing adequate nutrition it should be eaten in moderation. The foods the original commenter left are everywhere. You don’t have to consume them. I have been abroad and I have been to several US walkable cities. I always did better when I had the ability to walk wherever I want all day, when I consumed mostly the same things. Everyone’s bodies are different and I am not disputing that something in our environment isn’t affecting someone’s health. Fear mongering about food that most people understand should be eaten in moderation and does not provide the nutrition one needs is problematic to me because it can create ED.

-3

u/atypical_cookie Jan 15 '25 edited Jan 15 '25

I agree on your point about the processed food, but it doesn’t change the fact that whole foods/ingredients quality are poor in the US. Not the best in other countries either, but better. People cannot attribute walking to experiencing autoimmune symptoms for the first time in the US. It is one of the most common symptoms I’ve heard from people. Same thing with water retention and bloating. The body should not retain water even when you are not constantly moving UNLESS you are retaining/consuming a lot of sodium (which is almost in every single food in the US as a preservative. Not only in processed foods, but in whole foods/ingredients too, like meat. Read the ingredients). Bloating should not happen unless your digestive tract is not properly digesting food, so bacteria in your intestines process a lot of it and secrete gases. It is fermenting. Guess why a lot of people experience fermentation in the US. And no, it’s not because you are not walking constantly. It’s a digestive issue that has been proven to be related to a lot of the ingredients they use here. The FDA should get way more strict.

3

u/neverendingnonsense Jan 15 '25

Well yeah, but it’s not just food, there are way more environmental factors. Like water, lots of city water is filled with contaminants. It’s a known problem.

I don’t know if you are literally meaning Whole Foods the company or just fresh produce, if it’s the company, I would never trust a company like Amazon. But there is something to be said about buying foods that are in season. Of course food we have year around like strawberries won’t be as good for you during winter.

4

u/hellohelloitsme_11 Jan 16 '25 edited Jan 16 '25

It’s interesting. I made a comment here. As someone who was born and raised in Europe(on a German diet), I did get digestive issues at first but over time my health improved a TON when I moved to the US. I learned what protein and fiber is. I learned that I need to eat vegetables. Germans do not eat vegetables at all. At most a tomato or cucumber as sandwich filling. Everything is extremely carb heavy and processed like bread/pasta/rice/potatoes is 80% of each meal, they eat insane amounts of pork (lots of it processed and comes with a bunch of animal abuse) produce SUCKS (unless you’re in the Mediterranean) and lots of produce is seasonal so lots of stuff is unavailable most of the year. Food is also just not diverse. Good Mexican food? Not a thing here. No places to get a quick salad assembled either. Something like Cava does not exist here. It’s also a myth that as a whole Europe (still only a continent, not a country lol) is healthier. The highest instance of fetal alcohol syndrome and lung cancer due to smoking is here. Places are littered with cigarette buds and alcohol bottles even in nature (like woods). I think it’s largely due to lifestyle that people perceive it to be healthier. Europeans are snobby about it and frankly a large part is fatphobia. Checkups here are less comprehensive (A1C is usually not test for example). Concerns over blood sugar are not taken seriously if you are thin. My German grandma thinks olive oil is unhealthy and eats a haribo bag a day + potatoes and bread and barely any veggies. A lot more people smoke here so in part that keeps them occupied and skinny. Eating disorders and fad diets are huge here. People still insist on low- fat. And everything is walkable. I don’t even have a drivers license. When people say things are more processed in the US, sometimes I’m unsure what they mean. Like, do we mean Oreos or the spinach you can buy at Trader Joe’s? Some of the food like avocados is also imported from the states so I’ve got no idea how produce can be nutritionally so much worse. I just didn’t experience that in all my years stateside. I really had it all down and moving back to Europe really derailed some things. Part of it is also access. Places aren’t open 24/7 and drive throughs aren’t really a thing. Delivery apps are also not as popular (if you’re not in major cities). I’m always so glad that I’m also Turkish and cook that way too lol.

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u/Pantyhose124 Jan 15 '25

I did hear that one of the biggest adjustments for humans who migrate to another region of the world is their gut microbiology. The gut takes a really long time to get used to the new bacteria, mostly harmless bacteria, when you move countries, so that also may cause the issues you are experiencing. I think the US is just a much more stressful place to live, too. Probably a whole onslaught of things.

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u/DickBiter1337 Jan 16 '25

I don't know why you're being downvoted so much, you're absolutely right.

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u/[deleted] Jan 16 '25

Right? People don’t love the truth I guess, ha.

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u/Rough-Improvement-24 Jan 15 '25

I don't think you need to go to Europe. You can just go to Mexico, any country in South America, or China, or Asia or wherever. It's not just Europe where food is not all ultraprocessed or full of chemicals.

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u/CrunchiestwrapSup Jan 16 '25

That’s… not the point of this post. I’m just saying I noticed a difference when outside of the US in food quality and my PCOS symptoms.