The AFP published a story about three morbidly obese American men who moved to China to lose the fat. These men have taken extreme approaches by subjecting themselves to clinical treatments which involve alternative therapies, but the concept of going abroad to shed the pounds is nothing new for many Americans.
The United States takes the cake on being the most obese society in the globe, but what is the secret to Americans slimming down abroad?
FRESH VARIETY
I once went into a Metro supermarket with my Kodak and recorded a few short clips to show to the folks back home. The produce manager wasn’t too thrilled with me recording in the store, but I explained to him that we didn’t have this much variety back in the States and that an American has to see it to believe it.
Video I shot inside of Hipermercado Metro Chorrillos
My very own eyes popped out of their sockets and my jaw dropped the first time I visited a Peruvian supermarket, I couldn’t believe the number, colors and variety of starches, grains, legumes, vegetables, fruits, dairies, etc. that were in a commercial store. I saw foods I had never witnessed or tasted before in my life!
The produce section in Metro alone makes any American supermarket’s produce department look minuscule in size and variety.
While produce and meats are often fresh in commercial supermarkets in Peru, you can still find fresher ingredients by visiting any of the numerous municipal or district markets that dot the country.
You don’t need to speak Spanish to watch this video of the Municipal Market in Downtown Lima.
With the Christmas holiday just weeks away markets will soon be filled with crates and truck beds loaded with Turkeys, YES – LIVE TURKEYS! Choose the bird you want to roast and they’ll slaughter it right in front of your eyes at the market – forget preservatives, genetically altered slaughter house poultry and a “Lord only knows how long it’s been sitting on the shelf” worries. You can check the quality and health of your food for yourself in the Peruvian markets.
If Poultry, Pork or Beef aren’t on the day’s menu for you, then you can hop on down to the Fish Markets of the Costa Verde.
Peruvian and international restaurateur Gaston Acurio takes a “gastronomical maritime trip” along the Limean coast.
Peru is renowned to have the most bio-diverse sea in the world and its maritime culinary reflects the richness of its waters. The most popular and favorite of Peruvian plates is the national pride and joy – CEVICHE.
Admittedly I have loathed any aquatic based dish my entire life, but after living in Peru for a year I finally decided to take the plunge and try the Ceviche; I am now a proud convert to Peruvian seafood!
What is it that made a convert out of me? Peruvian seafood is so fresh and nearly odor free that it didn’t have that stench or overpowering flavor that one normally associates with seafood. Ask any Peruvian and they will tell you that “Seafood shouldn’t stink.“
Whether you are a vegetarian, an omnivore a carnivore or whatever, there is one undeniable truth about Peruvian ingredients – They are all fresh and they all have flavor!
FULL OF FLAVOR & LIFE
Many of the dishes eaten in Peru are heavily laden with condiments (in a healthy way), but even without all the condiments each piece of meat, fruit, vegetable etc. has its own proper flavor.
I wouldn’t eat an Avocado for itself in the United States unless it was mashed up into guacomole, but in Peru you just peel the skin right off and eat. Want to add condiments to the avocado, then a touch of vinegar and salt will do.
Did you know that bananas and cucumbers have seeds inside of them? Well, in Peru they do! No harmful chemicals or genetic adulteration, all foods that grow in this green earth should have seeds in them and if they don’t then you know they aren’t natural or organic.
The problem with much of the fruits and vegetables in the United States is that they are vitamin deficient. They may have “color,” but if you compare them to Peruvian produce you will notice that American produce does not have “color” at all and is virtually a sick food.
There has only been one State that I have been to that has food with flavor comparable to Peru and that is West Virginia. I don’t know why the quality and freshness of food varies across the States, but a healthy food is hard to come by in the U.S. and even if it says “organic” doesn’t mean that the food is natural or healthy.
Many foods in the United States are also canned or frozen, which causes them to lose flavor and potenence in vitamins. Many times, foreigners that come to Peru have stomach problems which they often blame on “dirty food.” What they don’t realize is that it is the fresh and live food that is pushing out all the preserved food that has been sitting in their stomach and intestines unable to digest. Preserved food is preserved food whether it is in the tin can or in your stomach, there is a reason why they call them “non perishibles.”
CHANGE OF HABITS
On top of the dietary changes a foreigner encounters in Peru, one often will encounter a change of lifestyle. Since food in Peru is alive, it also makes you feel alive. How many Americans can say they have more energy after eating lunch? In most cases you want to take a nap after an American lunch. In Peru you can eat lunch and be on the run with all the energy you need. If food is a fuel, then why does it drain you in the U.S.?
Driving in Peru is not an option for many, if you have a car then count yourself lucky, other than that a car is often unnecessary for a trip to the corner since the corner is a few blocks away and not a few miles away, which means people hit the street with their feet.
They say that in Paris you can walk to wherever you need to go and the same applies in Peru. Need bread? Then you go to the bakery by your house. Need beer? Go to the gas station or the distributor a short block away. Even the supermarket is often in walking distance and the municipal market is even closer!
Combine diet with everyday exercise (walking) and you have a clear cut and seemingly effortless formula for losing weight.
Frankly, I didn’t change much of my diet when I came down to Peru. I still drank soda, ate chocolates, ate ice cream, had my sandwiches with white bread and so forth, but it was the combination of FRESH ingredients and increased walking that helped me to shed 15 lbs. within a matter of months.
I’ve gained a few pounds here and there since starting to drive again in Lima, but I’ve since adjusted my diet and added more exercise to my lifestyle and I’m not suffering like many Americans do when they try the same.
Americans don’t need to undergo clinical treatments or cosmetic surgery in other countries to be healthy. Sure, I have more variety and freshness in Peru, but if I really try I can bring back my new healthier lifestyle to the United States when I return for an extended visit.
The U.S. may offer limited choices in the quality of its food and produce, but eating your big meal at lunch time, walking more and getting over those mental obstacles can really put one on the right track of shedding those unhealthy pounds.
A bad habit is hard to break and a good habit is hard to make, but in the end it doesn’t hurt when your once “skinny friends” are now calling you the “Flaca” (skinny one.)*
Filed under: About, Gastronomy, Health | Tagged: american diet, ceviche, chorrillos peru, dead foods, diet, exercise, gaston acurio, gastronomia peruana, health in peru, health in the united states, healthy foods, hipermercado metro, how to lose weight naturally, liposuction abroad, lose weight abroad, markets in peru, mercado municipal de lima, mercados en peru, metro supermarkets, obese men go to china, obesity in america, peruvian diet, peruvian gastronomy, peruvian seafood, raw food, vitamin deficient foods
Rachel — I agree that food is fresher and healthier in Peru (in contrast w/most American food). Good for you for taking the videos at Metro to share!
If a picture says a thousand words, then a video must say…hmmmm…
I too have lost weight (10 lbs) since moving to Peru a year and a half ago. I credit it to not eating prepared foods and making things from scratch. In the US, there are long aisles of frozen food, and it becomes habitual to buy frozen waffles, frozen soy wienies, frozen dinners, frozen vegetables.
I went into shock when I first arrived here because I couldn’t purchase the items I usually relied on. Then I learned to work with fresh ingredients (thanks to a chef-maid we employed for three months) and I am thankful I did.
I guess they thought I was trying to commit some sort of corporate espionage, lol.
U.S. supermarkets are primarily composed of frozen food, canned food, and boxed food aisles.
I seldom cook in Peru, because we have a maid to do it, but when I am in the U.S. I mainly cook Peruvian dishes and I shop more frequently in the “fresh” food sections.
Produce markets are becoming popular in Central Florida (where I’m from) and buying locally grown produce can make a big difference even in terms of freshness.
The nice thing about Peru is that you don’t have to starve or restrict yourself to lose 10 pounds, it’s virtually effortless.
My two young daughters eat more in Peru than they do in the States, so that has to be a big indicator as to the quality of food in the U.S.
Interesting. I grew up in Chorrillos; I remember when the Metro supermarket first opened (it was the first to open!), and I was so amazed by how much variety, and how big it was, since its first opening you could find anything from tires, to clothing, and, even electronics. Whenenver I used to go as a child, I just wanted to buy it all!! I had previously gone to supermarkets before, such as E Wong, and Santa Isabel, but Metro was not just a supermarket, it was a” hugermarket” o a bigger than supermarket, supermarket. I guess that would be the translation for “hipermercado”
I am kind of sad that now it’s become a mall. Well, there are more stores, and all that, and I think it’s so cool, but I missed the old good days in this big supermarket.
I loved watching people in the checkout lines when we lived in Peru. It was so great to see people cart’s filled with produce. We’ve moved back to the US, and now it’s the other way around. Everyone’s cart is full of prepared foods, junk food, even the “fresh” stuff like baby spinach is prepackaged. Sadly, that kind of food is much cheaper here – the things that are good for you are much more expensive (like shopping at whole foods, otherwise known as ‘whole pay check’). I really hope Peru does not go the way of the US. At least everyone there still seems to cook from scratch. (the women, anyway!)
Love your website!
Marian ( http://www.southamericanfood.about.com )
I too was surprised to see how many fresh vegetables and fruits people had stacked in their carts.
Needless to say, I was in shock to see how cheap wheat bread was and how expensive the molded bread is.
It’s funny how things are the other way around. It’s a lot cheaper to eat healthier in Peru.
I guess the food industry in Peru hasn’t fallen into the same levels of corporate corruption as it has in the States.
It’s refreshing to note that globally there is a growing trend towards more “organic” foods.
I was looking for info on Peru and stumbled upon your blog… I’m trying to find a place for vacation for about 10-14 days in late-December using my air miles. I’ll be traveling from Tampa so South America seems to make sense
I’m not surprised at all by this… Although my work travels really only bring me to Europe so far, I can also tell there’s a difference in food quality. My official residence is in Tampa, Florida – but I technically spend more time and also have an apartment in Amsterdam. I can smell the difference in the produce, cheese and bread sections in grocery stores…
I recently spent a month in northern Italy and lost 10+ lbs. And this is while I’m on a business expense bill and almost every night having: appetizer, first course, second course, a bottle of wine and sometimes even dessert!!!
As far as my weight goes… I was 195 lbs when I left Canada over 6 years ago. (originally from there) I managed to get to 235 lbs. within the first 2 years in Florida. Although I can admit not being as active as I used to be as well, but 40lbs is a lot… Now I’ve managed to get myself between 215lbs and 225lbs. But get this, I pretty much always reach 225lbs after a week in Tampa… And I almost always lose about 10lbs when I go overseas for more than a week.
My husband and I spent a week in Europe in 2006 and as soon as we landed in Spain we noticed the weight start to come off, granted it was probably water weight.
I think much of the problem in the U.S. is that many of the foods use artificial products, processes, etc. that make it harder for the body to properly digest.
If you gain weight in Peru it comes on very slowly. When I returned to the US in 2007 for a few months I started gaining weight again within a week and within a couple of months I had gained back everything I easily lost in Peru.
The nice thing about Peru is you can eat exquisite food to your heart’s content and not worry too much about adding on the pounds.
The thought of eating in Peru makes many mouths salivate.
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