The worse the economy, the more you eat? 50% of Europeans are overweight

Many European countries have been experiencing economic depression in recent years, and many people have gradually been forced to tighten their belts and tighten their diets to make ends meet. The impact of the economic downturn is even reflected in the increasing number of obese people in Europe. According to the New York Times, the obesity rate in Europe has been gradually rising over the past 20 years. The number of unemployed people has increased, and depression and anxiety have also led to changes in lifestyle and eating habits. Currently, more than 50% of Europeans are overweight and about 17% are obese.

In countries including the United Kingdom, France, and Portugal, the consumption of fresh fruits and vegetables has been on a downward trend, with people mostly purchasing food based on price rather than quantity, which has also led to changes in nutritional intake. According to a report published by the European Medical Institute of Obesity, unemployed women in Spain have developed "emotional eating" which has led to a rise in obesity rates; Italy has also implemented the recycling of reusable pasta, bread, vegetables, etc. to make new meals, and people have begun to often eat canned food instead of fresh fruits and vegetables.

For poor families, foods that are discounted at stores become the first choice, usually processed foods and frozen microwave foods. The sales of such foods have increased by 25% in the past five years. On the other hand, in order to earn more wages, family working hours have also increased, so the time for cooking at home has also decreased, making people prefer to eat microwave foods.

Europe is now facing a problem that has long existed in the United States: when economic difficulties arise, most people no longer care about the quality of life, and nutritional health is no longer important. The obesity rate in many low-income families in the United States is very high, which is because many poor people often eat at fast food restaurants or cheap microwaved processed foods.

Since 2010, food experts and MPs in the UK have also spoken out, hoping that the government will pay attention to the crisis of widespread malnutrition among the people and solve the problem of food shortages, otherwise it will only lead to rising prices and falling incomes. Nowadays, most people would rather choose to "eat just enough" rather than eat nutritionally balanced food, which has also led to the emergence of obesity problems. Many chronic diseases such as diabetes, heart disease, and high blood pressure have become a heavy burden on national medical expenses.