Australia Must Be Amazing page 2

[zoebird]

I am an american living in NZ, and soon to visit Australia.

For food, I buy locally and from australia through most of the winter. I try to buy as local as I can, with australia being the second choice if I can't get it locally.

My observation as a comparision of where I lived in the US vs where I live now is that people here are slightly more fit. And, overweight looks different.

Here, overweight is largely a hips/legs thing (pear) as opposed to the rounded shape of the average overweight american (apple). I think this may be due to the genetics, but I also think it has to do with the food culture. The US food culture was mixed earlier than the australian one -- or perhaps you might say has a more diverse european food culture, where Aus/NZ cuisine is largely based on british cuisine, which is pastry heavy as far as I can tell. So, that might also have an influence, but I'm not sure.

What I notice, though, is that *most people* here are pretty active. I mean, I always see people out and aobut doing all kinds of activities here -- all shapes and sizes. Doing all manner of sport and tramping is a big deal here, and most of my clients -- whether they are "right on" weight wise or overweight -- are all active people. I have some who would qualify as "obese" and yet they walk a lot, hike a lot, and most of them even do triathlons and similar.

So, I think it's a food quality issue, not so much an activity level issue, that keeps the weight on.

and that goes to what others have said about the abundance of fast food options, junk food options, and similar. The combination of fast food, soda, and then sweets that I see many NZers consuming makes it pretty obvious that it's an issue of food, not an issue of movement.

[tfarny]

I always thought Australia looked just like "Road Warrior" but with Nicole Kidman hanging out somewhere surfing in a bikini. Don't spoil my fantasy!


I've known many Aussies and Kiwis, had some as my best friends. They look pretty much like anyone else, 'ah reckon.

[Esperance]

It's beautiful. Grain fed beef where I live plus lot's of fresh veggies all grown within an hour's drive or less.

Here are some happy snaps. All of what you see is within an hours drive or a couple of feet from my place. There are many more I could post but...

The croc was about 10-12 feet long and I'm glad I was on the other bank and didn't lose my footing. The creek photo is a great place to swim. It's like you're alone in heaven. The last photo is of a sunbird nesting in my back yard about 6 feet from my back door.

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[Rasputina]

It's beautiful. Grain fed beef where I live plus lot's of fresh veggies all grown within an hour's drive or less.

Here are some happy snaps. All of what you see is within an hours drive or a couple of feet from my place. There are many more I could post but...

The croc was about 10-12 feet long and I'm glad I was on the other bank and didn't lose my footing. The creek photo is a great place to swim. It's like you're alone in heaven. The last photo is of a sunbird nesting in my back yard about 6 feet from my back door.

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I love these!`I live in Missouri, USA, and am surrounded by natural beauty- except for the native Bud Light cans that mar the landscape a bit.

[gt1cm2]

I'm not an Aussie (don't throw rocks at me ya aussies), but I am a new Zealander and we all know most of the world thinks NZ is just an island off australia anyway.

NZ is equally as fat as Aussie, possibly worse. Our two countries face a lot of the same issues around that, very similar cultures. BBQ, beer, alcohol, smoking, fast food.

It is pretty lovely round here. And easier to do exercise outside like you're supposed to as well. I grew up on a farm and use to do sprints up and down the paddocks, dodging cows and the like. As for good meat - definitely. There's no grain-fed vs grass-fed here because as far as I know, everything is grass-fed, at least as long as it't not imported. It's very easy to live self-sustainably here. Get a vege patch, know your neighbours and buy their meat/wine/veges/oils (1 of my neighbours makes oils, the other is a vineyard, the other a farmer) so the networks are easy to build and there's lots of farmers markets. BUT it's also pretty typical developed world. We don't know our neighbours as much as we should and we're lazy and supermarket shop lots anyway. Also rarely take advantage of our amazing landscapes. I have never lived further than 45 mins from a beach, and probably never more than 5 mins from some water source. I do have good memories of water and outdoor activity from my childhood though.

I suppose, there's potential, but as we're all fatties and trying to be as "developed" as possible we don't really make the most of it, in summary.

My husband is living in Melbourne at the moment while i'm still in New Zealand so I travel over there quite a bit to spend some time with him and the one thing I have noticed is their drinking cultural is much much worse than ours. But everything else seems the same. The one thing I find in Aussie is that red meat is not as nice as the NZ red meat, I've never had grain fed cattle so not sure what it tastes like but I suspect the different pasture is what make the grass feed beef taste different.

I work at the meat works doing accounts and we're fortnate that a few of the works in NZ will not buy hormone treated cattle so it's not a big thing in NZ where I understand it's common in the states? Correct me if I'm wrong. Not sure on chickens thou.

[Goosejuggler]

I'm a Brit, been living in Australia for 2 years now, and I feel Aus is much more SAD in its attitude to food that the UK is. (That's not to say the UK is a paradigm of health).
The big two supermarkets are really awful, with regards to imported produce (Capiscums from US!!) and the standard of the meat they have there. After becoming primal, my partner and I quickly shifted to smaller markets and local butchers to ensure we got quality produce, and we can usually get what we need, although organic free-range produce can become extortionate ($30 for a chicken -WA's only has one supplier!). I find its totally worth spending more on food (usually $150 for two/week), considering how we used to go to the pub for $10 pints!!

As far as people being active goes - I guess so. In my office, the company has paid for sporting events and weekly bootcamp. Its not uncommon for people to work out. Although, you can be sure I get an 'OMG your lunch is so healthy!' comment everyday. There is only one other person in my office who brings lunch to work everyday. One!!

[Rasputina]

I'm a Brit, been living in Australia for 2 years now, and I feel Aus is much more SAD in its attitude to food that the UK is. (That's not to say the UK is a paradigm of health).
The big two supermarkets are really awful, with regards to imported produce (Capiscums from US!!) and the standard of the meat they have there. After becoming primal, my partner and I quickly shifted to smaller markets and local butchers to ensure we got quality produce, and we can usually get what we need, although organic free-range produce can become extortionate ($30 for a chicken -WA's only has one supplier!). I find its totally worth spending more on food (usually $150 for two/week), considering how we used to go to the pub for $10 pints!!

As far as people being active goes - I guess so. In my office, the company has paid for sporting events and weekly bootcamp. Its not uncommon for people to work out. Although, you can be sure I get an 'OMG your lunch is so healthy!' comment everyday. There is only one other person in my office who brings lunch to work everyday. One!!

Peppers from the U.S.??? That's ludicrous!! Anyone can grow peppers in temperate climates! Oh, my view of Australia as the mecca of health has been dashed

[Goosejuggler]

I know its appalling! I kill everything that I plant, and even I have a (solitary) pepper growing on my balcony!

Most of the cheap fruit and veg now comes from Asia, and the pesticides involved make me go :S

[nixxy]

NZ is amazing. I remember I had an apple from a farm when I was driving around NZ on a holidays as a child, it was the first proper tasting apple I have ever eaten and I have never tasted a piece of fruit that good since. For some reason that was the most distinct memory I have from that visit.

You should've seen my face when I went on holiday in the US and ate some fruit ahahaha.
We do still have the odd stink apples though.



As for the person who said Aussies drinking culture is worse - that's interesting! And scary. Because I live in Auckland and it is baaaaaad. I use to be out west... (the name "westies" speaks for itself) but even now where it's more civilised it's pretty crazy. Drinking is so socialised here, and getting off your face drunk every weekend is just the norm. Multiple times a week in most peoples cases. I watch Kalgoorlie cops sometimes though and it's pretty nasty! But Police 10/7 has some shockers as well. I wonder why our two countries have gone that way....
I started drinking when I was 13, that's how socialised it is. I did most of my drinking between 15-18, now I'm 20 I barely drink alcohol at all, probably once every 2 months, if that. I came from a upper middle class family too so it's not even like it's a socioeconomic thing, it's like the "thing" to do here.

I'm going back to stay on the farm next week, excited! Feijoa, lemon, grapefruit, apple, luisa plum, passionfruit and lime trees/plants all there!

[gt1cm2]

Believe me, it is. I have the same back ground as you and I'm stunned each time I'm over there and spend time with hubby's flatmates.