And the food (outside of the bread and Sauerkraut) is much less healthy regardless of the weight. Döner and Abendbrot aren’t exactly great for you, with more traditional foods being even worse for you (Klöße, Kartoffelsalat, (Curry-) Würst, Schweinshaxe, Rinderbraten, Schnitzel (don’t @ me), Spargel mit Sauce, Maultaschen, and so on). I love the vegan Maultaschen (raw, fried with onions, and in broth), and every kind of potato, but it’s something I try not to eat regularly (except for the raw vegetable Maultaschen, those are actually pretty good for you, if you don’t find the dough unpleasant). I know modern Germans often eat very differently, and I’m not saying that everyone in any country eats the same way as their ancestors did, I just think it has an effect on the general dietary trends for a country/culture.

It’s also not Germany’s “fault” (it’s not a result of gluttony or anything), there were a lot fewer vegetables and a smaller growing window for them throughout Germany’s history. That’s why Sauerkraut and asparagus are such big deals in Germany (Spargelzeit is a very cute, weird thing that nobody prepared me for, but it’s super overpriced and frankly not high quality or to my taste in restaurants): before global trade was fast and reliable, they were the primary source of vitamin C during the winter and the first fresh spring vegetable available, respectively. It’s also why potatoes and whole grain bread from multiple types of grain is so prevalent: they’re good sources of fiber and trace nutrients that keep well during a long winter and grow well in a cooler climate. It’s just the types of food people eat with/in/on the potatoes and bread/Brötchen that make them unhealthy.

Edit: I should add that I’ve basically only lived in big student cities (and the only family whose eating habits I really know eats mostly healthy and basically as healthily as practicable with so many young kids), so I could also have a skewed idea of how Germans eat.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 9 months ago* (last edited 9 months ago)

IME, traditional German cooking is often quite healthy, at least the homecooked stuff that I've seen (mostly in my own family). Of course the meat portions are usually too big, but there's typically big portions of vegetables and cooked potatoes aren't unhealthy, either. Even Döner is fine if you go easy on the meat and sauce - it's basically a salad! Main issue is portion control, eating what's basically fast food like schnitzel with fries instead of schnitzel with potatoes and sauerkraut, and all the other stuff that people eat in a day (sweets, snacks, booze, bread with fatty cold cuts, cheese and tons of butter).

Too bad I hate the taste and texture of boiled potatoes and most of the traditional vegetables!