There are several reasons for this. I have spent a decent amount of time in Europe over the last several years. In fact, I'm heading back over there for a couple of weeks next Saturday. I keep a strict diet here at home and track my calories and macros daily with MyFitnessPal, but when I travel, especially overseas, I just kind of wing it because it's too hard to do. Plus, part of the travel experience is the local food, which includes deserts, local liquors, etc, things I don't normally eat here at home.
Nonetheless, even though I'm not eating as cleanly I do tend to come back the same weight and sometimes I even lose a few pounds. The food is definitely part of it. Better ingredients, less processed shit (although you can definitely buy that stuff there), but also, people are more active too, which I think is a larger factor. People walk a lot more and bike a lot more and I definitely walk a lot more when I'm there. Trying to drive in the cities is a pain in the ass and in some countries, like Italy, it can be down right frightening because people there drive like shit. I think it's the different lifestyle overall that makes the difference, but it also depends on which countries you are talking about. The British, for example, are a bunch of fat pigs just like we are. I've also noticed more overweight people in Germany and The Netherlands, but in France and Spain you see hardly anyone overweight. It seems to be regional.
I have always been told that 100% California olive oil is the best kind ot buy here in the states and that's what I get, but it's expensive. The normal sized bottle will run you $20 at Target.
