Best known as a celebrity trainer to
Halle Berry,
Eva Mendes,
Jessica Simpson and some of Hollywood's most gorgeous A-list celebs, fitness expert
Harley Pasternak goes where no other diet book has gone before: literally, around the globe. On his jet-set travels with star clients on exotic movie locations around the world, Harley has done in-depth research on the activity levels and food strategies of local cultures. From the number of miles Europeans log in a year, and how the Japanese avoid overeating, to the
fast food habits in the United States and South America, he examines the fattest countries in the world versus the healthiest countries on the planet based on significant data on disease and life expectancy from the World Health Organization.
We talked to Harley about his experiences abroad to glean advice that might benefit anyone who wants to eat healthier, and budge the pudge -- forever!
Click on the gallery below to find how diet tips from the
5 Factor World Diet can help you lose weight.
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Harley Pasternak's Best Weight-Loss Advice
That's Fit: One of the most interesting things about your book is discovering the most un-healthy places in the world. The United States comes in 9th! Surprised?
Harley Pasternak: Americans simply eat way too many overall
calories at every meal. American meals are 20 to 50 percent heftier than they were only a decade ago. We have undergone a serious "portion distortion" in this country, and we also have more fast food restaurants than any other country on earth. For example, a hamburger at Burger King in the 1950s was about 3.8 ounces, but
today it has grown to 4.5 ounces. Everything is getting larger, especially our waistlines!
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Harley Pasternaks 5 Factor World Diet
That's Fit: One of the most interesting things about your book is discovering the most un-healthy places in the world. The United States comes in 9th! Surprised?
Harley Pasternak: Americans simply eat way too many overall calories at every meal. American meals are 20 to 50 percent heftier than they were only a decade ago. We have undergone a serious "portion distortion" in this country, and we also have more fast food restaurants than any other country on earth. For example, a hamburger at Burger King in the 1950s was about 3.8 ounces, but today it has grown to 4.5 ounces. Everything is getting larger, especially our waistlines!
Harley Pasternaks 5 Factor World Diet
TF: It seems like all the healthiest countries, like Japan, Singapore, France, Italy, Spain, Greece and Israel, lead more active lives than Americans. True?
HP: Yes, Americans do lead lazy and sedentary lifestyles, for sure. The American Heart Association urges all Americans to take at least 10,000 steps per day, about three miles of activity per day, but here in the U.S, the majority takes barely 3,000 steps. The best example I found is this: The average European walks 237 miles per year; yet, the average American walks only 87 miles per year. No one walks outside of San Francisco and New York City in the United States! Even in a supposedly fit, urban city like Los Angeles, no one walks.
Harley Pasternaks 5 Factor World Diet
TF: What is this mysterious self-control technique you learned in Japan to stop overeating?
HP: Both in Japan and Sweden, consumers eat quite slowly an array of small dishes brought to the table first so they receive a lot of satiety [food satisfaction] in the beginning of the meal and often don't feel the need for one giant entrée like we do here in the states. Also, they typically eat until they're 80 percent full. While you wait, satiety takes over and these eaters typically stop eating way before a dessert is ever considered. Other healthy countries start with small multiple courses, so they pick and choose and really nibble their way through a meal. Staying slim and lean is not only about what you eat, but how and when and why you eat.
Harley Pasternaks 5 Factor World Diet
TF: Do we overeat in America simply because there's so much food available?
HP: Far more than other countries, our country is based upon on-the-go eating habits -- Americans eat over half their weekly meals out of the home. This is different from the healthiest countries in the world where they mainly eat at home every day and eat outside the home only on special occasions. Also, in America, there are three million soft drink vending machines so we are drinking unhealthy calories, such as soda and other soft drinks, all day long. This is unheard of in other countries! Also, wealthier countries are also the biggest red meat-eating countries in the world, and red meat packs on the pounds, including higher levels of disease and cholesterol.
Harley Pasternaks 5 Factor World Diet
TF: Why do island nations like your unhealthiest country of all -- Naura -- seem to rank at the top of the unhealthy chain? Palm trees and beautiful beaches ...what's so unhealthy about that?
HP: Because they are such small island nations, everything must be imported which gets very expensive for their citizens. Also, true tropical fruits, like you think of in Samoa or Palau -- pineapple and coconut, for instance -- are the highest in fat and sugar content of all fruits. There are not many organic farms on these tiny islands, either, so not a lot of fresh produce is available. Also, island meats are typically high-fat pork and lamb products. Plus, on most small islands, there is no public transportation and everyone does a lot of sitting around.
Harley Pasternaks 5 Factor World Diet
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