Words by

Catharine Fulton

After years of paying allegiance to Coca Cola and KFC, Icelanders can add another superlative to their national résumé. Not only are Icelandic women the most beautiful, and the men are the strongest, now the country is the fattest in Europe.
Nutritionist with the University of Iceland, Anna Sigríður Ólafsdóttir says that Icelanders began packing on the kilos in 1990 and have grown their waistlines steadily since then, RÚV reports. The reasons for the weight gain may be larger food portions, too much sugar intake, lack of exercise, and dependence on cars to get around.
Anna Sigríður recommends that everybody focus on eating 5 kinds of fruits and vegetables daily and to move more to combat the bulge.