I have an important question. What is the food like? This opinion is not very open minded, I need to admit, but throughout media it often seems like Americans eat a lot of junk. Also they are portrayed as the country with the most fat people (at least here) and I usually eat very healthy so I'm a little bit worried about that...
Born-and-raised American here!! It really depends on the family. Some families are big into health (seems to be more of a trend nowadays) and are vegan or vegetarian or try to cook and eat healthy "real food" meals and count calories. Other families will buy premade (and often precooked and sometimes processed) frozen meals and heat them up. Other families go out to eat at "nice" restaurants a lot. Others will go out to fast food a lot. Some families will have a big mix of what kinds of food they eat. Some have tons of snacks lying around and some only eat regular meals and don't snack, and some in between. If you put down on your application that you are a healthy eater, maybe they will try to pair you with a healthy eating family?? Maybe if they don't, you can show your family how they can eat healthy with "real" food (not frozen or processed meals) for a low cost by offering to cook them meals from your home country or maybe trying to recreate and cook some of their favorite meals. Personally, I try to cook healthy meals and it is pretty inexpensive. Sometimes I will make "unhealthy" or "premade" foods. And it doesn't always have to do with cost, either. It's also a matter of convenience. Sometimes with a busy schedule, it's easier and faster to heat something up that is premade or frozen than to take the time to make a meal with "real" food. NOTE: Frozen vegetables do NOT count as "premade" or "processed"- in the USA at least, they are often frozen raw and fresh right after picking, so they are usually fresher than "fresh" produce in our grocery stores. And they are often cheaper, and pre-cut. Do not feel like you HAVE to eat what your family puts in front of you, but be open minded to it. And if they are a family who eats "premade" meals, at least just try to be conscious of the quantity you are putting into your body so you don't overeat. It is my belief it's not WHAT you eat, necessarily, but how much you eat. That being said, a lot of premade foods in the USA are pre-seasoned too with a lot of salt. So if you can make your own foods or convince your host family to cook healthy (if they don't already), then you can season it how you want!
I have an important question. What is the food like? This opinion is not very open minded, I need to admit, but throughout media it often seems like Americans eat a lot of junk. Also they are portrayed as the country with the most fat people (at least here) and I usually eat very healthy so I'm a little bit worried about that...
Born-and-raised American here!! It really depends on the family. Some families are big into health (seems to be more of a trend nowadays) and are vegan or vegetarian or try to cook and eat healthy "real food" meals and count calories. Other families will buy premade (and often precooked and sometimes processed) frozen meals and heat them up. Other families go out to eat at "nice" restaurants a lot. Others will go out to fast food a lot. Some families will have a big mix of what kinds of food they eat. Some have tons of snacks lying around and some only eat regular meals and don't snack, and some in between. If you put down on your application that you are a healthy eater, maybe they will try to pair you with a healthy eating family?? Maybe if they don't, you can show your family how they can eat healthy with "real" food (not frozen or processed meals) for a low cost by offering to cook them meals from your home country or maybe trying to recreate and cook some of their favorite meals. Personally, I try to cook healthy meals and it is pretty inexpensive. Sometimes I will make "unhealthy" or "premade" foods. And it doesn't always have to do with cost, either. It's also a matter of convenience. Sometimes with a busy schedule, it's easier and faster to heat something up that is premade or frozen than to take the time to make a meal with "real" food. NOTE: Frozen vegetables do NOT count as "premade" or "processed"- in the USA at least, they are often frozen raw and fresh right after picking, so they are usually fresher than "fresh" produce in our grocery stores. And they are often cheaper, and pre-cut.
Do not feel like you HAVE to eat what your family puts in front of you, but be open minded to it. And if they are a family who eats "premade" meals, at least just try to be conscious of the quantity you are putting into your body so you don't overeat. It is my belief it's not WHAT you eat, necessarily, but how much you eat. That being said, a lot of premade foods in the USA are pre-seasoned too with a lot of salt. So if you can make your own foods or convince your host family to cook healthy (if they don't already), then you can season it how you want!