US – European fridge size

Here’s my very unscientific theory about healthy weight and its ratio to the size of the refrigerator in the home.

Space is a premium in most of Europe, so small & efficient are major drivers of design. That includes appliance sizes. Refrigerators less than 2′ wide are common.

Smaller is better

What happens when fridge size decreases?

• power use goes down
• food is more likely to be consumed when fresh
• limited storage prompts more careful, probably menu driven purchases
• reduction of fridge footprint may allow for more countertop or cabinet space

What’s in your wallet fridge?

I’d be willing to bet the old 80/20 rule is alive & well in your fridge.

The Pareto principle (also known as the 80-20 rule, the law of the vital few, and the principle of factor sparsity) states that, for many events, roughly 80% of the effects come from 20% of the causes.

Most of the time you eat the same items of whatever is in the fridge. Most of the time, you buy the same things at the grocery.

That being said, I know that right now, in our fridge, something has expired past its consumable lifetime. Probably lots of somethings. Not only that, but it’s only about 50% full most of the time. And we are heavier than our ideal weight. We might be good candidates for one of those 50cm wide European style fridges. More so than a family of 4.

So is there a connection between fridge size & weight?

The average storage capacity of a fridge in a US home is about 16-20 cubic feet. The average European fridge is about 10. Consumer Reports doesn’t even test European size fridges in the US.

In looking at healthy weight trends, Europeans tend to be closer to their ideal weight. Americans have a well known overweight tendency.  So is it true that a smaller fridge = lighter weight?