Convenience food has brought along a lot of ills with itself, especially in the US and UK where the trend towards this kind of food is exaggerated.
Of course the up-sized fast food servings and the convenience of microwave dinners has brought a lot of ease and satiating tastes but they are silently taking our health to disasters, according to health researchers and nutritionists.
It is about time that one takes a look towards other people around the world who have a more healthy lifestyle. In this article, you will find inspiration by looking at the top eight countries by virtue of their diet.
1.The Chinese
The Chinese are already known for their peculiar diet and lifestyle. Let us take a look into their diet to find out what it is that they actually eat.
Rice, for one, plays a major role but it is accompanied by various colorful vegetable dishes. Cabbage and other members of its family are abundantly used which provides their body with antioxidants.
Meat, Poultry, Fish and Soya is also present in their daily diet. So a healthy balanced diet should certainly be an inspiration for everyone.
The other beneficial thing about their lifestyle is that most of their food is often stir-fried or poached which helps in preserving the minerals and vitamins of the dishes.
Their dishes also have an abundant use of garlic, ginger and spices which bear many health benefits. Then their over-use of green and black tea keeps their arteries from clogging.
However their diet does involve a lot of sodium in the form of soy sauce and monosodium glutamate which can prove to be harmful.
2.The French
The French are world famous for their cuisine which is why they savor every deliciously tasting bite rather than guzzling down hoards of junk food.
Surely their cuisine involves a lot of high-fat dairy products like creams, cheese, butter and they also excessively use red meat; but what keeps their body healthy and trim is the fact that they choose to eat only small portion sizes.
Besides their smaller meal sizes, they don’t indulge a lot of time in snacking over junk food. However indulgence in generous quantities of fruit and vegetables is seen which additionally aids to their health.
The French usually have a larger meal in the middle of the day which is followed by a lighter meal in the evening. Moreover they don’t drink a lot of booze during the day; just an occasional glass accompanying the meal.
Their diet is surely high in fat content but then they eat smaller meals accompanied by fruits and fresh vegetables with a lot less alcohol than people from US and UK.
3.The Greek
The Greek are always depicted with luxury in their lifestyle which also includes what they eat and how they have their meals.
Their diet is rich with a variety of healthy food stuff like fresh fruit, leafy green vegetables, ample indulgence in salads, yogurts, and a variety of other multi-colored vegetables which provide their body with plant compounds known as the phytochemicals.
Other than the fresh produce their diet is also rich in starchy carbohydrates like breads, beans, grains and pasta and their cuisine is also loaded with olive oil.
Their meals include other healthy fats as well in the form of Omega-3 provided by variety of oily and other fish which they use. Nuts also make a big part of their meals.
To make their meals even healthier, the Greeks also use a lot of herbs in their dishes like basil, oregano, thyme and others.
Most of the herbs contain antioxidants which capture the free radicals in the body. The only thing not preferable in their diet is that though it’s all healthy food, it is quite high in calorie count.
4.The Japanese
The Japanese diet is considered to be probably the healthiest one because their daily meal includes a wide variety of fresh food products.
As much as 30 different foods can be eaten in a single day which includes a lot of fish, fresh vegetables, rice and soya. Sugar and processed foods are almost nonexistent in their diet. Red meat and poultry is also rarely seen.
Additionally they eat generous amounts of cabbage and other vegetables belonging to the same family and all these calciferous vegetables are high in glucosinolate level which is a key ingredient in the prevention of different types of cancer.
Anti-oxidant green tea and miso soup are popular which help in lowering cholesterol.
The only non-preferable thing in their diet is excessive salt which is present in soy sauce and pickled vegetables.
5.The Indians
The Indian diet mostly includes vegetarian dishes for religious and cultural reasons. This owes to their high intake of a variety of vegetables and pulses along with rice and bread made from whole wheat flour.
Because of their vegetarian diet they eat very less of meat and poultry and for dessert, the Indians usually prefer fresh fruit.
Moreover their dishes are flavored by a wide variety of spices like turmeric, cinnamon, chilies and cumin – all of which have a variety of nutrients and antioxidants stored in them
The Indians also use generous amounts of garlic, ginger and yogurt to prepare their meals which can prevent a lot of illnesses, boost our metabolism and provide calcium.
What is not preferable in their diet is the high amount of fat in the form of clarified butter and coconut oil and sugary stuff in the form of overly sweetened desserts which make a big part of their cuisine.
6.The Italians
You might be in for a surprise because the actual Italian cuisine is not filled with big servings of pasta served with huge piles of meat sauce topped with generous amounts of cheese; in fact their daily meals comprise of huge servings of fresh vegetables of the season and legumes accompanied with a smaller dose of pasta or bread and meat.
Also they prefer to eat seafood more than red meat or poultry, contrary to what most people believe. Pulses and Bean stews are also quite popular among masses over there which are quite healthy.
They use olive oil excessively which is beneficial but consuming in large amounts can supply a whole lot of calories. Moreover their use of salted meats can provide large amounts of salt.
7.The Norwegians
The Norwegian diet has always included lots of dairy products, fish, meat, potatoes and whole grains. The diet is still pretty much the same but the dairy products available now are low-salt and low on fat.
Instead of the salted and dried variety they opt on fresh supply of fish and meat. The breads and cereals made from whole grain give a boost to energy, give the fuller feeling for long and reduce the risk of serious diseases.
The only thing wrong in their diet could be that it is still a bit high on the fat content.
8.The Moroccans
The Moroccan diet is mainly made up of lamb and chicken which is loaded with iron and protein. They also use a lot of beans, chickpeas and lentils. These are also a rich source of protein and are also free of fat content.
For starchy carbohydrates which can provide them energy, the Moroccans use Bulgar wheat and couscous. Their dishes often use natural sweeteners such as figs, dates, raisins and apples.
They use all of the brightly colored vegetables in their dishes which supply antioxidant plant pigments to their body.
Then there are the range of spices that Moroccans use to prepare their dishes like cumin, saffron, coriander as well as lemons, onions and garlic. Their dishes also require deep frying which is not very good for the health as it provides a lot of fat content.
Fitness, health, blogging and Psychology are my main interests. I’ve worked in many roles from product designer to engineer working with many products from fitness equipment and spa products to this role as a hands-on webmaster. Avid gym-go’er and captain of the good ship Fitness Authority
