If you want your weight to go south, it may be time to head East. Obesity rates in Asian countries, including China, Japan, South Korea and Thailand are much lower than in the West, Alabama Cooperative Extension System reports. However, they add that widespread adoption of Western diets have resulted in ballooning obesity rates in Asia. Eating a traditional Asian diet may help you achieve and maintain a healthy body weight.
Thailand
Thai cuisine is largely healthy due to its heavy reliance on fresh veggies, healthy fats, seafood and spices. Thailand is well known for it s spicy food. Eating spicy food may aid in weight control, reports MP Lejeune of Maastricht University. In research published in the September 2003 issue of the "British Journal of Nutrition," Lejeune reports that the chemical in hot peppers responsible for their spicy flavor --capsaicin -- boosts fat burning during a weight loss bout. Low-calorie spicy Thai dishes you can make at home include spicy shrimp soup, papaya salad and chicken and cashew nuts.
Japan
The diet of Japan involves generous amounts of fish, rice and vegetables. This diet -- combined with a physically active lifestyle -- account for the fact that only 3 percent of adults in Japan are obese, reports Naomi Moriyama. In her book, "The Japan Diet," Moriyama recommends adding elements of Japanese cuisine to your regular diet. Some of the important factors to consider adding to your diet include limiting meat intake, eating fish daily, avoiding vegetable oils, consuming vegetables at every meal and eating plenty of soy.
China
Traditionally, the diets of most Chinese people was vegetable based with limited amounts of meat and dietary fat, reports Shufa Du of the Chinese Academy of Preventive Medicine. However, economic prosperity has brought about massive dietary changes -- resulting in increased rates of heart disease and obesity. Fortunately, you can tweak your diet to take advantage of the healthy aspects of a traditional Chinese diet. Rice is a staple in nearly every Chinese meal. In fact, the Chinese phrase for "eat" literally translates to "eat rice." If you choose to incorporate rice into your diet, opt for whole grain versions of rice, including wild rice, brown rice or forbidden rice instead of refined white rice. Whole grain brown rice contains significantly more dietary fiber than white rice, Harvard University reports.
References
- "Cambridge Journals": The nutrition and health transition in Thailand
- ACES: Asian Obesity Levels Catch Up With West
- Pub Med.gov: Effect of capsaicin on substrate oxidation and weight maintenance after modest body-weight loss in human subjects.
- Japan Diet
- "Cambridge Journals": A new stage of the nutrition transition in China
- Harvard School of Health: Can Brown Rice Blunt An Epidemic?
Member Comments