CAN WE LEARN ANYTHING FROM THE
WORLD’S THINNEST NATIONS?
With obesity on the rise what can be learned from countries whose
citizens are altogether more svelte? We
know that fast food tips us into the danger zone for obesity with America still
leading the world and Mexico now second with the other developed nations such
as Australia, New Zealand, Canada and ourselves hard on their heels. Different studies and research may show
slightly different findings but this will almost always be broadly borne out.
Is it then worthwhile looking at the polar opposite end of the spectrum
to see what, if anything, we can learn from the slimmest nations? The Japanese head the field when it comes to
the World’s most slender peoples. The
vast difference in average daily diets is starkly apparent immediately we start to draw
comparisons. Red meat is typically low
ranking within their food intake with fish and tofu as primary sources of
protein consumed in abundance. Another
huge difference between east and west is the emphasis towards vegetables,
including kelp and other forms of seaweed from which it is believed they derive
highly rewarding dietary benefits and certain health properties potentially
assisting in the battle against cancer.
Snacking is less popular in Japan and with immunity boosting green tea
being a daily habit for most it’s easy to see that customs here differ widely
from our own. Other differences are that
the Japanese typically eat from smaller plates and while this may seem odd to
highlight it’s worth realising that it encourages smaller portion sizes and
when we learn that percentage wise there are fewer car owners per capita this
also points towards a more active daily routine.
The Chinese too are in the top percentile when it comes to lower body
fat averages. They often take soup prior
to their main meal which satiates and suppresses appetite to a degree so are
less likely to overeat or binge. They
tend to consume more fibre, in fact high fibre main meals are the norm while calorific
desserts are not at all popular.
This then demonstrates that it is dietary choices and not any sort of genetic
predisposition that tips the scale in favour of eastern diets because it
becomes clear that when living in the west these people are every bit as liable
to weight gain from poor diet choices as their western and European
counterparts.
Closer to home our near neighbours, the French, though a world renowned
food loving and gastronomic nation score way down on national averages when it
comes to obesity. So what are they doing
so differently to ourselves to account for less than 10% of the national average as being
obese? The answer would appear to reveal
itself as them enjoying a more natural diet with the bias on wholefoods. They tend towards high quality, well prepared
natural ingredients, with processed, high calorific meals being very low down
on their menu choices.
It’s the same message again and again.
Control the quality and nutritional values within your diet. To stay health, stay safe and stay out of the
obesity danger zone.
No comments:
Post a Comment