Traditional Asian Diet - Hospice Of Citrus County

Trimming fat using the traditional Asian diet

What is the traditional Asian diet? It’s a plant-rich diet that also contains a nice amount of fish and other seafood.

I strongly recommend trying out the traditional Asian diet if you want to experience the same benefits enjoyed by millions of people in a densely populated area of the world.

With the traditional Asian diet, there is plenty of diversity with what you can eat, due to the many cultural customs of Asian countries. Also, don’t fret about counting calories or controlling portions.

There are two not so surprising unifying foods of all traditional Asian diets: rice & plant foods, the former being eaten at every meal and often being the only food eaten in less wealthier households.

In fact, over 90 percent of the approximated 350 million tons of rice produced yearly is consumed in Asian countries. (1)

Are you a vegetarian? If so, you may want to consider a different diet. Most of the protein consumed in traditional Asian diets is in the form of fish and other seafood.

In 2000, it was estimated that fish was being consumed at an average rate of 154 pounds per person in Japan. (2) Beef is seldom consumed, while eggs and chicken are included more often, in case you aren’t a big seafood fan.

Exercise is, of course, a foundation of the traditional Asian diet (and is such visually depicted as the foundation in a customized pyramid) and it is recommended that you exercise daily to achieve the intended results.

As we continue to view the pyramid, we see rice, noodles and other whole grains sit at the bottom of food groups. Going up, we see fruits, vegetables and legumes composing the next layer, with fish and seafood above those. Foods eaten less often, such as oils, poultry, and sweets compromise the higher levels of the pyramid.

Red meat sits at the very top of the pyramid. (3)

Plants

Plant foods have been depended on heavily for nourishment by many Asian cultures.

This results in smaller quantities of saturated fats being consumed, with large quantities of fiber getting into their diet. Fiber is very beneficial as it can protect you against persistent diseases, such as cardiovascular issues and cancer. (4)

Protein requirements are also in large part satisfied by consuming plant foods. Soy foods, beans, and legumes are standards in most Asian cultures, and as such are often included in a variety of dishes, such as stir-fried veggies.

Other plants, such as root vegetables and tubers, are huge in Asian countries, as they’re simple to cultivate and distribute. They also fill you up and provide nutrition, and there wouldn’t be tradition in a traditional Asian diet without them, despite the local favorite in each area.

Carrots, yams, turnips, parsnips, beets, winter squash, and sweet potatoes are frequently Yams, sweet potatoes, carrots, parsnips, turnips, beets, and winter squash are often given prominence to in traditional Asian diets. These food are high in fiber, therefore not causing blood sugar spikes and protecting consumers against disease due to dense nutritional profiles. Plentiful antioxidants and vitamins A and C also are helpful components of the diet. (5)

Let’s not forget about leafy greens (such as bok choy and tatsoi), summer squash, onions, long beans, cucumbers, garlic, and peas. A single Asian dish often contains more different kinds of vegetables than you’ll see in an entire week’s worth of American meals, in case you haven’t noticed.

To prevent destroying delicate nutrients and save fiber, the veggies are often just lightly cooked. Sensible heat application allows your body to take away more good stuff from certain vegetables, such as cabbage, peppers, spinach, carrots, asparagus, and mushrooms. (6)

Have you ever seen an odd looking fruit? Odds are that it came from some Asian country. These odd fruits are very common in traditional Asian diets. A fruit called durian is known as the “King of Fruits” in Asia. It is quite a strange looking fruit with, sugary rambutan flesh being hidden under hairy skin. Word on the street is that it is very well worth the labor to extract it.

Feeling homesick? Don’t worry, household names like bananas and apples are also in traditional Asian diets, as well as pineapples, oranges, plums, lemons, and a collection of others.

Aside from rice, other frequently utilized grains include corn, barley, millet, and amaranth. A study conducted recently investigated the potential of ancient grains being able to decrease the frequency of type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease among those who practiced Asian diets that had started to include refined grains such as wheat and white rice. Re-introducing whole grains to be used in traditional breads such as Indian chapatti is a suggested by experts, as they believe that this may be beneficial in fixing the aforementioned health problems. (7)

Health Benefits of Traditional Asian Diets

The Joslin Diabetes Center conducted a clinical trial which found that American and Asian participants who had a high risk of developing type 2 diabetes increased their insulin resistance by religiously following a traditional Asian diet. (8)

With its prominence of fruits, veggies, and whole grains, a traditional Asian diet provides plenty of dietary fiber, which is known to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease (9). The National Institutes of Health confirmed this through a recent study of a group of more than 50,000 Japanese men and women, whom they followed over a 14 year period. The study found that a close association between high fiber consumption and a lower risk of cardiovascular disease. (10)

If that wasn’t enough to convince you, a plant based diet is actually recommended by The World Cancer Research Center to decrease your chances of getting cancer, considering that a high consumption of fiber is vital in the prevention of bowel cancer. (11)

An Asian-Indian herb by the name of Turmeric is part of the blend of spices used to make mouth-watering curries. Eastern medicine has long recognized this herb’s medicinal properties due to diarylheptanoid it contains known as curcumin. Curcumin, when used as an alternative method of treating neurological disorders, has shown hopeful findings as it pertains to rehabilitating the overall memory capacity of suffers of Alzheimer’s. (12)

The cell reinforcement properties of green tea are all around archived, and scientists trust the catechin in tea may be the way to its helpful impacts in ensuring against coronary illness, several forms of cancer, and liver illness. Continuous studies may pinpoint the part green tea can play in avoiding metabolic disorder, diabetes and obesity. (13)

Summary

The traditional Asian diet supplies a plant heavy way to deal with developing key well-being. It could prove to be a brilliant move to shape your eat eating regimen after the traditions and propensities from a diverse area of the world where scientists keep on noting the formulas of sharp and dynamic centenarians. This is different than the Zone diet we discussed earlier.

If you eat fish and other seafood on a regular basis and can deal with not consuming dairy and seldom eating red meat, the traditional Asian diet could be just the thing for you!

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