Eating Habits across the Globe can Teach Us Something

Nutritionists and dietitians say our diet as well as the environment would be improved if we adopting some of the healthy eating habits of other cultures around the world. The U.S. News & World Report notes “food production is responsible for 83% of U.S. household greenhouse gas emissions, much of that from the production of red meat.” They explain traditional, plant-based diets are cultural models of healthy eating. In fact the 2019 EAT Lancet Report recommended people eat 50 percent less red meat and sugar for their health and that of our planet.

Many of the characteristics of traditional diets rely heavily on plant foods, and mealtimes are a social gathering of family and/or friends. Most share a cultural relevance but in reality Chinese cuisine is not that different from Greece, Mexico or Ghana. All are based on fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes, tubers, nuts and seeds, healthy plant oils and an array of herbs and spices. Unlike the American diet, fish, seafood and animal meats make up a smaller portion of the diet.

Sara Baer-Sinnott, president of Oldways, a nonproﬁt food and nutrition organization committed to improving public health through cultural food traditions and lifestyles, says porridge, rice and beans, and flatbreads are three examples of universal dishes. They are easy to prepare with vegetables, eggs, fruits and spices and can be sweet or savory. Porridges have many names including Hawaiian poi, made from the stem of the taro plant; Indian or Sri-Lanka’s upma, made from semolina or rice flour; and Russian and Eastern European’s kasha, a boiled buckwheat.

Flatbread is the world’s oldest bread and was made almost simultaneously wherever grain was grown. Examples include rice paper wraps, chapattis, tortillas, and pitas. The additional of protein to porridge, rice and flatbreads turns them into a main dish.

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Source:

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