In Eating Habits, East is Better than West

Do you want to be healthier and live longer? Then take some lessons from the Chinese. And stay away from the typical North American diet.

The Chinese eat a healthy, plant-based diet. A joint study by Chinese, American, and British scientists found that although the Chinese diet varies from region to region, it generally includes a lot of rice, grains and fruit. Animal products are eaten sparingly. In southern China, for instance, almost every meal includes a big bowl of rice. People usually eat a vegetable with the meal, perhaps some fruit, and maybe some fish. Pork and chicken are eaten only on special occasions.

The rate for heart disease among men in China is one-sixteenth the rate in the U.S. The rate for colon cancer is only about two-fifths of the U.S. rate. Scientists believe that the poor diet of North Americans is killing them. The average citizen consumes too much meat, sugar and salt and not enough vegetables, grains, and fiber. And these unhealthy eating habits are prime suspects in several serious diseases: heart disease, stroke, diabetes, and some cancers.

T. Colin Campbell, a co-author of the study mentioned above, calls these diseases “diseases of wealth”. As countries become richer, people begin to eat more meat. Heart disease and certain kinds of cancer increase. This is happening in Japan, where the traditional low-meat diet is giving way to increased meat consumption. Unfortunately, this is beginning to happen in the wealthier parts of China too. In this case, at least, traditions should be kept.

— Speaking

Is your diet more like the Chinese diet or the North American diet?

Phrases to remember

To eat on the go/on the move; (not) to enjoy a hurried meal; to take one’s time over one’s meal; to eat to excess; to overeat; to do harm; to have a snack; to put on/gain weight; to lose weight; to slim; slimming diet; crash diet; to go on a diet; to be on a diet; to keep/stick to a diet; to follow a diet