Diet Secrets Around the World

American Eating Habits

Among the worst of the typically American eating habits, say experts, is our unwillingness to celebrate each meal we eat. Ironically for a culture that uses food to celebrate so many things, dinnertime USA is less about the food and more about filling our bellies — and doing so quickly.
And while the American interpretation might be that “longer meals equal more food,” experts say the opposite is true. The slower you eat, the less you eat, Heller says.
“It takes the brain about 20 minutes to figure out that your stomach is full, but you can stuff an awful lot of food down in 20 minutes if you’re eating quickly,” she says.
Additionally, studies show that few cultures snack as much as Americans. After all, our country not only gave birth to fast food and the “coffee break,” but to the commercial snack food
Another typically American mistake: Eating snacks as if they were full-sized meals.
“Regardless of what you’re snacking on, a snack should be a snack-size portion — something to take the edge off your hunger — not a whole meal,” says Heller.
“Americans have lost touch with what it feels like to be ‘full,’ having replaced that feeling with one of being ’stuffed’ — one reason our portion sizes are now so large,” say Heller.
Finally, experts say it’s time for American’s to spend less time in those bucket seats and more time on our feet. Every day, Americans often load their groceries into trunk of the four-wheel drive, and try to park as close to the store as possible. At the end of the day, she says, “the idea is to move your butt” — and put your metabolism in motion.

From Asia:

While Americans generally see meat as an entrée, the Asian habit is to use it as a garnish, much the way we eat pickles with a ham sandwich. Most Asian meals consist primarily of vegetables that are merely “spiced” with the flavor of meat. For additional protein sources, this culture eats fish and beans, particularly soy.

Tip: Load your plate with carbohydrates, including grains such as rice. Carbohydrates have been on the American dieter’s hit list. Yet in Asia where they’re thinner, carbohydrates, particularly rice, are a dietary mainstay. So what’s the trick? Master the Asian art of substitution, using rice and vegetables to replace high-fat meat dishes, not as side dishes to eat along with them.

From South America:

If you’re convinced a meal is not a meal unless you’ve had a hunk of beef between your teeth, take a tip from Argentineans and buy only super-lean cuts. While these folks reportedly eat up to 30 pounds more beef a year than Americans, their rate of heart disease is decidedly lower. One big difference: Argentinean cows are grass-fed, so the meat is naturally lower in fat — just 2.5 grams per 4 ounces — compared with America’s grain-fed cattle, which produce steaks with a whopping 10.8 grams of saturated fat in 4 ounces.

From the Mediterranean:

The message here: Eat from the source! If Americans took away any lesson from the famed, heart-healthy Mediterranean diet, it was to replace saturated fats with healthier fats, like those found in olive oil. The message we didn’t seem to get: In most European cultures, folks not only cook with olive oil, they actually eat the olives. This “whole foods” approach to diet not only allows them to reap the benefits of the oils, it fills their bellies with a heart-healthy food.
Cultures including the French and the Greek also augment the benefits of red wine by eating the grapes — a typical “dessert” in many European countries.

Tip: If you do drink wine, or any alcoholic beverage, do like the French and drink it only with meals. On an empty stomach, alcohol goes right to the brain, dissolving those inhibitions that might otherwise keep you from diving into a bowl of potato chips or eating way too much of your entrée. Drinking on empty can also drop blood sugar, bringing on ravenous hunger and causing you to overeat.

From Africa:

Add more nuts to your diet — even consider them as part of your main meal. In at least one African nation, Gambia, peanuts frequently make up the basis of a meal; a favorite dish being tomato and peanut stew. While we consider stews fattening, they are enjoyed daily in this culture. The trick is to load the pot with vegetables, spices, and, of course, nuts, which can replace meat or poultry as a source of protein. And does it work? Well, not only do the Gambians have virtually no weight problems, they also have the lowest international incidence of all types of cancer.

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