What ethnic food do you think is the healthiest?

[Anonymous]

I lived in Japan for a while - there is a big difference between the traditional diet that included tons of vegetables, and small, fatty fish and today's diet that includes tons of white rice, noodles, oils, and fried stuff.

I vote for Armenian. If you aren't familiar, it's kind of a cross between Georgian and Middle Eastern - lots of veggie salads, yogurt, hummus, pilafs - and so, so good.

[Anonymous]

Any ethnic food so long as it is what is prepared at home vs what you get in a restaurant. Japanese (which I am by ethnic background) people do not eat sushi and tempura every day. It is much more vegetable based with rice and miso soup being pretty much standard. Likewise,as mentioned previously, what you get in an Indian or Chinese restaurant is very different from what thy wold eat at home. Seriously, know any Chinese people who actually know who General Tso is?

[Anonymous]

Traditional Japanese, Greek and some Chinese diets that have mostly vegetables and good fish and oils.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Lebanese

Not enough veggies.

Really? Name the dishes you are thinking of that are low on veggies! Because most Lebanese don't eat shawarma daily.

They do use a lot of legumes and carbs If you are trying to lose weight or maintain you shouldn't eat a lot of Lebanese cuisine.

Not sure what meals you are referring to but this is false. Eating Lebanese food in moderation is better than most other cuisines.

[Anonymous]

LOL, as someone who lived in Japan and is married to a Vietnamese man, so many people think Japanese people eat only sushi and Vietnamese people eat only pho.

Vietnamese = LOTS of added sugar, salt, MSG, white rice, rice noodles, and fatty meats (like pork). Extremely poor people in Vietnam are very lean thanks to poverty requiring them to eat a lot of low-quality veggies and taro, etc, but many, many Vietnamese people now suffer from type II diabetes because of their diet. Person who said that Vietnamese people eat a lot of raw veggies...WHAAAAT? Vn people add lots of raw herbs to stuff, but veggies are ALWAYS COOKED -- you don't mess around with raw veggies in a developing country (and the culture is such that cooked food is considered wholesome, raw or cold food, not so good).

Japanese = Japanese people do not eat sushi often. It's a party food, you guys. The traditional meal is white rice, miso, protein (fish, etc) and pickles (which is still high in sodium and too many fast carbs), but lots of people eat ramen, packaged foods and convenience foods (a huge scourge in Japan) as well as fried food for many meals. Not a lot of veggies most of the time besides the required pickles. Snacks for kids are just horrendous (think dried fried ramen and chemical-laden tummies). Just because there are currently 100-year-old Japanese people doesn't mean the current generation with their current eating habits will live that long.

My vote is for the Mediterranean Diet. Lots of scientific evidence that it's the healthiest diet by far. Seems like there's a new report out on it every day, for example: http://health.usnews.com/health-news/health-wellness/articles/2014/05/21/the-secret-to-the-mediterranean-diets-benefits

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Any ethnic food so long as it is what is prepared at home vs what you get in a restaurant. Japanese (which I am by ethnic background) people do not eat sushi and tempura every day. It is much more vegetable based with rice and miso soup being pretty much standard. Likewise,as mentioned previously, what you get in an Indian or Chinese restaurant is very different from what thy wold eat at home. Seriously, know any Chinese people who actually know who General Tso is?

Chinese people in China are beginning to become less healthy in part because they are consuming more meat and processed food.

I don't know that you can argue for a ethnic diet if even the people who live in the country it comes from don't eat it anymore.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Any ethnic food so long as it is what is prepared at home vs what you get in a restaurant. Japanese (which I am by ethnic background) people do not eat sushi and tempura every day. It is much more vegetable based with rice and miso soup being pretty much standard. Likewise,as mentioned previously, what you get in an Indian or Chinese restaurant is very different from what thy wold eat at home. Seriously, know any Chinese people who actually know who General Tso is?

Chinese people in China are beginning to become less healthy in part because they are consuming more meat and processed food.

I don't know that you can argue for a ethnic diet if even the people who live in the country it comes from don't eat it anymore.

Diabetes is also becoming a problem. They eat too much rice.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Food from the Caucus Mts countries. Emphasis on fresh, seasonal eating. Animals aren't pumped full of antibiotics.

+1 this is a good contender. Some lamb, flat breads, yogurt, more fresh fruits and vegetables than I've seen in most places in the world, desserts made with honey... I'm getting hungry.

[Anonymous]

I think the root of the problem with this question (and thread) is if you are asking about the "real" food eaten in these countries in people's homes or the version that you would get in a restaurant.

[Anonymous]

Even if there were evidence that MSG is harmful, I've not heard that it's commonly used in Vietnamese cooking. Is it?

No, in fact aged cheeses (like Parmesan) and other totally western foods have a lot of MSG in it naturally, but people don't complain about getting MSG headaches from that.

http://www.businessinsider.com/msg-allergy-doesnt-exist-2013-8

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:LOL, as someone who lived in Japan and is married to a Vietnamese man, so many people think Japanese people eat only sushi and Vietnamese people eat only pho.

Vietnamese = LOTS of added sugar, salt, MSG, white rice, rice noodles, and fatty meats (like pork). Extremely poor people in Vietnam are very lean thanks to poverty requiring them to eat a lot of low-quality veggies and taro, etc, but many, many Vietnamese people now suffer from type II diabetes because of their diet. Person who said that Vietnamese people eat a lot of raw veggies...WHAAAAT? Vn people add lots of raw herbs to stuff, but veggies are ALWAYS COOKED -- you don't mess around with raw veggies in a developing country (and the culture is such that cooked food is considered wholesome, raw or cold food, not so good).

Japanese = Japanese people do not eat sushi often. It's a party food, you guys. The traditional meal is white rice, miso, protein (fish, etc) and pickles (which is still high in sodium and too many fast carbs), but lots of people eat ramen, packaged foods and convenience foods (a huge scourge in Japan) as well as fried food for many meals. Not a lot of veggies most of the time besides the required pickles. Snacks for kids are just horrendous (think dried fried ramen and chemical-laden tummies). Just because there are currently 100-year-old Japanese people doesn't mean the current generation with their current eating habits will live that long.

Seriously? Where in Japan did you live? I wish I could invite you over to my house for dinner and show you what kind of home cooking a typical Japanese mom makes every day.
In Japan their basic rule for a meal is "one soup, three side dishes" plus rice, which is considered as the main dish. Yes, their MAIN dish is rice. A plain bowl of rice, white or brown.
For soup it's usually miso soup, and they put tons of veggies in it.
For three side dishes, usually one is mainly protein (fish or meat), the other two are veggies and/or tofu. Some may count a tiny dish of pickles as one of the side dishes, but usually pickles are like entremets or garnish.
And they believe you have to eat twice more veggies than animal protein at every meal. So the ratio is like 25% rice, 25% protein, and 50% vegetable (from soup and side dishes combined).
Also it's said to be good for you to eat every little bit of at least 30 kinds of food per day. This is why Japanese bentos are so colorful using variety of kinds of food. I heard similar thing about Korean home cooking too.

Let me add one more thing; Japanese convenience store food is totally different from what you see at American convenience stores. They do have some fried chicken and hot dogs, but in the main isle you will see sushi, sandwiches, salads, noodles, pastas, curry, soups, grilled fish, many many kinds of bentos, desserts, etc. etc. and many of them are very healthy and tasty.

Lots of Japanese people and restaurants avoid MSG by the way.

[Anonymous]

OK, so now in addition to the Japanese people eat as if they are in a Japanese restaurant all the time stereotype, another "expert" thinks all they eat are pickles and convenience store food. Just because you lived in Japan does not mean you actually ate like a Japanese person. Sounds like you were eating like I did when I did a semester abroad. Yes, I did eat a lot of convenience store food then, but I was a college student. DCUM proves to be the perpetual source of false information all around.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:LOL, as someone who lived in Japan and is married to a Vietnamese man, so many people think Japanese people eat only sushi and Vietnamese people eat only pho.

Vietnamese = LOTS of added sugar, salt, MSG, white rice, rice noodles, and fatty meats (like pork). Extremely poor people in Vietnam are very lean thanks to poverty requiring them to eat a lot of low-quality veggies and taro, etc, but many, many Vietnamese people now suffer from type II diabetes because of their diet. Person who said that Vietnamese people eat a lot of raw veggies...WHAAAAT? Vn people add lots of raw herbs to stuff, but veggies are ALWAYS COOKED -- you don't mess around with raw veggies in a developing country (and the culture is such that cooked food is considered wholesome, raw or cold food, not so good).

Japanese = Japanese people do not eat sushi often. It's a party food, you guys. The traditional meal is white rice, miso, protein (fish, etc) and pickles (which is still high in sodium and too many fast carbs), but lots of people eat ramen, packaged foods and convenience foods (a huge scourge in Japan) as well as fried food for many meals. Not a lot of veggies most of the time besides the required pickles. Snacks for kids are just horrendous (think dried fried ramen and chemical-laden tummies). Just because there are currently 100-year-old Japanese people doesn't mean the current generation with their current eating habits will live that long.

Seriously? Where in Japan did you live? I wish I could invite you over to my house for dinner and show you what kind of home cooking a typical Japanese mom makes every day.
In Japan their basic rule for a meal is "one soup, three side dishes" plus rice, which is considered as the main dish. Yes, their MAIN dish is rice. A plain bowl of rice, white or brown.
For soup it's usually miso soup, and they put tons of veggies in it.
For three side dishes, usually one is mainly protein (fish or meat), the other two are veggies and/or tofu. Some may count a tiny dish of pickles as one of the side dishes, but usually pickles are like entremets or garnish.
And they believe you have to eat twice more veggies than animal protein at every meal. So the ratio is like 25% rice, 25% protein, and 50% vegetable (from soup and side dishes combined).
Also it's said to be good for you to eat every little bit of at least 30 kinds of food per day. This is why Japanese bentos are so colorful using variety of kinds of food. I heard similar thing about Korean home cooking too.

Let me add one more thing; Japanese convenience store food is totally different from what you see at American convenience stores. They do have some fried chicken and hot dogs, but in the main isle you will see sushi, sandwiches, salads, noodles, pastas, curry, soups, grilled fish, many many kinds of bentos, desserts, etc. etc. and many of them are very healthy and tasty.

Lots of Japanese people and restaurants avoid MSG by the way.

I lived with a host family for 2 years in Chiba and then lived for 4 years in Tokyo with a Japanese roommate. Pretty sure I know both what a Japanese mom and a young Japanese person eat. Too much white rice, not a lot of veggies (compared to other cultures, definitely more than America) -- seriously, chopping up carrots and daikon into soup or having some mustard in nabe doesn't equal the sheer volume of veggies in other cultures' diets, lots of sodium (and yes, MSG, Aijinomoto was freaking invented in Japan), not enough fiber (Japanese people have poop issues like you wouldn't believe and talk about them at work and in public like it's nothing!).

It's a better diet than most Americans have, but it's hardly a contender for healthiest in the world.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OK, so now in addition to the Japanese people eat as if they are in a Japanese restaurant all the time stereotype, another "expert" thinks all they eat are pickles and convenience store food. Just because you lived in Japan does not mean you actually ate like a Japanese person. Sounds like you were eating like I did when I did a semester abroad. Yes, I did eat a lot of convenience store food then, but I was a college student. DCUM proves to be the perpetual source of false information all around.

Nope, worked there for years. Cooked most of my food myself because the conbini food is so godawfully unhealthy. The extremely high cost of fruits and veggies in Japan certainly doesn't make it easy to eat healthily even when you cook everything yourself. Compare that to the Mediterranean region where the healthiest veggies and fruits are often very inexpensive and make up huge portions of the diet. Japan's better than America, but still not near the best in the world.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Greek/Lebanese.

This. Also, most middle eastern cuisine and Turkish. Lots of seed pastes, olive oil--add some fish from the coastal regions and you have a very healthy cuisine--if you watch portion size.