Stealing a few eating tips from abroad may keep you healthy into old age!
Japanese cuisine boasts a buffet of health heroes
JAPANESE
Japanese cuisine boasts a buffet of health heroes, from antioxidant-rich yams to omega-3-rich tuna. Thanks to the practice of hara hachi bu, which means ‘eat until you are eight parts (or 80 per cent) full’, people in Japan are less likely to get breast or colon cancer and consume an average of 840 fewer kilojoules per day than Westerners do.
FRENCH
Before you gobble down a chunk of Normandie Camembert, let’s be clear: French cheeses, pastries and sauces aren’t healthy, but the way the French eat them is. In the home of creme patissiere, everything is consumed in moderation, with the emphasis on quality over quantity. They also linger over meals and walk or cycle everywhere. That’s why French women don’t get fat!
SPANISH
The Spanish tradition of eating tapas is a dream health recipe. As well as favouring weight-lossstars such as seafood, fruits and olive oil, the Spaniards’ plates feature ‘tasting’ size portions of various foods. Ole!
GREEK
The Mediterranean diet has long been praised as a pinnacle of healthy eating. Traditional Greek foods like dark leafy vegies, fresh fruit, high fibre beans, lentils, grains, olive oil, and omega-3-rich fish deliver lots of immune-boosting and cancer-fighting ingredients that may cut your risk of heart disease and diabetes. The Greeks often share small plates, or ‘meze’, meaning they have just a bite of meat, with low-cal Greek staples like fresh seafood, low GI carbs and small portions of olives and nuts.
