Not to add more confusion to the “diet” talk, the Asian Diet is coming to attention. While I don’t think there is any one perfect diet, when you look at the diets that are most effective they typically have common points.
From Lauren Bedosky of Everyday Health
- The Asian diet is currently ranked 13 out of 40 diets in the U.S. News and World Report’s list of best diets overall.
- As there are many countries in Asia, and the cuisines vary greatly from one region to another, there isn’t a single “Asian diet,” says Zhaoping Li, MD, PhD, a professor of clinical medicine and the chief of the division of clinical nutrition at the University of California in Los Angeles. That said, the diets of people living in these regions have several things in common.
As with many diets, The Asian diet has a baseline of food that is encouraged every day.
- At the base of the Asian diet food pyramid are foods you’re encouraged to eat every day: leafy greens, legumes, vegetables, fruits, soy foods, whole grains, herbs, and spices. Moving up the pyramid, you have fish or shellfish twice a week; moderate portions of eggs, poultry, dairy, and healthy cooking oils; and “sometimes” foods like red meats and sweets. Plain water and unsweetened tea are encouraged, whereas sugary juices and soda are discouraged.
Unsweetended tea is a staple in the diet and may be a big reason it has so many healthy benefits. So many tea varieties are packed with antioxidants. Some the aspects are:
- May help prevent and control Type-2 diabetes.
- May lower heart disease risk.
- May promote gut health.
While the Asian diet is more of a healthy lifestyle than a fad designed to promote weight loss, there is some evidence that the diet is associated with lower body weight.
A sample menu for a day on the Asian Diets would consist of:
Breakfast Vegetable omelet
Snack 1 piece of local, seasonal fruit
Lunch Soba noodles in sesame oil with scallions and cabbage
Snack Small handful of almonds
Dinner Tofu and vegetable stir-fry over brown rice
Sometimes the best thing to do is take parts of a variety of diets, as long as the diet is rich in fruits and vegetables.
Until next time…#eatthedamnsalad
