To write his 2010 book, The 5-Factor World Diet, nutritionist Harley Pasternak traveled to the healthiest countries around the world to learn more about what made their meals extra nourishing.
He noted that Japanese people ate a wonderful variety of seaweeds, and that Chinese people tried to include at least five different colors in every meal. Pasternak also came away with some valuable observations about how different the North American way of life was, compared with many other countries.
For starters, Americans eat much bigger portions than people in other countries. “We don’t prioritize eating seasonally or locally, and we also add lots of salt, sugar and thickening agents to our foods,” explained Pasternak. Contrast that to the healthy Mediterranean, Nordic and Okinawan diets listed in Pasternak’s book. They all seem to stick to the ethos (特质) of regional, seasonal produce.
For example, a traditional Mediterranean diet includes fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts and olive oil as the main components of nutritional intake. Fish, chicken and red wine make moderate appearances, while red meat, salt and sugar are used much less often. The benefits of a traditional Mediterranean diet have been studied since the 1970s, and researchers have found that living that olive oil life can help people lose weight, lower their heart disease risk and reverse diabetes.
Most other healthy eating cultures also make meals an event—say, multiple courses around the family table, or a glass or two of red wine at a long lunch—as opposed to hastily wolfing down handfuls of cereal above the kitchen sink and calling it dinner.
Each of the healthy eating cultures has its own unique feature. But Pasternak did take note of one unifying factor in all of the healthy societies he observed. “The only overlapping feature in most of these healthy countries is that they all walk way more than the average American,” said Pasternak. “So really, regardless of what you’re eating, if someone’s walking four miles more than you each day, they’re going to be a lot thinner and live a lot longer than you.”
