Have you ever wondered which country or culture has the healthiest food? The United States of America is definitely not on that list. According to an article from the Huffington Post, America has an obesity rate of 33.8%. This makes us the the fattest country in the world.
Which countries are the healthiest? The article, "Top 10 Countries with Healthy Food" provides an answer to that question! After doing a search of other sites, they all seemed to generally agree. I liked how this site set up their information the best. Here is how they compiled their list: "Taking the data on life expectancy and the level of obesity in different countries, we made a rating of the healthiest cuisines in the world, contributing to tight shape and longevity." I'll summarize the top 5 countries in this post, but I definitely recommend checking out the article for more information!
Important to note: This is not looking at exercise habits, health problems, pollution or other factors. The point of this list is to share the countries that have the healthiest diets, lowest obesity rates, and highest average life expectancy.
1. Japan
- On every site I reviewed, Japan ranked number 1.
- Obesity rate: Only 1.5%
- Diet: Their meals consist largely of vegetables including kale, broccoli and zucchini. They also consume fish and soy as their main source of protein.
- Other factors: To show that greediness is not a desired behavior, from childhood, Japanese are taught to leave the dinner table before they are completely full.
2. Singapore
Obesity rate: 1.8%
Diet: Their diet consists of 80% rice. Vegetable are also frequently consumed.
Other factors: When they get craving for sweet things, they satisfy those with fresh fruits or an original dish that has no added sugars.
3. China
Obesity rate: 1.8%
Diet: "Basic diet is made up of various vegetables, fruits, whole grains, and legumes." Spices such as ginger and garlic are also regularly used, which can help to speed up metabolic rate.
Other factors: Their quick methods of cooking often keep vitamins and minerals inside the foods for consumption.
4. Sweden:
Obesity rate: 11%
Diet: Their regular diet consists of dairy products, brown bread, fish, and berries. Calcium helps the body burn fat, fiber-rich bread and berries contain many healthy antioxidants and fish such as salmon are a great source of protein and good for your heart.
5. France
Obesity rate: 6.6%
Diet: Although France is often known for their love of cheese and chocolate, the amount of calories they consume makes up for that. Portions served at main meals are extremely small, so the body does not consume excess calories.
Other factors: They often use healthy methods of cooking, such as baking or stewing.
Those are the top 5 countries with the healthiest food! Check out the article for the full list. I was really excited to read that the top countries include Japan, Singapore and China. Next semester, when I study abroad with Semester at Sea, those are actually three of the countries I will be going to! I can't wait to try out some of the food!
Which countries are the healthiest? The article, "Top 10 Countries with Healthy Food" provides an answer to that question! After doing a search of other sites, they all seemed to generally agree. I liked how this site set up their information the best. Here is how they compiled their list: "Taking the data on life expectancy and the level of obesity in different countries, we made a rating of the healthiest cuisines in the world, contributing to tight shape and longevity." I'll summarize the top 5 countries in this post, but I definitely recommend checking out the article for more information!
Important to note: This is not looking at exercise habits, health problems, pollution or other factors. The point of this list is to share the countries that have the healthiest diets, lowest obesity rates, and highest average life expectancy.
1. Japan
- On every site I reviewed, Japan ranked number 1.
- Obesity rate: Only 1.5%
- Diet: Their meals consist largely of vegetables including kale, broccoli and zucchini. They also consume fish and soy as their main source of protein.
- Other factors: To show that greediness is not a desired behavior, from childhood, Japanese are taught to leave the dinner table before they are completely full.
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| Photo Courtesy Of: www.web.li.gatech.edu |
2. Singapore
Obesity rate: 1.8%
Diet: Their diet consists of 80% rice. Vegetable are also frequently consumed.
Other factors: When they get craving for sweet things, they satisfy those with fresh fruits or an original dish that has no added sugars.
 |
| Photo Courtesy Of: www.bestoursism.com |
3. China
Obesity rate: 1.8%
Diet: "Basic diet is made up of various vegetables, fruits, whole grains, and legumes." Spices such as ginger and garlic are also regularly used, which can help to speed up metabolic rate.
Other factors: Their quick methods of cooking often keep vitamins and minerals inside the foods for consumption.
 |
| Photo Courtesy Of: www.food.recreationxleisure.com |
4. Sweden:
Obesity rate: 11%
Diet: Their regular diet consists of dairy products, brown bread, fish, and berries. Calcium helps the body burn fat, fiber-rich bread and berries contain many healthy antioxidants and fish such as salmon are a great source of protein and good for your heart.
 |
| Photo Courtesy Of: www.lolakinmade.com |
5. France
Obesity rate: 6.6%
Diet: Although France is often known for their love of cheese and chocolate, the amount of calories they consume makes up for that. Portions served at main meals are extremely small, so the body does not consume excess calories.
Other factors: They often use healthy methods of cooking, such as baking or stewing.
 |
| Photo Courtesy Of: www.feastalacarte.com |
Those are the top 5 countries with the healthiest food! Check out the article for the full list. I was really excited to read that the top countries include Japan, Singapore and China. Next semester, when I study abroad with Semester at Sea, those are actually three of the countries I will be going to! I can't wait to try out some of the food!
Hey! I tried to go to your link with the healthest countries but it only have info on the 10 fattest countries. Maybe I missed it. It's weird that Sweden is 4 with eleven percent and that France is 6.6 percent. I have been to France and my whole group and I looked for a fat french person and we could never find one. They really do take care of themselves there.
ReplyDeleteThanks Kara! I took care of that. I must have just put the wrong link on accident. And I agree, it is a little odd. It seems almost like Sweden and France should be switched. I'm not exactly sure how they "calculated" their list.
DeleteJust curious, but did it say how far down on the list the USA was or did it only have the top ten.
ReplyDeleteIt only had the top 10, but if they did list more I don't think the USA would be in there at all! According to every source I looked at, based on diets and nutrition, we are the unhealthiest and "fattest" country in the entire world.
DeleteThat is something the government should look at so we can have a healthier country.
DeleteVery interesting! I have never thought about which countries were healthy and which (besides the US) were not. But, after thinking about it, it makes a lot of sense that the countries with high rice and fish diets are the healthiest.
ReplyDeleteI hadn't really thought about it too much either! But since I'm going abroad next semester, I thought it would be interesting to do some research!
DeleteI would not have thought to post this information but very interesting. It doesn't surprise me that the top 5 countries are the ones listed above. Where will you be going abroad?
ReplyDeleteI probably wouldn't have thought about it either if I wasn't going to be studying abroad! I'm actually studying through the program "Semester at Sea." It's basically college on a ship, where you travel around the world and stop at different ports along the way. Here is the URL for the voyage I'm doing if you are interested! http://www.semesteratsea.org/voyages/spring-2013/
DeleteI'm very excited! :)