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healthmadesimple t1_ir4dov3 wrote

Reply to comment by healthmadesimple in Study: Shifting to Plant-Based Diet Important for Colorectal Cancer Prevention by BoundariesAreFun

A lot of cultural diets are healthy.

Mediterranean diet was popularized by Ancel Keys and the seven studies diet in the 1960s. Had they did a more comprehensive studies in other countries, I’m sure they’d find other beneficial diets and lifestyle.

Instead we base everything on this diet which was approached (and accepted) with cultural biases.

When you look at obesity, cardiovascular disease, and longevity you got countries like Korea and Japan who rank high on health list that aren’t on the Mediterranean diet.

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gotchostupidass t1_ir4rawp wrote

Yeah theres plenty of diets that are perfectly fine. At the end of the day what leads to obesity is overconsumption, and cardiovascular disease is obviously very associated with obesity. The problem is that people don’t understand that eating nutrient dense foods is very important. We are all on different difficulty levels due to the fact that we all have different levels of hunger cues, but eating nutrient dense foods that are satiating and understanding to not eat over your basal metabolic rate would fix a lot of our problems.

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healthmadesimple t1_ir6cedh wrote

I wouldn’t say as people don’t understand as much as ultra processed foods which are refined carbs and fat are convenient, affordable and hyper palatable. We’ve lost our traditions of making traditional meals at home with fresh ingredients.

You are absolutely right, more fiber (veggies or whole grains) and micronutrients, or protein have high satiety. Fat by itself or with protein is also good for satiety. Fat with refined carbs (eg donut, fries, ultra processed foods) have low satiety and also cause inflammation and have low amounts of micronutrients and polyphenols.

As for BMR, that could fluctuate based on many factors… and like you said if people aren’t eating high satiety food, they will basically try to override their hunger cues with willpower which is not good long term and may result in weight loss but may not necessarily be good with metabolic weight (weight cycling, yo yo dieting) eating the right foods and honoring hunger cues is a much more gentler approach while increasing lean muscle tissue through exercise may help increase BMR. So I totally agree with you there.

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26Kermy t1_ir58igv wrote

Aren't Japanese diets (specifically Okinawan) very similar to Mediterranean diets in composition though? Tons of rich fish and veggies, legumes, and fruit are staples for both. The main difference is simple grains which are more common in Western diets.

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healthmadesimple t1_ir6b2im wrote

Okinawan/Uchinanchu diet is different than Yamato (mainland Japanese) diet as they didn’t eat as much fish. Some theorize because of the extremely hot/humid weather they didn’t have as much fish as the Japanese.

Another thing about Okinawan diet is “Hara Hachi Bu” eat until you are 80% full which implies lower caloric intake.

Interesting enough less eating = longer life according to some researcher but there are trade offs.

Okinawans have a shorter average height and the older generations even more so.

Veggies, legumes are staples. I think of Goya which is bittermelon, kabocha (winter squash), etc. as well as Okinawan sweet potatoes. Less rice than the Japanese counterparts though. Some grains.

Alcohol and for the older generations ocassional pork (nowadays it’s a lot more meat). Interesting even enough in the late 1800s, Japanese didn’t really eat pork but Okinawans did and Okinawans eat all the different parts of pork, feet, ears, organs. Sources say less than 1% of diet.

Also: Okinawa has a unique culture, language, diet that is different than the average Yamato Japanese and was it’s own separate kingdom until the 1600s and had its own king until the late 1879.

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Aberbekleckernicht t1_ir8dnpp wrote

China as well, which is important given how enormous of a population it has. Last I checked they were second best in cardiovascular health.

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healthmadesimple t1_ir8i49u wrote

Absolutely, though their life expectancy is similar to the US ranking around #50-60. Still impressive especially with the population size and rapid industrialization.

Hong Kong on the other hand tops the list.

China has made a lot of progress in health and longevity since the 1990s (and before that).

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