Regionally specific healthy foods from around the world

13

Replies

  • rickiimarieee
    rickiimarieee Posts: 2,212 Member
    lynn_glenmont wrote: »
    rickiimarieee wrote: »
    Farming is pretty big where I’m from. It’s a very country state except a few places. Corn (bread and butter corn which is white and yellow) is probably the most sold around here. It’s sold along the roads, sold outside the grocery stores in pick up trucks. It’s sold everywhere.
    But other than that, there’s not much special going on in Pennsylvania (United States)

    Shoo-fly pie. Scrapple. Cheese steaks. Soft pretzels.

    Never heard of shoo fly pie, and like I’m deep in the country side of Pa lol. Cheese Steaks are big here, not very healthy though lol. Plus you gotta find the right restaurant because some cheese steaks are 🤢 aren’t soft pretzels big everywhere?
  • rickiimarieee
    rickiimarieee Posts: 2,212 Member
    lynn_glenmont wrote: »
    rickiimarieee wrote: »
    Farming is pretty big where I’m from. It’s a very country state except a few places. Corn (bread and butter corn which is white and yellow) is probably the most sold around here. It’s sold along the roads, sold outside the grocery stores in pick up trucks. It’s sold everywhere.
    But other than that, there’s not much special going on in Pennsylvania (United States)

    Shoo-fly pie. Scrapple. Cheese steaks. Soft pretzels.

    I know of scrapple, just find it very disgusting lmao
  • lemurcat2
    lemurcat2 Posts: 7,885 Member
    deannalfisher wrote: »
    lemurcat2 wrote: »
    deannalfisher wrote: »
    PAV8888 wrote: »
    vanityy99 wrote: »
    PAV8888 wrote: »
    vanityy99 wrote: »
    AliNouveau wrote: »
    Here in Canada our best foods are definitely not healthy.

    I guess in the fall we have an abundance of apples
    summer we have the best peaches from Niagara
    If you go to any maple syrup festival you will learn maple sap is very high in calcium

    Sadly Canada is more known for poutine and beavertails and beer and nanaimo bars and butter tarts. not at all healthy haha

    That makes Canada sound so sad. Thank God it’s so multicultural, can find different cultures of food anywhere.

    Well, that's the thing that throws me a bit. These days you can find ALMOST* any culture's best dishes in any large city... or so it appears to me given my Vancouver, BC perspective :lol: And any dish or food can be more or less healthy depending on preparation, your needs, and quantity and frequency eaten.

    *well, at least a small sample of them...

    I’ve been living in Canada my whole life and the first thing that pops into my head is Tim hortons when someone asks a question like this, What is a Canadian dish for real?

    Other than poutine? I dunno that there exist many uniquely Canadian AND somewhat wide-spread foods.

    But, by the same token, I can walk out and have a fast food chain burger, or pho, or Vietnamese salad rolls, or spring rolls, or Chinese dumplings, or rice or noodles, or an independent store burger, or a smoothie, or a hot dog, or multinational coffee shop's food selection, or a sandwich bar, or cafeteria salad bar and hot foods, or sushi, or kebabs within 500m of my house.

    And within 3.2km you can add to that Fish and Chips, Thai, Malaysian, Mexican, Indian, Filipino, Ethiopian, Greek, Italian, more sushi, the Mongolie grill I guess counts as Chinese, the food fair at the mall, the chocolate place at the mall, the gelato place at the quay, multiple pizza places, a salad bowl chain, a poutine and maple ice cream place, multiple pubs, fast food chains including KFC, Wendy's, Burger King, McD's, Tim Horton's, Subway, 7-11, ... crap... I can't even keep track! And all of them offer the option of being able to fit them as different puzzles in your day depending on what you choose to eat and how you ask them to prepare it.

    And I am not even downtown -- I am just in a working class burb in Greater Vancouver.

    *doesn't mean that I consider all these places to offer good food or good values; but they do exist and obviously SOME people find them to their liking even if *I* don't!

    Poutine and moose milk! My favorite day of the year is the Canadian/UK/Aussie Christmas party at work (authorized drinking shenanigans)

    So what is moose milk? (I ask this as someone who lived in Anchorage for a time and had moose in our yard quite often.) Is this some drink or brand of beer? Not literal, I assume?

    It’s a delicious drink of ice cream, milk, rum, vodka and Kahlua - it an alcoholic milkshake

    Ah, from back in the day I recall milk, vodka, and Kahlua as a white russian, so that makes sense.
  • Rockin_reese
    Rockin_reese Posts: 103 Member
    Fries! Jkjk lol

    Steamed broccoli
  • AliNouveau
    AliNouveau Posts: 36,287 Member
    vanityy99 wrote: »
    AliNouveau wrote: »
    Here in Canada our best foods are definitely not healthy.

    I guess in the fall we have an abundance of apples
    summer we have the best peaches from Niagara
    If you go to any maple syrup festival you will learn maple sap is very high in calcium

    Sadly Canada is more known for poutine and beavertails and beer and nanaimo bars and butter tarts. not at all healthy haha

    That makes Canada sound so sad. Thank God it’s so multicultural, can find different cultures of food anywhere.

    Not sad probably just an indication that winter can last forever here and we prefer heavier food. Also our growing season is so short we're not known for fruits and veggies. Ontario strawberries are so wonderful for the couple of weeks they're available in the summer. Then there's Canadian blueberries.

    I live in Toronto. I can go 2 km and have access any cultures food. So maybe our food is just everyone else's
  • New_Heavens_Earth
    New_Heavens_Earth Posts: 610 Member
    In the northeast (at least my city) there's salad, sushi, smoothies bars, poke restaurants. Plus lots of international foods you can request prepared according to your way of eating- steamed, vegan, sauce on the side, etc.

    Southeast- seafood, grits, rice, lean pork, chicken, veggies. It all depends on preparation.
  • vanityy99
    vanityy99 Posts: 2,583 Member
    AliNouveau wrote: »
    vanityy99 wrote: »
    AliNouveau wrote: »
    Here in Canada our best foods are definitely not healthy.

    I guess in the fall we have an abundance of apples
    summer we have the best peaches from Niagara
    If you go to any maple syrup festival you will learn maple sap is very high in calcium

    Sadly Canada is more known for poutine and beavertails and beer and nanaimo bars and butter tarts. not at all healthy haha

    That makes Canada sound so sad. Thank God it’s so multicultural, can find different cultures of food anywhere.

    Not sad probably just an indication that winter can last forever here and we prefer heavier food. Also our growing season is so short we're not known for fruits and veggies. Ontario strawberries are so wonderful for the couple of weeks they're available in the summer. Then there's Canadian blueberries.

    I live in Toronto. I can go 2 km and have access any cultures food. So maybe our food is just everyone else's

    Toronto is a melting pot if it wasn’t for other cultures, this city would be bland at least in the terms of food.
  • jonaseva5252
    jonaseva5252 Posts: 26 Member
    lynn_glenmont wrote: »
    @jonaseva5252 , it's been three days. Are you ever going to come back and clarify what you mean by healthy foods and whether there are any specific countries or regions you're interested in? It would probably give the thread a much more helpful direction for you.

    Okay, First of all, I have a question for you, please tell me which are the best healthy foods for boys in the Asia continent
  • nutmegoreo
    nutmegoreo Posts: 15,532 Member
    edited April 2019
    jonaseva5252 wrote: »
    lynn_glenmont wrote: »
    @jonaseva5252 , it's been three days. Are you ever going to come back and clarify what you mean by healthy foods and whether there are any specific countries or regions you're interested in? It would probably give the thread a much more helpful direction for you.

    Okay, First of all, I have a question for you, please tell me which are the best healthy foods for boys in the Asia continent

    While there are some differences in nutritional recommendations as far as things like iron (and I believe those begin at puberty and more specific to menstruating girls/women - I would have to look it up, but I'm sure someone else can correct me) I don't think there are big enough differences between what boys and girls should eat for it to be worth worrying about.

    The Asian countries I have been to have wildly different food offerings. Each have been fabulous. Healthy is a bit of a challenge in that it's not well defined and varies from one person to the next. For information on an overall healthy diet perhaps check some of the government websites, such as MyPlate. I have also heard good things about the Brasilian government recommendations, but haven't looked at them. Then consider how you could apply those to the area you are visiting.

    Alternatively, when I travel, I don't worry about "healthy." I aim for variety and do spend a lot of time walking around each day. For the few weeks I'm there, I don't worry about it, it's not going to be the breaking point on my health. Full disclosure, I am not a boy.
  • PAV8888
    PAV8888 Posts: 14,141 Member
    Here you are, the world's governments are at your food guideline service!

    Asia and boys are definitely included!!!

    http://www.fao.org/nutrition/education/food-dietary-guidelines/en/
  • lynn_glenmont
    lynn_glenmont Posts: 10,076 Member
    edited April 2019
    Is this a boy as in someone who is still growing? Is this boy currently at a healthy weight for his height? If the answer to both those questions is yes, I would say just encourage him to have some veggies and fruit every day and to include a good protein source at least twice a day (meat, poultry, fish, beans, lentils, peas, tofu, seitan -- aka "mock" or Buddhist meat -- eggs, and/or dairy products, depending on what is used in the local cuisine). Then let him eat what he wants.

    ETA "at least twice a day"
  • paperpudding
    paperpudding Posts: 9,230 Member
    Other than, as pointed out by nutmegero, higher iron requirements for girls/women have menstrual cycles.

    But in general just follow general guidelines of balanced diet, using whatever sources available.
  • Lillymoo01
    Lillymoo01 Posts: 2,865 Member
    While the definition of healthy will vary from person to person I think most people would agree that it doesn't matter which country or continent you are on, if you stick to mainly fresh produce you can't go too wrong. Just make sure that the fresh produce hasn't gone off and it properly cooked through, as food storage in some countries is pretty dodgy.
  • kimny72
    kimny72 Posts: 16,013 Member
    @jonaseva5252 I wonder, do you mean "healthy" as in nutritious food? Or "healthy" as in won't make you sick? I know a lot of people struggle with digestion issues when eating food in a new place.

    And you again mentioned "for boys", are you bringing a child with you? Traveling with a child is certainly a challenge, so if that's the case it might lead to different answers :smile:
  • sharondesfor935
    sharondesfor935 Posts: 89 Member
    Most of Asia: Rice porridge (or "congee")...so delicious with a touch of soy sauce and the tiniest drizzle of sesame oil. Comfort food at its best! A little protein, a little fat, a good dose of carbs.

    Japan (Tokyo and Chiba City): The soups are fabulous and healthy, for the most part. Sushi is yummy as a treat, but raw fish isn't appealing to some children, so perhaps a vegetable sushi instead? Edamame is wonderfully nutritious, and very well liked by most children. Soba noodles are made from buckwheat and contain some excellent nutrition. Rice bowls are easy for children, with many choices for toppings.

    Japan (Kyoto): if you can stay at least one night in a ryokan, do so, and have the traditional kaiseki dinner. Beautiful to look at, delicious, and a wonderful experience altogether. Locally sourced dishes, prepared in a traditional manner, served in tiny helpings with a huge selection. Generally served in your room as a private meal. If your son is very young, however, he may not have the patience for this.

    China (Tianjin): most of the fish dishes are really good, but watch out for sauces if you're trying to restrict fat intake or calories. If your son is adventurous and likes weird stuff that grosses you out, he may want to try some of the stuff that scared me too much (birds tongues, anyone?)

    Hong Kong: you can get literally anything here. Chinese, Japanese, Italian, French, American, British, Indian. A very eclectic cuisine.

    That's all I've got. I just haven't traveled that much in Asia.
  • jonaseva5252
    jonaseva5252 Posts: 26 Member
    @kimny72 Hey, actually I have a boy. He is 12 years old. That's why I ask the question. And yeah keep in mind my country is located among asia continent. Hopefully, now you got the points. I want to know some specific foods name that exactly help my boys. Thanks.
  • paperpudding
    paperpudding Posts: 9,230 Member
    jonaseva5252 wrote: »
    @kimny72 Hey, actually I have a boy. He is 12 years old. That's why I ask the question. And yeah keep in mind my country is located among asia continent. Hopefully, now you got the points. I want to know some specific foods name that exactly help my boys. Thanks.

    Whatever country you live in, just aim to have a balanced diet, with fruit, vegetables, meat or other protein sources.

    There are no specific 'magic healthy foods' that help boys, girls, men, women.

    Same basic flexible guidelines about overall intake apply for everyone



  • lynn_glenmont
    lynn_glenmont Posts: 10,076 Member
    jonaseva5252 wrote: »
    @kimny72 Hey, actually I have a boy. He is 12 years old. That's why I ask the question. And yeah keep in mind my country is located among asia continent. Hopefully, now you got the points. I want to know some specific foods name that exactly help my boys. Thanks.

    OK, I'm still confused. You're not asking about other countries that you travel to, as the moderator said when trying to redirect the discussion, but about your own country, which you seem reluctant to actually name?

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