What Country has the best diet in the World?

Alluminati

In, for America bashing yay!

Just quoting myself earlier in the thread.

williams969

I vote for us Canadians. Bacon and poutine errywhere! :drinker:

Oh wait, we're talking healthiest, not tastiest in terms of best? Damn. Rest of the world is missing out.

Mmm, bacon and poutine! And Kraft dinner and ketchup, lol! Not Canadian, but darn close (waves at Canada from across Lake Superior :drinker: ).

6ftamazon

I've travelled a lot and I grew up on greek cuisine since I'm half greek. I've noticed that these countries have normal portions of food (my god do we have huge portions here), and when they indulge, they don't do it often. Also, people in Europe are much more active then they are in North America.

I also work in my family's restaurant part time. People in North America tend to have a "go big or go home" attitude. People will eat an appetizer, their dinner, and desert and a few drinks routinely. And many people will eat their breakfast, lunch and dinner at a restaurant with huge portions. I think that's our problem here...frequently huge portions and little exercise.

KameHameHaaaa

Iceland. First in diet but seventh in life expectancy.

Meerataila

I really wish I could find this documentary online. Channel 4 needs to step up and post it somewhere. For you know, global health and all.

paperpudding

Seventh Day Adventists still seems a really weird entry to me - not because they have an unhealthy diet but because it is a list of where healthy diets are and Seventh Day Adventists are not a place.

I doubt all Seventh Day Adventists have unhealthy diet, in fact that is not true.

You have misunderstood my post - perhaps I did not word it well.
I doubt all Seventh Day Adventists have an unhealthy diet too, I agree with you there. In fact they actively promote vegetarian diets here in Australia, the church near me has vegetarian cooking classes for the public and the SDA own Sanitarium, a company that produces soy milk and other vegetarian (vegan?) foods.

What I meant was that a list of healthy places would not include SDA because they are not a place, like the countries are.

However, on closer reading I see the website says " As well as countries, diets specific to tribal peoples and religious groups were also considered."
So in fact their scope of study could include groups like SDA who are not neccesarily specific to one place.

I admit it, I didn't read carefully and my point was non valid.

paperpudding

Iceland. First in diet but seventh in life expectancy.

that could well be so.

This documentary is clearly only studying dietary effects on populations - there is an excerpt form their website upthread defining their definitions of this - cardiovascular disease, diet related cancers, obesity, type 2 diabetes etc.

Of course it is not taking into account other factors in longetivity - genetic diseases, access to health care ( vaccination rates, infant mortality, cultural barriers etc etc) rate of non illness deaths (accidents, murder, suicide, child birth) etc.

Just because we may have something to learn from the diets of a place/group does not mean everything about that place/group is desirable or beneficial or relevant to us.

DamePiglet

In, for America bashing yay!

Just quoting myself earlier in the thread.

Agreed.

Meerataila

In, for America bashing yay!

Just quoting myself earlier in the thread.

Agreed.

Take off that red white and blue cap for a minute, stop being insulting, and maybe you'll realize that the world's richest and most powerful nation, one that uses more resources than any other nation on Earth, should be #1 in longevity and health. And since we aren't, we ought to be figuring out why.

Or you can just wave your little flag and cover your ears whenever anyone points out that our country could learn from the successes of others.

It's exceptionalist rubbish, but I guess go ahead if it makes you feel better.

DamePiglet

In, for America bashing yay!

Just quoting myself earlier in the thread.

Agreed.

Take off that red white and blue cap for a minute, stop being insulting, and maybe you'll realize that the world's richest and most powerful nation, one that uses more resources than any other nation on Earth, should be #1 in longevity and health. And since we aren't, we ought to be figuring out why.

Or you can just wave your little flag and cover your ears whenever anyone points out that our country could learn from the successes of others.

It's exceptionalist rubbish, but I guess go ahead if it makes you feel better.

You're insulted because I said that your post made no sense to me... I get that. And you're at least as insulted that I said that you are on a soap box for trying to bring in irrelevant "facts" into this discussion. I get that, too.

You're obviously new around here, but with 564 posts, unless they were in all "slap, tickle or kiss" threads, you should probably catch on that these forums aren't for the easily butthurt.
This isn't Facebook. If your post doesn't make sense, if you can't back up your opinions with hard science, or if you're obviously on a soap box, you'll likely get called out for it.

ils_1231

Also France is funny because my ex-boyfriend used to always make me his traditional French home town dish which was a load of potatoes with some salad (which was just fried onions) and with a baked round cheese served in a wood case spread all over the potatoes. It used to make me feel sick, it was so heavy. But then we didn't eat all day after that... So maybe it was good.

i lived in france for two years... they eat really simple meals for dinner. lunch is the big meal of the day, but even then the two hour lunch is starting to get phased out. dinner in france ( with the french family) used to be soup and bread, some sort of meat, or just rice and vegetables. there was a always a dessert though which was usually fruit or yogurt. its the pastries and heavy regional dishes that are eaten sometimes but on special occasions. aka christmas was a huge food frenzy of dishes that never ended.....

Hell_Flower

Finally got to watch it - have to say, was pretty impressed.

Great that they acknowledge the limitations of the study, but also point out that the running theme of "best diets" limit the use of processed foods. This is of course, a fairly simplistic view and with so many contributing factors it will be impossible to know exactly which country has the best diet.

Who'd have thought it - 3 fresh, homecooked meals a day, little snacking and zero convenience food makes for a healthier body :laugh:

ironanimal

In, for America bashing yay!

What are you on about?

Didn't you get the memo? Everything is about America.

Francl27

I read an article recently about how kids in France don't snack. It's just not a part of their culture...they eat meals and that's it! I think that's amazing and honestly wish I was raised without snacks all the time, maybe I'd snack less now

I did. But typically, yeah. Although kids have a snack after school.

I thought Italy would be high up. The food is so amazing in Italy but I think I put weight on when I went there, maybe had too much pizza, pasta, gelato and grilled veggies.

Also France is funny because my ex-boyfriend used to always make me his traditional French home town dish which was a load of potatoes with some salad (which was just fried onions) and with a baked round cheese served in a wood case spread all over the potatoes. It used to make me feel sick, it was so heavy. But then we didn't eat all day after that... So maybe it was good.

I'm baffled at Italy. I know an Italian woman and they eat pasta all the time. That can't be healthy, lol.

For the dish, is it Tartiflette? Delicious but not something you eat very often.


I need to find time to watch that thing though, it sounds interesting.