What Country has the best diet in the World?
amwood89
Posts: 165 Member
Where do you think has the world's best diet? According to a UK TV show which was aired last night, Iceland is considered to have the 'World's Best Diet'.
The documentary featured leading nutritionists and dieticians ranking different country’s diets based on weekly shops and typical meals and snacks. It also looked at health related problems in each Country, such as high cholesterol, diabetes, cancers relating to obesity etc.
The diet ranked as the 'worst diet' was the Marshall Islands, with the US & Australia being not too far behind. Not surprisingly, the UK wasn't ranked too highly either & came in at number 34 (out of 50).
Apparently, the top 10 best diets in the world are:
1. Iceland
2. Italy
3. Greece
4. Seventh Day Adventists (form of Christianity)
5. Japan
6. Sweden, Norway, Denmark (joint position)
7. The Kuna Indians (Panama)
8. France
9. Spain
10. The Netherlands
Interesting!!
The documentary featured leading nutritionists and dieticians ranking different country’s diets based on weekly shops and typical meals and snacks. It also looked at health related problems in each Country, such as high cholesterol, diabetes, cancers relating to obesity etc.
The diet ranked as the 'worst diet' was the Marshall Islands, with the US & Australia being not too far behind. Not surprisingly, the UK wasn't ranked too highly either & came in at number 34 (out of 50).
Apparently, the top 10 best diets in the world are:
1. Iceland
2. Italy
3. Greece
4. Seventh Day Adventists (form of Christianity)
5. Japan
6. Sweden, Norway, Denmark (joint position)
7. The Kuna Indians (Panama)
8. France
9. Spain
10. The Netherlands
Interesting!!
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Replies
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It was an interesting programme!!!0
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From the look of that running order, it looks like fish has a big part to play in the making of a good diet.
I don't quite get the Seventh Day Adventists' entry though - surely they come from all over the place?! Do they just have a very prescriptive diet regime no matter where they live?0 -
Nooo... I haven't seen it yet!
Watching it on catchup tonight
Good to know it's worth watching though - been looking forward to it for weeks!0 -
I live in Italy and I certainly agree----they have a great diet. Food is culture here and people learn to eat correctly as children. Things are changing (sadly) as fast food places multiply. However the majority still cook at home--family meals all together, with fresh, quality ingredients. Carbs are king and portion control is normal. They eat a little of everything in moderation.0
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If I ever find myself shopping in "Iceland" then I know my diet's screwed...0
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Which channel was it on please?0
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4. Seventh Day Adventists (form of Christianity)
I was raised Seventh Day Adventist and have never heard of any dietary recommendation other than not eating pork. A bit skeptical about that one...0 -
I live in Italy and I certainly agree----they have a great diet. Food is culture here and people learn to eat correctly as children. Things are changing (sadly) as fast food places multiply. However the majority still cook at home--family meals all together, with fresh, quality ingredients. Carbs are king and portion control is normal. They eat a little of everything in moderation.
Yes! My Mother is Italian so I've been very lucky growing up. As you say, I think the key with the Italian diet is their attitude towards food & how much emphasis is put on sitting down & enjoying our meals as a family. We always spent a minimum of an hour at the dinner table in the evening when I was growing up (much longer when I go to visit family in Italy). Dinner time is such a huge social event for the Italians & we should all really spend longer enjoying our food & family/friends rather than sitting in front of the TV is rushing down our food in a matter of minutes!
Oops & Sorry for anyone who hasn't had chance to watch the show yet!!0 -
Which channel was it on please?
It was on Channel 4 - so you'll be able to catch it on 4OD0 -
Which channel was it on please?
Channel 4 (in the UK - available on 4 on demand although I am not sure if it can be viewed outside the UK using that service.)0 -
In, for America bashing yay!0
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In, for America bashing yay!
What are you on about?0 -
4. Seventh Day Adventists (form of Christianity)
I was raised Seventh Day Adventist and have never heard of any dietary recommendation other than not eating pork. A bit skeptical about that one...
The basis for this seemed to be the lack of alcohol and caffeine. It did seem an odd entry though.0 -
Not surprisingly, the UK wasn't ranked too highly either & came in at number 34 (out of 50).
Actually, the 'UK' wasn't ranked. England came in at 34, Scotland at 35, Wales at 36 and Northern Ireland at 37
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Not surprisingly, the UK wasn't ranked too highly either & came in at number 34 (out of 50).
Actually, the 'UK' wasn't ranked. England came in at 34, Scotland at 35, Wales at 36 and Northern Ireland at 37
Whoops - Correct! Thanks for pointing that out! :flowerforyou:0 -
What's a Dutch diet? I live there and I don't really see what's special about it.0
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What's a Dutch diet? I live there and I don't really see what's special about it.
I believe it would involve mayonnaise.
And waffles.
In reality I think a lot of commentary about "typical" diets will be artificial. People eat differing diets even on a regional basis. That said the countries which rang the top of the lists will generally share similar traits I am guessing (access to good quality, fresh produce, fish, fruit, moderate amounts of meat, home cooking and so on) which is interesting.0 -
I believe it would involve mayonnaise.
And waffles.
Waffles is more Belgium, the country next to the Netherlands.0 -
Not surprisingly, the UK wasn't ranked too highly either & came in at number 34 (out of 50).
Actually, the 'UK' wasn't ranked. England came in at 34, Scotland at 35, Wales at 36 and Northern Ireland at 37
Where was Ireland?0 -
I believe it would involve mayonnaise.
And waffles.
Waffles is more Belgium, the country next to the Netherlands.
Don't you guys have those syrup waffle biscuit things? I'm sure I had one the last time I was in Holland. It was awesome.
And the size of my face...0 -
From my observations living in Norway, the diet usually consists of bread, potatoes, few vegetables, fish and lots of processed meat. People exercise for fun though and tend to eat small portions. In fact, a lot of people don't seem very interested in food at all. They eat a lot of things that come in tubes like cheese and caviar. :huh:
I am generalising of course, but so is this study.0 -
Not surprisingly, the UK wasn't ranked too highly either & came in at number 34 (out of 50).
Actually, the 'UK' wasn't ranked. England came in at 34, Scotland at 35, Wales at 36 and Northern Ireland at 37
Where was Ireland?
I think Ireland was 33 or 32! I know it came in just before England.0 -
I haven't been able to find the full list online, but I'm sure it will emerge in due course.
Here's a piece from the Channel 4 website explaining what information was used to compile the listFactors and Considerations
A number of factors were taken into account compiling The World's Best Diet list, including:
Rates of obesity
Life expectancy
Healthy diet indicators
Nutritional composition
Alcohol intake
Diabetes prevalence
Heart disease and other non-communicable diseases
Diet-related cancer
Cultural attitudes to food
As well as countries, diets specific to tribal peoples and religious groups were also considered.
Some entries in the list focus on a specific feature of their diet; others look across broader situations, trends and attitudes to food. In addition, the list looks at the contemporary situations of certain countries and communities alongside the traditional diets of others. So, for example, the Mediterranean diet is not intended to be representative of the food eaten across the Mediterranean as a whole but rather the traditional diet within specific parts of the region, while the Icelandic diet focuses on the benefits of the country's traditional foods rather than its contemporary eating habits.
Expert Sources
Health-related statistics from the following organisations were used during the making of the programme:
World Health Organisation (WHO)
International Diabetes Federation (IDF)
The UN Food and Agriculture Organisation Food Balance Sheets
The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)
We have been assisted throughout by a group of dietary and medical experts. Read full profiles of our Lead Consultant, Dr Carrie Ruxton (profile) and Dr Aseem Malhotra (profile).
We also consulted dietitians who act as spokespeople for the British Dietetic Association (BDA). The BDA is the professional association and trade union for UK dietitians, supporting the science and practice of dietetics (More information on the BDA).
Facts and Findings
Our research unearthed – among many others – the following facts and statistics, all of which influenced these countries' positions in the list:
The UK: It's estimated that just 1% of men and 2% of women were obese in the 1960s,1 compared to a quarter of the UK population today.2
Marshall Islands: Their inhabitants have the highest rates of death by diabetes in the world.3
Mexico: A third of their population is obese.4
Ethiopia: Eating a traditional rural African diet is linked to lower risk of colon cancer.5
France: Our neighbours across the Channel have lower rates of heart disease than us,6 despite consuming more saturated fat.7
South Korea: Residents down more shots of hard liquor than anyone else in the world.8
Given the complexity of the subject matter, The World's Best Diet list is not intended to be definitive. Instead, it is designed to initiate discussion about where and what we can learn from eating habits around the world, asking plenty of fascinating questions along the way. Given their love of cheese and wine, why do the French have lower rates of heart disease than the UK? How do the Inuits get all the nutrients they need when they live on a diet made almost entirely of raw meat and fish? And what's the unhealthy habit that's undermining the benefits of South Korea's vegetable-rich diet?
References
1. National Obesity Forum – based on figures from the NHS Information Centre
2. OECD Obesity Update, 2014
3. WHO 2008 Obesity & Non-Communicable Disease Mortality (these are the latest available statistics)
4. OECD Obesity Update, 2014
5. 'Fecal weight, colon cancer risk, and dietary intake of nonstarch polysaccharides (dietary fiber)' – American Gastroenterological Association (1992); ‘Why do African Americans get more colon cancer than Native Africans?’ – The Journal of Nutrition (International Research Conference on Food, Nutrition, and Cancer) (2007) (the most recent studies on this subject)
6. 'The Atlas of Heart Disease and Stroke' – WHO (2004) (latest available figures)
7. Jean Ferrières, 'The French Paradox: lessons for other countries' – Heart (2004)
8. Euromonitor survey, 20140 -
I haven't been able to find the full list online, but I'm sure it will emerge in due course.
Here's a piece from the Channel 4 website explaining what information was used to compile the list
Our research unearthed – among many others – the following facts and statistics, all of which influenced these countries' positions in the list:
The UK: It's estimated that just 1% of men and 2% of women were obese in the 1960s,1 compared to a quarter of the UK population today.2
Marshall Islands: Their inhabitants have the highest rates of death by diabetes in the world.3
Mexico: A third of their population is obese.4
Ethiopia: Eating a traditional rural African diet is linked to lower risk of colon cancer.5
France: Our neighbours across the Channel have lower rates of heart disease than us,6 despite consuming more saturated fat.7
South Korea: Residents down more shots of hard liquor than anyone else in the world.8
Given the complexity of the subject matter, The World's Best Diet list is not intended to be definitive. Instead, it is designed to initiate discussion about where and what we can learn from eating habits around the world, asking plenty of fascinating questions along the way. Given their love of cheese and wine, why do the French have lower rates of heart disease than the UK? How do the Inuits get all the nutrients they need when they live on a diet made almost entirely of raw meat and fish? And what's the unhealthy habit that's undermining the benefits of South Korea's vegetable-rich diet?
References
1. National Obesity Forum – based on figures from the NHS Information Centre
2. OECD Obesity Update, 2014
3. WHO 2008 Obesity & Non-Communicable Disease Mortality (these are the latest available statistics)
4. OECD Obesity Update, 2014
5. 'Fecal weight, colon cancer risk, and dietary intake of nonstarch polysaccharides (dietary fiber)' – American Gastroenterological Association (1992); ‘Why do African Americans get more colon cancer than Native Africans?’ – The Journal of Nutrition (International Research Conference on Food, Nutrition, and Cancer) (2007) (the most recent studies on this subject)
6. 'The Atlas of Heart Disease and Stroke' – WHO (2004) (latest available figures)
7. Jean Ferrières, 'The French Paradox: lessons for other countries' – Heart (2004)
8. Euromonitor survey, 2014
Very interesting. Thanks for sharing.0 -
Iceland, really? Dry fish, skyr, horse meat and licorice, yum! :P0
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Iceland, really? Dry fish, skyr, horse meat and licorice, yum! :P
:laugh: I was actually thinking that I'd rather be fat than eat a Scandinavian diet. And that is why I am fat! :laugh:
Actually I love skyr though. Well, I love that it tastes quite nice for something so high in protein and low in fat.0 -
Don't you guys have those syrup waffle biscuit things? I'm sure I had one the last time I was in Holland. It was awesome.
And the size of my face...
Stroopwafels! Yes, those are delicious!0 -
I really enjoyed that programme, was surprised though at iceland, it looked so bland!
Personally the South Korean diet looked really good to me0 -
Actually I love skyr though. Well, I love that it tastes quite nice for something so high in protein and low in fat.
I've not tried it but isn't it similar to Greek yoghurt?0 -
Stroopwafels! Yes, those are delicious!
Indeed they are! Especially when left to warm up atop a hot cup of coffee or tea so the caramel goes sofy and gooey. Drooooool.0
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