Global Diets: China & Mexico
By: Shelby Smith & Raven Duncan
China
People in China are typically very healthy, possibly the healthiest in the world. Most of this is attributed to their diet. A Chinese diet usually features vegetables that have been lightly steamed usually served with rice, noodles or dumplings.When their meals contain meat, they are usually served in much smaller portions. The food eaten in China has great nutritional value. Most of their vegetables are high in vitamins, They get most of their protein from nuts and seeds as opposed to fatty meats, and they get plenty of grains. This puts China on the opposite spectrum from the U.S. The United States eats a ton of processed foods, something you wouldn't see in china. China also uses vegetable oil for frying, with this being its main supply of oil and fat. If someone from the U.S. were to switch to eating like this permanently, they would most likely lose weight, feel less fatigue, and be healthier in general. The only bad thing about this diet would be for meat lovers. If your interested in eating a Chinese diet to be healthier, start by trying a typical meal. A great one would be Won-ton soup. this is a soup with pork filled dumplings. You would drink tea to go along with it.
Mexico
People in Mexico are somewhere in between China and U.S, being that it is not as healthy and does not focus on vegetable as much as food in china, but is not as unhealthy as food in America. The basis of a Hispanic diet is corn, beans, some vegetables, tortillas, and meat. Most of these have huge nutritional benefits. For example, beans, beans are one of the best sources of fiber. Another example is Tomatillos, they are filled with vitamins and low in calories. A final example, are avocados, they are one of the best sources of protein out there. However, not everything about the Hispanic diet is nutritional, for example, re fried beans and cheese are saturated fats and Corn tortillas are usually made with lard. which is a trans fat. Unfortunately, Spanish speaking countries such as Mexico don't vary as much from the U.S. as they used to. Mexico is starting to have an abundance of processed foods. Besides that, Hispanic food does usually contain less salt, have less fried foods, and have more nutrients. If you were to eat a Hispanic diet long term, You would probably feel healthier and possibly lose some weight too. If you were to eat a typical hispanic meal you might try Carne Asada. You would usually have rice and beans on the side, and a tortilla to pick them up with.
Carne Asada
Tortillas
Tamales
Not part of the typically meal in mexico, but another popular meal served during family gatherings.