Thread: The culture with the healthiest diet in the world?

I'm curious, what culture has been proven to have or is speculated to have the healthiest diet (what they eat) in the world ?

Somehow I would think some of the mediterranean cultures, but I may be wrong.

I don't know for sure but, i will guess. Japan has very healthy food but, they have been using more and more additives, which is not good. Chinese food has loads of vegetables which is very healthy. Also, India probably has very healthy food seeing as how that is where Ayurveda came from. I am, of course, speaking about the parts of these countries that people can afford good food.

Originally Posted by (In)Sanity

I'm curious, what culture has been proven to have or is speculated to have the healthiest diet (what they eat) in the world ?

Somehow I would think some of the mediterranean cultures, but I may be wrong.

I think it has to do with a vegetarian low-condimented diet.

I believe the general consensus is between the Mediterranean(I hate that word) diet - pasta , tomatos, olive oil and meat being predominantly fowl fed on antioxident and essential fatty acid rich flora. People of certain somewhat backwards regions of the med have a significantly high average mortality age.
Or the eskimo diet rich in omega-3 fish oil.

It's really difficult to single out which diet is best because so many other factors such as lifestyle and environment traits of regions throw the stats off.

Sorry to butt in uninvited.

Although this post is old I want to introduce a new position on health. First of all the language to investigate food within the domain of health is undergoing change i.e. diet trends (the "fad"). Secondly, cultures are interacting and the distribution of health is changing with it as well--especially in the capitalist structure.

Originally Posted by Imaplanck.

It's really difficult to single out which diet is best because so many other factors such as lifestyle and environment traits of regions throw the stats off.

This is a good point, but humans also change (evolve) along with their diet. Note how ethnic populations seem to have incompatibilties to contemporary diets in contrast to traditional diet components (such as the transition from high amounts of plant food to fatty meats) that result in high obesity rates, diabetes, etc.

Originally Posted by (In)Sanity

I'm curious, what culture has been proven to have or is speculated to have the healthiest diet (what they eat) in the world?
Somehow I would think some of the mediterranean cultures, but I may be wrong.

So, this post reminded me of this article in Scientific American: Link.
Of which I like meat like the Evenki and be outside with nature which I think is healthy.

Ediit: To show my answer to thread question.

That type of sutdy would be based primarily on cultural factors and food variety and its availability. There would be no scientific incentive for any scientist or group to study who has the healthiest culture in the world.

Even the most minor factors (humidity, altitude, plant development, human development/interference on the environment, salinity in the ground, and any number of regional effects) can influence how healthy a society is capable of eating healthy. I could go on about what factors can be manipulated and fluctuate, which can influence how healthy a society is, but the most important thing to find out now is how to prevent individuals from all ages from becoming obese and encourage them to stay on a healthier diet, despite their cravings for high-energy foods.

Hello, God

I not sure if your post regards my post:

Originally Posted by God

That type of sutdy[...]

Originally Posted by God

I could go on[...]

Please do, I am also curious what healthy means.
I stopped at definitions of health, you have a cultural argument that I agree on to a point and went beyond the question of healthiest culture's diet.

Originally Posted by God

That type of sutdy would be based primarily on cultural factors and food variety and its availability. There would be no scientific incentive for any scientist or group to study who has the healthiest culture in the world.

This does not answer the question though, and I think science would have some interest in a healthy culture's diet (as in Food science, if it is a science--Political Science will contradict me :wink: ).

Originally Posted by God

Even the most minor factors (humidity, altitude, plant development, human development/interference on the environment, salinity in the ground, and any number of regional effects) can influence how healthy a society is capable of eating healthy. I could go on about what factors can be manipulated and fluctuate, which can influence how healthy a society is, but the most important thing to find out now is how to prevent individuals from all ages from becoming obese and encourage them to stay on a healthier diet, despite their cravings for high-energy foods.

Again, I would like to know what health is (regarding "capable").

Obesity is not the only problem, I imagine most humans experience starving. From another Science Forum thread "craving" does exist in genetic selection for fatty foods, but would psychological interactions combine into the catagory of craving? People eat when stressed, is it a behavior? or is it nature? Therefore, how does the health investigation start.

My post aligned to Evenki contrast in diet within the Scientific American article if I remember correctly, and it was not a statement to the healthiest culture's diet. My thoughts when composing the post was the use of contrast in SciAm in the concept of health of the writer. Thus I held my contribution of a new position on health in sharing the article, after definitional constraints, structures and dispensement of health (Health care systems for instance), and evolved adaption to particular foods in particular populations to contemporary western diet.

Finally, I remember the article since I felt that their lifestyle/culture is healthy, besides my interest in brain development/evolution being related to food. Again, I like meat and being outside instead of the city and terrible univ. cafeteria food.

Regards

French food is definetly the healthiest. Escargot, oysters, baguette, foie-gras...

Originally Posted by The P-manator

French food is definetly the healthiest. Escargot, oysters, baguette, foie-gras...

Ethiopian food sounds more apetizing to me than snails.

Originally Posted by wallaby

Originally Posted by The P-manator

French food is definetly the healthiest. Escargot, oysters, baguette, foie-gras...

Ethiopian food sounds more apetizing to me than snails.

I don't know what is ethiopan food, but if somebody give you nails to eat, and you ignore what it is, you will not be so horrified. It's also possible that insect taste good, but I must admit that I am not tempted. So your fear of nails is perfectly normal : it's just a question of education.

Oysters are good, for sure, but it's not typically french food. Baguette is just a form of bread. A good baguette is wonderful, but many are not good at all. Baguette is a very healthy food either.
Foie gras, is a tradition coming from the roman empire and it's tasty.