Consider for a moment the population in Asian countries. There are over 1.3 billion people in China alone (nearly 1/5 of the world’s total population). Adding the other Asian countries’ populations as well, we get 4.3 billion (60% of the world’s total population), and yet obesity is uncommon in Asia. Why? The answer lies in their way of eating: The Asian Diet.
Let’s compare typical foods in the Asian diet vs. the Western diet:
| Asian Diet | Western Diet | |
| Breakfast | Rice porridge with pickled vegetables, bread, meat/vegetable buns, soy milk | Milk and cereal, sandwich with ham/eggs/sausage/bacon/cheese, bagel with butter/cream cheese, muffins, toast, pancakes, waffles, croissants, donuts, coffee |
| Lunch | White rice with meat/vegetable dishes, noodles, sushi | Burgers and fries, ham/turkey/beef sandwiches, pizza |
| Dinner | White rice with meat/vegetable dishes, dumplings, soup | Pasta, salad, pot roast, pork chops, chicken, steak, sandwiches, bread, potatoes |
| Dessert/snacks | Fruit, dried fruit, nuts, crackers | Chips, cookies, donuts, cake, pie, ice cream |
| Drinks | Tea, soy milk | Coffee, soda, juice |
Immediately we can see that the Asian diet contains much healthier options. Also important to note is that while I simplified things by listing Asian meals as containing “meat/vegetable dishes,” there are literally thousands of these dishes in Asian cuisine, and the sky is the limit with the number of options you can have at any given meal. The main source of calories in the Asian diet is the classic white rice. It is easily digested, and is eaten with almost every meal, usually in the form of rice porridge, steamed white rice, or fried rice. The Western diet, on the other hand, contains large amounts of carbohydrates, fats, oils, and sugar – all factors contributing to weight gain.
Another major ingredient in the Asian diet is soy, usually eaten in the form of tofu and soy milk. Tofu is a great source of minerals and protein, and is low in carbohydrates and fats. Many Asians are lactose-intolerant, so they usually drink soy milk instead of regular milk. Soy milk has the same amount of protein as regular milk, but with smaller amounts of saturated fat and no cholesterol.
In terms of snacks and desserts, Asians tend to eat healthier options as well – foods that contain natural sugars and oils instead of the processed junk food found in the Western diet.
In summary, the Asian diet is a healthy and completely natural way of eating. There are no diet pills, weird eating rules or “superfoods.” Just tons of delicious food that are naturally healthy.
Want to learn more? Then you need to download my ebook How to Lose Weight with the Asian Diet. In it I go into complete detail on how to easily cook your own Asian meals and achieve your weight loss goals.
