The Asian culture is unique. For Asians, food and eating are meant to create wellness. You may like Malay, Indian, or Chinese cuisine; you will find Asian cuisines that are known for possessing nutritious and balanced ingredients in any Asian restaurant. The following are some healthy food habits that are proudly Asian:
Consume a 3:1 of vegetables to meat
This means eating three times the amount of meat. Meat is a good source of protein, but it is not the healthiest source of it. This healthy ratio is filling and at the same time, it provides all the recommended nutrients based on the food pyramid.
Take soup often
Most soups consumed at home are from the bones of fish, chicken, or beef. This has to be combined with various vegetables such as leafy spinach or the lotus root. It’s a combination of broth and vegetables with a lot of vitamins and minerals. This means that every spoonful of this soup can make you feel full. All Asian soups are known to possess healing properties depending on the ingredients used.
Enjoy rice combinations
When it comes to Asian cuisines, rice is considered a staple food. It’s simply not a complete meal if it has no rice. It’s best to combine the types of rice served on the table to give you more nutrients needed by your body. You have to keep in mind that purple, brown, black, and red rice are more nutritionally denser than white rice. This means less sugar and lower calories consumed.
Use herbs and spices
Herbs and spices not only provide dishes better taste and flavors to foods; they are also known to provide healing for common ailments and promote general well-being. With Asian cuisine and eating habits, it’s about having a balanced diet. It’s not just what you eat, but also how and how much you eat. Health and wellness are not just anchored on healthy foods but even on physical activities like yoga or tai chi.
Eating seafood
The Asian food habit of consuming fish daily is supported by research. Fish is a good source of one of the healthiest oils and lean protein compared to other types of meat. You can have the fish fried, steamed, filleted, or cooked in a curry.
Culinary anthropologists and historians categorized Asian cuisines into three: northeast, southwest, and southeast styles. The southwest style includes Pakistan, India, and Sri Lankan cuisines while the northeast includes Korea, Japan, and China. Southeast cuisine has the largest combination which includes foods from Cambodia, Viet Nam, Laos, Cambodia, Malaysia, Indonesia, Brunei, and Singapore.
The southwest style has Persian-Arabian roots while the northeast style emphasizes the use of oils, sauces, and fats in cooking. Southeast style delves on the aroma and foods that are lightly prepared as well as the use of soy sauce in almost everything.