Many people believe that people in Asia eat a healthier diet than people in other parts of the planet. Numerous foods considered as “superfoods” come from traditional Asian diets, such as kimchi, seaweeds, and green tea. Asia is big, so it covers a lot of territories, both in a geographical and culinary sense. Therefore, there isn’t a single “Asian diet,” but there is definitely a common eating pattern among traditional Asian foods. Almost all traditional Asian diets consist of rice, vegetables, noodles, strong spices, fruits, herbs tofu and soy products, as well as seafood in coastal areas.
So, how is Asian food better than other food in many parts of the world, especially the United States? Let’s take a look at the typical food consumed in both Asia (particularly Southeast and East Asia) and in the United States for comparison.
Breakfast
Asia: white rice, rice porridge, sticky rice, pickled vegetables, seaweed, vegetable buns, bread, tofu, soymilk.
The US: cereal with milk, ham, cheese, eggs, bagel with butter or cream cheese, pancakes, toast, waffles, croissants, sausage, donuts, coffee.
Lunch
Asia: white rice with small portions of vegetables, meat, or fish, a variation of noodles (stir-fried or soup), wrapped rice in