Listen to this article Food Fights
Everywhere on earth there are "food specialists" with different or opposite views on the best kinds of nutrition for various purposes. A lot of people believe the most healthful diets are high in fiber, vitamins, and minerals but low in fat, cholesterol, sugar, and salt. Some nutritionists say the perfect eating plan contains mostly carbohydrates without much protein. In contrast, other scientists say people need high-protein meals with meat, chicken, fish, or milk products and only small amounts of grains, potatoes, breads, rice, and noodles. One famous diet plan allows only certain foods at certain times--protein with protein, carbohydrates with carbohydrates, fruits alone, and so on. Some eaters stay away from all meat and maybe even fish and milk products. They get their protein from plants, mostly beans. Others want only high-fiber food. These people may not eat white bread or white rice or even cooked vegetables. So what is the best way to eat and be healthy? The discussion of this topic will go on far into the future.
The necessary substances and elements for human life and health are water, protein, carbohydrates, fats, vitamins, and minerals. Most kinds of food contain some or all of these nutrients, but they are not all the same in their effects on people. Various ingredients and dishes affect the mind in different ways, and some kinds of nourishment have better effects on the brain than others. For instance, can broccoli increase brain power? Maybe so. Low levels of some of the B-vitamins can cause a decrease in memory and thinking ability, nutritionists say, but dark green vegetables contain a lot of these nutrients. Another example of a "memory helper" is lecithin--a substance from soybeans, also found in high-fiber foods like nuts and whole grains. High-protein foods influence the mind in more helpful ways than dishes high in sugar and carbohydrates. And the caffeine in coffee or tea may help thinking. Of course, its effects don't last long.
In many places outside big cities, food with more than four legs is part of good, nutritious home cooking. Fried or grilled ants are a tasty but expensive snack in Columbia, South America. In various parts of Mexico, over 300 types of insects serve as food. In southern Africa, many people like to eat at least one kind of caterpillar or worm. They enjoy it fried, dried, or cooked in tomato sauce. In Thailand, cooks create a spicy hot-pepper sauce with water bugs. In Vietnam, grasshoppers filled with peanuts are a special dish. And in some regions of China, bugs are not only a part of meals but an important ingredient in medicine too. Most kinds of insects have high nutritional value. They contain a lot of protein, vitamins, and minerals. Many people like their taste. They are everywhere on the planet. They add to the variety of people's diets. For several reasons, insects are an important kind of food in the global diet, and they will become a more common ingredient in the future.
The growing similarities in diet and eating habits around the world are influencing people of various cultures in different ways. For example, Western foods are damaging health in the industrialized island country of Japan. Instead of small meals of seafood, rice, and vegetables, the typical Japanese diet now includes large amounts of meat, dairy products (like whole-milk ice cream), and desserts like tiramisu, a rich Italian dessert full of chocolate, cheese, and sugar. According to Japanese health researchers, such changes in eating habits are related to a great increase in health problems such as heart disease, strokes, cancer, and diabetes. On the other hand, the changing global diet is having the opposite effect on the people in the Czech Republic. The government of this European nation no longer supports meat and dairy products financially, so the cost of these foods is going up. In contrast, fresh fruits and vegetables are becoming more widely available from private markets and stands. Cooks are even serving salads to schoolchildren, and families are eating more nutritious home-cooked meals. For these reasons, fewer Czech men are having heart attacks, the women are losing a lot of weight, and most people are living healthier lives.
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