Traditional diets have developed over thousands and thousands of years

All over the world traditional diets are changing especially in countries that have new found prosperity and that are embracing modern lifestyles. The pace of change is so quick these days that many countries and individuals do not have time to work out consider the implications of changing diets. For example in Japan the amount of rice eaten has dropped by 50 percent over the last 60 years and this has greatly impacted on the health of the Japanese people.

Rice is an extremely good food to eat because it is low in fat and very filling. Today Japanese people, especially the younger generation are turning to unhealthy fatty foods such as McDonald’s and Burger King instead of the traditional boiled rice, vegetables and sushi. Another problem is that the production of rice in Japan is now managed by very old rice farmers whose children tend to want to go to cities and get modern jobs as opposed to working in the paddy fields.

Japan is not alone in Asia as many other Asian countries have suffered from great changes in their diet and as a result obesity is becoming far more prevalent in the region now than it was in any time of history. The Chinese government for example is greatly alarmed by the number of obese children in China and is coming up with measures to combat it. In Japan the government is so worried about the dwindling rice consumption which they know will lead to unhealthy diets and obese people that they have even opened a museum in Tokyo which is designed to educate the Japanese people about rice and how to cook it. 

In countries like Greece in the Mediterranean which traditionally had some of the world’s most healthy diets the onset of fast food has wreaked havoc with the nation’s health. The Greek people are among the most obese in Europe and this phenomenon has only happened since the arrival of processed and refined food in the country. Previously the diet of fruit and vegetables along with fish and lots of other natural produce made sure that the people of Greece were among the healthiest in Europe.

Traditional diets have developed over thousands and thousands of years and are nutritious as well as tasty. You should be careful about modern food which is packaged and ready to eat because it is likely to be laden with extra sugar, salt and other additives.