Friday, January 15, 2010

Weight Loss Secrets

The Reader's Digest had a couple AWESOME articles this month. Today I'm going to highlight their article "Weight Loss Secrets from around the world" by Joe Kita. It's safe to say that we are not the only people who are trying to manage our weight and our health. A global poll was done and these are the results.

Every culture has their own way of managing weight in a sense. There are traditions that govern the way we eat, when we eat, how much we eat and what we eat. I thought is was SO COOL. My family actually buys into a lot of these things already and we are excited to try out a few others as well!!

THAILAND: Like spicy food? Thailand is the place for you. They've got some of the spiciest food in the world! Now I've always known that spicy food raises your metabolism but this article says that it's not just that but that because of the spicy food, you eat SLOWER!! Which is a great habit!!

UNITED KINGDOM: We've all heard about fast food sizes being completely over the top huge right?! Well in the UK you won't be ASKED about super sizing your meal. They prefer smaller portions. A large Coke in the US has 100 more calories than one in the UK!

BRAZIL: Rice and beans are served with practically EVERY MEAL! Low in fat, high in fiber! Brazilians are well known for having beautiful beach bods!!

INDONESIA: Fast. As in, skip a meal or two every now and then. They fast from dawn to dusk. They connect this with breaking mindless eating patterns.

POLAND: {Can I just say that I SWEAR by this one? LOVE IT!} Poles spend about 5% {got that?} of their budget eating out!!! In comparison, the average American family spends 37%!!! Seriously. Knock it off!

GERMANY: {again, one I can't encourage enough...} EAT BREAKFAST!!! 75% of Germans eat breakfast DAILY. Yeah, just 44% of American claim the same! What are they eating? Fruit, Whole-grain cereals and breads.

NETHERLANDS: These people know how to get around... on a bike that is!! BIKES outnumber people! 54% of Dutch use their bikes DAILY!! The average Dutchman pedals 541 miles per year! AND they also consume about 85 MILLION herring per year!!! Herring is one of those oily fishes that has a lot of omega-3 fatty acids.

SWITZERLAND: Muesli: porridge made from oats, fruit and nuts. The Swiss eat it for breakfast or evening dish. Loads of fiber and those ingredients are all linked to better health and weight control.

RUSSIA: Grow your own fruits & veggies! Eat them. Can them. They're SO good for you!

MALAYSIA: Curry. {oh, I LOVE curry} Studies with mice have shown that the ingredients in curry gained less weight. But besides that, curry just rocks!

HUNGARY: Pickled things {cucumbers, bell peppers, cabbage, tomatoes...} can help reduce blood pressure, blood sugar levels and the formation of fat!

NORWAY: I think I need to move to Norway; I'd fit right in!! EVERYONE {no matter the season} goes on a hike on Sunday, well practically everyone! They go walking, hiking, cross country skiing... GREAT; sign me up!

INDIA: Yoga. Yoga is awesome! I love yoga! It is great for stress, flexibility & it facilitates weight loss too!

JAPAN: Apparently everyone in Japan takes a 20-30 minute nap every day! Chronic sleep deprivation raises the risk of weight gain. Who knew?!

FINLAND: Nordic walking. {Okay Norway, I may have to choose Finland instead... sorry}. Basically it's hiking with poles or sticks any time of year. Because you're using poles you are burning more calories too. Plus your OUTSIDE getting loads of fresh air. I'm convinced!!

MEXICO: My husband has been telling me this for YEARS!! 1. Eat breakfast. 2. Eat a BIG lunch {between 2-4}. 3. Eat a SMALL dinner. Well, here it is in writing. Here's the thought. You eat the majority of your calories between 2-4 and you burn them off during the day. Eat a small dinner and you'll be hungry in the morning and actually eat breakfast every day. Makes a lot of sense!

So. There you have it. Tips from around the world! Thank you Joe Kita for this article. I loved it!

3 comments:

karen@fitnessjourney said...

I'm on board with everything except the fasting-Mama loves to eat!

Paxton said...

Hey, I blog stalked you off of Serenity's blog. I am TOTALLY in love with your blog! I am going to try really hard to be more fit this year and eat healthier. We tend to get off track in my family because we move a lot and find it hard to restock our ENTIRE kitchen every time, so we always end up eating out of boxes or eating out :-(
Thanks for all the ideas here I'm excited to try some things out!

Tiffany said...

Great tips...Thanks Leslie for sharing!

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