Tradition and eating habits worldwide

I've always be curious of the nutrition and health habits in different countries. This may be from recognising them when going away on holiday, but from this i'd like to identify these habits and traditions, looking at the effects they have on the population.

Let's start with France...

One thing that the french are known for is drinking wine. Red wine is actually healthy for the heart and although shouldn't be consumed in high quantities, it does help prevent heart disease as it increases levels of the good cholesterol. So, the fact that they enjoy a few glasses of wine with their lunch most days is a habit which is surprisingly going to fall in their favour.

Compared to us in Britain, the french take time out of their day to sit down and enjoy a sociable, long and more nutritious lunch. Even shopkeepers will close up for a few hours to do this. French women are stereotypically seen as being skinny and healthy, and this is probably due to the fact that snacking is less likely to occur because of the time taken out to enjoy a meal- which is different to Britain where we often have lunch on the go which may only result in a small sandwich.

And then there's Spain...

The Spanish take siesta's in the afternoon which involve a few hours of sleep and rest mid-day. This usually occurs when the sun is at it's hottest. The spanish tend to eat dinner rather late- around 9.30pm - which would be the most comfortable time to eat as it is cooler then. However, research has shown that eating too late is not good because the stomach is still working to digest lots of food which can cause a sleepless and uncomfortable night.

The spanish have a Mediterranean diet which consists of lots of vegetables, lentils and fresh herbs. As well as eating lots of fish and lean meats which is more nutritious than heavier red meats.

The Japanese...

In Japan, the diet consists of a low amount of saturated fats and high amounts of fibre and vitamins. Examples include sushi which consists of seaweed and tofu being high in iodine and protein, and the rice which is filling.

Compared to other countries, Japanese people consume less dairy, milk and butter which is potentially one of the reasons behind the extremely low obesity rate. They drink lots of green tea which is full of nutrients and antioxidants, so improves brain function and helps with fat loss.





I personally like the idea of the French's long and sociable lunches as well as their consumption of red wine as a casual matter. I love sleep - especially naps during the day - so the Spanish tradition of taking a siesta would be enjoyed immensely. How about you? What tradition or variety of food from different countries would you enjoy?

Following on from the calculation

The calculation, which we have talked about before, works out how many calories is needed on a daily basis and can be used to be more specific with nutrition requirements. This short post will show you how to work out in grams the amount of fat, carbohydrates and protein you should be consuming.

I will use myself as an example to explain this process:

The calories I should be consuming when I am at complete rest is 1522, however I will add approximately 100-200 onto this because of the level of exercise I carry out. So let's say approximately 1700 calories. The percentage of carbohydrates, fats and protein which I should be consuming is 65% carbs, 15% fats and 20% protein. Using this information, I broke down the calculation below:

Carbohydrates: 0.65 x 1700= 1105 Kcals (I should consume 1105 calories from carbs)

Fats: 0.15 x 1700= 255 Kcals (I should consume 255 calories from fats)

Proteins: 0.20 x 1700= 340 Kcals (I should consume 340 calories from proteins)

See how I have put the percentages into decimals: eg. 65% is 0.65. 

Then, to find out how many grams is needed of these three components, the calories worked out above is divided by the amount of calories in 1 gram of each component (these have been highlighted): 

Carbohydrates- 1105 ÷ 4 = 406 grams

Fats- 255 ÷ 9 = 41 grams 

Proteins- 340 ÷ 4 = 125 grams 

This shows how much of carbs, fats and proteins in grams I should be consuming when at complete rest. This calculation can be used for working out the grams when not at complete rest - all you have to do is use the calculated calorie intake instead of using the at rest calorie requirement.

I'd love to find out your results and if this post was helpful. If you need any help with the calculations please let me know!

A useful calculation...

If you want to start to take control over the amount of food that goes into your body then a great way to start is to have an understanding of how many calories you need on a day to day basis. The amount, which everyone has in their mind, is 2000 calories, however this is an average recommendation. The calculation, that can be used to work out how many calories you need if you are carrying out NO exercise at all during the day, is the following:

        Men:                                                               Women:

        10-17 y/o  = 17.7 x W + 657                             10-17 y/o  = 13.4 x W + 692

        18-29 y/o  = 15.1 x W + 692                             18-29 y/o  = 13.4 x W + 487 

        30+ y/o     =11.5 x W + 873                               30+ y/o    =  8.3 x W + 846    

                                          

                                         W= Body weight in kilograms 

As well as this, if you have a more muscular physique, then you should be adding approximately 100-150 calories extra onto the result, which you have calculated. 

Now having this result in mind, you can understand that if you are carrying out any form of physical activity, this result will need to be increased to replace the energy lost during exercise.

This calculation will give you the amount of calories which is good for you per day and this can then help you take control over your own diet. Once you know the amount of calories needed, you can start to adapt this figure to fit in with your fitness levels and other aims such as weight loss or weight gain.

Let me know your findings!