Every culture has its secrets for helping people
stay slim. Here are 17 unusual weight-loss tips from around the world
Losing weight around the world
Just about every culture has some custom that
can help people lose weight. For example, if you dine out in Europe, a
waiter generally sets a bottle of mineral water on your table. But at
restaurants here in Canada, you often have to request water and, as a result,
you may end up having pop or other drinks high in calories instead. Or you
might have one more glass of wine or beer than you would if you were
alternating sips with water. Here’s our collection of clever tips from 17
countries—call it an international healthy eating plan that can help us all.
Thailand: Eat spicy food
Thai food is among the spiciest in the world.
Hot peppers raise your metabolism, but the real benefit of food with a little
zing is that spicy food slows your eating. When you eat too fast, as many North
Americans do, by the time your body signals it’s full, you’ve overeaten. Eating
more slowly is a good weight-loss strategy, and making food spicier is an easy
way to do it.
Poland: Eat at home more often
Poles typically spend only five percent of
their family budget on eating out. On the other hand, the average Canadian
family
now spends almost 30 percent of total food dollars
at restaurants and fast-food joints, according to Statistics Canada. To save
money and pounds, start tracking how often you eat out and how much you spend
on those meals each month, then gradually cut back.
"People who eat out a lot tend to eat
less-healthy food and to be heavier," says Melodie Yong, dietitian for the
Heart and Lung Institute of St. Paul’s Hospital in Vancouver. In fact, the decline
of cooking at home, linked in part to the increasing number of women in the
workforce, tracks very closely with the rise in obesity over the past 30 years,
she
Brazil: Have rice and beans
All that shaking at Carnaval isn’t the only
body-friendly habit in Rio; Brazilians stay slim by enjoying this traditional
dish with just about every meal. A study in the journal Obesity
Research found that a
diet consisting primarily of rice and beans lowers the risk
of becoming overweight by about 14 percent when compared
with the typical Western fare. That’s because it’s lower in fat and higher in
fibre, which is thought to stabilize blood sugar levels. It may be
counterintuitive, but a diet full of beans equals a beach-ready body.
Netherlands: Ride your bike
Bikes outnumber people (at 18 million versus 16.5
million) in the Netherlands. While just 1.2 percent of work trips in Canada are
made by bicycle, 40 percent of the Dutch use their bikes for commuting. Traffic
lights in some parts of Amsterdam are even synchronized to bike speed. While
most Canadians have to deal with winter conditions, riding bikes in good
weather for errands, work or pleasure can help fend off weight gain.
"Casual riding for errands and commuting
can burn around 500 calories an hour, but if you up the exertion or add in
hill-climbing, you can burn up to 1,000 calories an hour," says Stephen
Cheung, an exercise physiologist at Brock University, who commutes by bike—a
34-kilometre round trip—nine months of the year.
Germany: Eat breakfast
An impressive 75 percent of Germans eatbreakfast daily, sitting down to whole-grain cereals,
breads and fruit. Nutritionists have been advising people against skipping
breakfast for years, but recent studies give a better picture of its
importance.
In one,
British researchers discovered that
if you haven’t eaten breakfast, your brain’s reward centre
will light up more vividly when you see a high-calorie food—making you likelier
to indulge.
"If you could make just one change to
impact the obesity epidemic, it would be to get everyone to eat
breakfast," says Dr. Arya Sharma, scientific director of the Canadian
Obesity Network.
Switzerland: Try a bowl of muesli
The ingredients in this porridge—oats, fruit
and nuts—have all been linked to better health and weight control. Muesli was developed by a Swiss physician more than
100 years ago to nourish hospital patients, but today the Swiss eat it for
breakfast or as a light evening snack. "Eating a lot of soluble ’fibre can
reduce bad cholesterol levels by
up to 10 percent," says dietitian Melodie Yong.
Muesli’s fibre makes it slow to digest, keeping you full
longer. But read the label carefully, though:
Sugar content can vary from two to 14 grams per serving.
United Kingdom: Eat smaller portions
In restaurants and at home, the Brits prefer
smaller portions—perhaps a lingering vestige of the frugality
instilled by World War II rationing. Nutritionists say supersizing a meal
supersizes you.
France: Don't rush your meals
The French excel at leisurely family meals. On average, 92 percent of French families
dine together nightly. These meals typically last 33 minutes during the week
and 43 minutes on weekends. In contrast, a 2007 Statistics Canada report noted
two trends in Canada over the past 20 years: a steep decline in the number of
families eating together, and shorter mealtimes. Although it sounds illogical,
lengthy meals actually encourage less eating. "It generally takes 20
minutes from the time you’re full for your brain to realize you’re full, so
taking longer to eat means you’ll end up eating less," says dietitian
Melodie Yong.
India: Do more yoga
Most Canadians respect yoga’s stress-busting and flexibility-enhancing
power, but not many of us realize it facilitates weight loss. In fact, a recent
study found that yoga devotees have a lower body mass index (BMI) than other
exercisers do. Some reasons why: Yoga is best done on an empty stomach and can
build muscle (depending on your preferred poses), which boosts metabolism. And
it encourages mindfulness, which includes paying attention to whether you feel
full.
Russia: Grow your own food
Country houses, or dachas, where 51 percent of
city dwellers spend vacations and summer weekends, almost always feature
a garden. Russians, who live in a similar climate to
Canada’s, grow their own vegetables and fruit, which automatically makes their
diet more nutritious. Plus, they preserve what they grow.
Finland: Try Nordic walking
This is one of the Finns’ favourite outdoor
activities. All that’s required is a pair of inexpensive, lightweight walking poles. Holding these in your hands aids
balance, which is great if you’re older or if you’re on slippery terrain. Even
better: Because they make you use muscles in your shoulders, arms and torso,
the poles transform walking into a total-body workout that burns 20 percent
more calories. A number of recent studies show that Nordic walking increases
the number of calories you burn by up to 65 percent, without the feeling of
working harder. No matter what the time of year, it’s a simple way to derive
more fat-reducing benefit from your regular walk.
Mexico: Eat a big lunch
Instead of ingesting the bulk of the day’s
calories in the evening, Mexicans traditionally eat their biggest meal between
2 and
4 p.m. If you eat less at night, you’ll wake up
hungrier and eat a bigger breakfast, which facilitates weight control. As a
general fat-fighting rule, try to get the bulk of your daily calories at
breakfast and lunch.
Malaysia: Cook with tumeric
This spice, a key ingredient in curries, grows wild in
Malaysian jungles. One of its chief components is a substance called curcumin,
which may turn out to be a potent fat fighter. A recent study from Tufts
University in Boston found that mice fed a high-fat diet with small amounts of
curcumin gained less weight and body fat than other mice given meals that were
similar but curcumin-free. Researchers think the ingredient suppresses the
growth of fat tissue. Try some turmeric in your next curry or stir-fry
Hungary: Eat more pickles
Hungarians like things pickled—not just
cucumbers but bell peppers, cabbage and tomatoes. All of these brined beauties
can help keep you thin, probably because of
the vinegar that pickles them. Growing evidence suggests
that acetic acid, the main component of vinegar, helps reduce blood pressure, blood sugar levels and fat formation. If
you’re watching your sodium intake, though, check the product label—pickled
foods can be high in salt.
Norway: Spend time outdoors
It’s a deeply rooted Norwegian habit: On
Sunday, everyone—from toddlers to grandparents—heads out to hike (in summer) or
cross-country ski (in winter). By comparison, in 2007, Statistics Canada found
that
in the past 20 years, Canadian families have
been spending less time on such activities. So start this weekend tradition and
get everyone out for awalk in the neighbourhood or a hike up the nearest
hill.
Japan: Take a nap
In this on-the-go country, many people take a
daily 20- to 30-minute nap, says James Maas, a sleep researcher at
Cornell University and the author of Power Sleep. There is increasing evidence
that chronic sleep deprivation raises the risk of weight gain. Maas cites two
hormones: leptin, which helps the brain sense when you’re full, and ghrelin,
which triggers hunger. The less sleep you get, the lower your leptin levels—and
the higher your ghrelin. "Many people think they’re hungry when they’re
actually sleepy," Maas says. "Instead of a snack, they need shut-eye."
South Africa: Drink rooibos tea
Enjoyed throughout the country, rooibos tea is
more robust than green tea, and it’s naturally sweet. Swapping your specialty coffee
for rooibos tea or any hot drink without cream or sugar could save you
thousands
of
calories a month. "Liquid calories sneak up on us," says Toronto
dietitian Sue Mah. "Even a cup of fruit juice has over 100 calories. Cut
out 100 calories a day from food or drinks and you could lose 10 pounds in one
year."
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