Types of cooking

fruit vegetables fish meat

chicken, corn, garlic, cod, peach, pork, carrot, strawberry, salmon, grapefruit, lettuce, cabbage

A health time bomb!

In some parts of the world, it is easy to have an unhealthy diet. Snacks, ready meals and fast food are everywhere but they contain a lot of calories. This is causing health problems like obesity, heart disease, diabetes, strokes and cancer. One North American scientist said, ‘If people don’t improve their diets, they will die younger than their parents and grandparents. We must learn about healthy eating from other countries.’

The Japanese live longer than other nationalities – and they have the lowest levels of obesity. A typical Japanese meal has a lot of fish and fresh vegetables but they don’t eat much meat. Fish like salmon, mackerel and tuna are popular. These contain Omega 3, which is very good for our hearts, brains and eyes. Like most people in Asia, the Japanese get their carbohydrates from rice. Another important part of a Japanese diet is soy beans. These contain a lot of protein and they help to prevent some cancers

A health time bomb!

A Mediterranean diet has a lot of fresh fish, fruit and vegetables like peppers, courgettes and aubergines. Bread, pasta or couscous are also an important part of the diet. The fish and vegetables are often barbecued or grilled. Olive oil is used for fired food – this is healthier than using animal fat. Not a lot of red meat or dairy like butter and eggs are eaten. Scientific research shows that a diet with this balance of food helps people to live long, healthy lives.

In northern European countries like Finland and Sweden, people have one of the world’s healthiest diets: a Nordic diet. It includes roasted or stewed reindeer meat, berries, fish, vegetables and rye bread. Reindeer move about freely outside so their meat is low in fat and high in protein. A lot of boiled or steamed cabbage has got a lot of vitamins and minerals but very few calories and almost no fat.