5 healthy world foods

[bhchao]

Tofu, Greek yogurt, Indian lentils, kimchi, and Spanish olive oil have been named as healthy foods. The original source Health magazine called them the world's healthiest. However I think that is pushing it.

http://times.hankooki.com/lpage/culture/200604/kt2006042017004111680.htm

Tofu seems like an easy choice. I frequently eat soon doo boo, with clams or oysters.

Has anyone tasted Greek yogurt?

[novemberfog]

I have to agree with the list for the most part, but depending on what the definition of healthy is, it could be altered. For a person on a whole food diet, the yogurt and olive oil would be out. But if we are just talking about foods that are good for the body as a whole, then this list is good. Tofu and other soy based products such as miso are good for your body, as well as your skin. Lentils are an excellent source of protein, and quite filling as well. They are also very flavorful, and can be eaten as the main dish. A lentil and tofu diet can replace meat in one's diet. Oils are also very important for the body, especially in areas with colder climates. Oils from fish are very healthy, as well as the olive oil as was listed.

I am curious about the benefits of kim chee, as they were not listed. I know that pickled foods like kim chee are supposed to be very healthy. Does kim chee help fight illnesses? I have always enjoyed it just because it complements rice so well, but now I am curious about the health benefits. Perhaps I will have to start eating it daily?

I have never had greek yogurt before, however. I would like to try it, however I doubt anywhere in my town. It is hard enough to find basic foreign products!

[bhchao]

I am curious about the benefits of kim chee, as they were not listed. I know that pickled foods like kim chee are supposed to be very healthy. Does kim chee help fight illnesses? I have always enjoyed it just because it complements rice so well, but now I am curious about the health benefits.

Kimchee and sauerkraut are alike in that both undergo fermentation by bacteria after shredding the cabbage, mixing it with salt, and sealing the contents in a tight container to prevent exposure to oxygen. Kimchi used to be stored underground in tight containers during cold weather.

The chili pepper, onion, and garlic in kimchee have health benefits, and the fiber of the Chinese cabbage aids in digestion. The chili peppers in kimchee has a substance called capsaicin that reduces blood cholesterol levels.

Sauerkraut, which is a little similar to kimchi, may have healing effects against bird flu: http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1521835/posts What does sauerkraut taste like?

[novemberfog]

Sauerkraut is hard to describe--it is an entirely unique taste, in my opinion. I have tasted nothing else like it, so I don't know how to describe it other than as "sauerkraut". It does not have a very strong taste like picked daikon (the pink or the yellow one). I believe the type of vinegar used is different from rice or plum vinegars though, perhaps apple vinegar? In german cooking, apple vinegar is quite common. Of course there are several types of sauerkraut based on the cabbagge, white and red being the most common I have seen in North America and Japan. I am sure in Europe there are even more varities.

What amazes me is that my Japanese colleagues eat plenty of pickled and fermented foods, such as daikon and cucumber and other vegetables, but they absolutely cannot stand saurkraut. If we go out for german food, that is good for me though since they just eat the sausages and I can go at the saurkraut as a I please. The sausages are filled with fats, and the sauerkraut helps with the digestion. Could it be the secret to why our German brethren can enjoy delicious beer and fine sausages without building up so much fat?

[liuzhou]

Greek Yogurt is something I miss very much! Thick rich and creamy! Chinese yogurt is like water!

[wushijiao]

By the way, if you want some good nutrition info, this page is pretty good:

http://www.whfoods.com/foodstoc.php?PHPSESSID=4e3f0ca658e663bbafd78f56b33c9ef5

[bhchao]

Could it be the secret to why our German brethren can enjoy delicious beer and fine sausages without building up so much fat?

Just like how red wine could be the secret to why the French could thrive on fatty cheese and butter, and still be slim.

By the way, if you want some good nutrition info, this page is pretty good:

http://www.whfoods.com/foodstoc.php?...d78f56b33c9ef5

Thanks wushijiao. I love Whole Foods. probably the best thing that came out of Texas.

[wushijiao]

This seems to show that kimchi's health benefits are lost if eaten in excess:

"Among the papers not to be found in the vast library of the kimchi museum is one published in June 2005 in the Beijing-based World Journal of Gastroenterology titled "Kimchi and Soybean Pastes Are Risk Factors of Gastric Cancer."

The researchers, all South Korean, report that kimchi and other spicy and fermented foods could be linked to the most common cancer among Koreans. Rates of gastric cancer among Koreans and Japanese are 10 times higher than in the United States.

"We found that if you were a very, very heavy eater of kimchi, you had a 50% higher risk of getting stomach cancer," said Kim Heon of the department of preventive medicine at Chungbuk National University and one of the authors. "It is not that kimchi is not a healthy food — it is a healthy food, but in excessive quantities there are risk factors."

"Nutritionist Park, who in addition to the Kimchi Research Institute heads the Korea Kimchi Assn. and the Korean Society for Cancer Prevention, said that traditionally, kimchi contained a great deal of salt, which could combine with red pepper to form a carcinogen."

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-kimchi21may21,0,1528389,full.story?coll=la-home-nation

[bhchao]

I was about to post this article wushijiao

Eating anything in excessive amounts on a daily basis is always unhealthy. Protein is good for your body, but if your intake of it is excessive, the protein will turn to unhealthy fat.

[flameproof]

Greek Yogurt is something I miss very much! Thick rich and creamy! Chinese yogurt is like water!

Get a cheese cloth and get the water out. That's what I do to get "Quark".

I wonder why "Spanish olive oil" is mentioned and Italian one is not? And why are fruits not mentioned at all? Are they that bad? I think the whole report is BS.

[bhchao]

Here is a fairly objective analysis of the benefits and drawbacks of eating kimchi.

http://english.chosun.com/w21data/html/news/200606/200606050015.html

One drawback is that you need plenty of salt for pickling. For every 60 grams of kimchi during a meal, you consume 3-4 grams of salt or a total of 9-12 grams of salt a day. Thus eating kimchi can make you consume more salt than the WHO’s current wisdom recommends, which is 10 grams a day. Salty food supposedly increases the risk of gastritis, gastric ulcers and hypertension. It is therefore best to eat kimchi made with the minimum of salt needed to stop it from rotting, while patients with high blood pressure should reduce their kimchi intake.

[liuzhou]

Get a cheese cloth and get the water out.

That would not turn Chinese yoghurt into anything resembling Greek Yoghurt.