There’s no doubt that the standard Western diet leaves much to be desired. Though we have some of the best access to incredible fresh foods, 93 per cent of Australians don’t eat the recommended five serves of vegetables a day.
As today is World Food Day, we’re taking a look at the world around us to see what we can learn from the healthy eating practices of others. From sustainability to gut health, here are some standouts. Post your own below!
(And check out the World Food Day website for information on how to combat food insecurity in your neighbourhood and across the globe.)
Ferments at breakfast.
Fermented foods contain healthy bacteria that’s great for promoting good gut health and fighting off harmful microbes.
When our social media manager Lee visited Japan recently, she was intrigued by the practice of eating nattō, fermented soybeans, with breakfast. While nattō is an acquired taste, you could stimulate your digestion with apple cider vinegar or a small amount of kimchi.
Oh-em-ghee!
Never tried ghee before? We like to think of it as butter on crack – ridiculously creamy, golden and with an almost caramel flavour.
Ghee is popular in South Asian cuisines, from frying off spices to adding it to Basmati rice to make kedgeree. As well as being super satiating, ghee is rich in vitamins and the saturated fat content even helps your body absorb the vitamins in your veggies.
Smaller fish to fry.
Westerners often turn their noses up at “smelly” small fish varieties, like sardines. But the fact is, smaller fish varieties are more sustainable than top-of-the-food-chain fish like tuna and salmon (no wonder they’re Sarah’s favourite).
The Mediterranean diet is full of these small fries, which are jam-packed with omega-3 fatty acids linked to heart health, brain function and fighting inflammation. Is it any surprise that this diet is linked to increased longevity?
Eggs over easy.
The Western low-fat craze had us all scared of eggs. Yet a huge study from CSIRO now shows that the vitamin-packed little bundles likely won’t affect your cholesterol – in fact, they say it’s healthy to eat eggs everyday, yolks and all!
Middle Eastern cultures didn’t miss a trick. One of the most famous – and delicious – Middle Eastern dishes is shakshuka, simply eggs poached in tomatoes and spices. Simple and perfect for any time of day.
Holy cacao.
Chocolate gets a bad wrap, but it’s only unhealthy if you eat it with all the added sugar and vegetable fats found in a lot of store-bought chocs. Cacao (the unprocessed, raw stuff) is actually linked to health benefits like reduced heart disease, insulin resistance and stroke.
The Mayans believed that cacao was holy, and treated it as such, consuming it as a dark thick beverage with cornmeal and chilli. Similar atoles still exist in Mexico today.
Anti-Inflammatory Hot Chocolate
Bush tucker.
Sometimes the healthiest foods are right under your nose. Native Australian foods are incredibly nutritious, like kangaroo (very high in protein) and Kakadu plums (the highest amount of vitamin C known to man – 600 times that of oranges!).
What’s more, native foods have been cultivated by the Indigenous people for more than 50,000 years, so they’re very sustainable, too. We could all learn something from that!
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