East Asian Food, Remedy for Diseases Caused by American Dream

American Dream in the United States leads to the development of capitalism, which demanded "efficient food". Saving time to cook or eat was important to Americans, and this resulted in the occurrence of fast food culture that can quickly full the stomach. Additionally, they pursued a high-calorie diet, which is made up of red meats and dessert, to gain the reward of working hard and the power to work in the future. Most of these fast food and high calorie diets are unhealthy or nutritionally unbalanced, causing health problems such as cancer, skin diseases, obesity, diabetes and weakening of immunity. Indeed, the average rate of obesity in the United States was about 30% in 2018, the importance of health is emerging in American society. The East Asian diet has attracted attention as a solution to this problem. Spring roll, beef & broccoli, bulgogi, fried rice, and sushi are some examples that are popular in American nowadays.

<Image that shows rate of obesity in the United States and East Asia>

             So why East Asian food can be the remedy for Americans’ unhealthy diet? First of all, Asian cuisine is much healthier in the cooking process and seasoning they use. The Asian food is mainly stir-fried or steamed, and this type of cooking requires less oil than American fried food, therefore has fewer fats. It is also excellent for nutrient preservation because it is cooked at relatively low temperature in a short time. Even in spices, Asian food is healthier. Soy sauce is often used instead of salt, which has a higher sodium content than soy sauce.

Secondly, Unlike the American diet, the Asian diet contains a lot of vegetables. The American diet, as I said before, is meat-based and relatively low content in vegetables. On the other hand, vegetables are often used as main dish in East Asia. If you eat too much meat, it can lead to heart disease, cancer, diabetes, and obesity. Vegetable reduces the possibility of these diseases, and contains good ingredients such as fiber, vitamins and minerals.

               Finally, the United States and Asia also differ in the type of beverage they consume.  Due to fast food culture, soda consumption is very high in the United States. In 2018, the United States consumed 191 liters of carbonated drink, which is the highest consumption in the world. These carbonated beverages are not good for the body, so some people in America started to drink carbonated water instead of them. But these sparkling water also causes reflux esophagitis and can be a threat to dental health. Asia, of course, is affected by the United States and drink plenty of sodas, but they have an unique tea culture. Teas such as burdock tea, oolong tea, green tea, flower tea and so on, help digestion and urinary system function well. Also, tea have the efficacy of disinfection and eliminates fat, therefore prevents obesity. 

                                            

These Oriental diets are spreading and affecting American society and other foreign countries. For example in Korea, Kimchi can’t be eliminated from Korean diet. They eat it almost every day. Since this one is low in calories, contains a lot of dietary fiber and burns fat, it is good for diet. Because of this efficacy, there is also a site that promotes Korean diet using Kimchi toward western people(http://thekoreandiet.com/korean-diet-plan/). From this fact, we can assume that Asia is not merely influenced by the American Dream but building its own culture and influencing the United States and other countries.