WORLD'S HEALTHIEST DIET

                                          WORLD'S HEALTHIEST DIET

It is an established fact that the Japanese, and particularly the Okinawan Japanese, have the world's record for longevity.  This is understadable, looking at the traditional Japanese diet.  The Medityerranean diet offers some of the same benefits. Traditionally, the Japanese diet was based on fish, with other products of the sea, vegetables, rice, and fruit.  The Mediterranean diet adds olive oil and occasional meat.

There are many cogent reasons in today's environment for becoming a vegetarian/pescetarian.  The over-consumption of meat and dairy products by Americans, plus reliance on junk food, has contributed to the U.S. having the highest incidence of diabetes, obesity, heart disease and cancer of any industrial nation.

Other reasons also indicate the benefits of a pescetarian/vegetarian diet.  Animals today are fed grains, usually corn,, rather than their natural diet of grass. Hormones and anti-biotics fed to cattle, hogs and chickens often foster drug-resistant diseases. Half the agricultural land in the U.S. is devoted to animal feed. Moreover, three and a half ounces of fish contain the same amount of protein as three and a half ounces of chicken or beef.

One caveat about fish consumption is that our oceans are now polluted and over-fished.  Large fish such as tuna contain a high mercury content. Using the Monterey Bay Aquarium Fish list can help to ensure that a particular fish is safe to consume.

These concerns do not even address spiritual or ethical considerations that deter many vegetarians from eating meat.  Seeing chickens force-fed or calves cooped up in cramped pens and fed grains causes many to avoid meat consumption.

Arguments abound for eating organic rather than genetically altered grains and vegetables, since these crops have increasing amounts of cancer-inducing chemical additives and are increasingly taking over agricultural land. Indications are that because of all these concerns, many individuals are turning to growing their own vegetables if they have garden space.

Added to all these concerns, I have lived and worked in Japan for a total of ten years and in India for three and a half years, and my diet has evolved partly under the influence of the cuisines of those two countries. I have also spent many months living and working in Southeast Asia, so Thai and Chinese methods of cooking have also crept into my diet.

For all these reasons I have become a pescetarian/vegetarian, the world's healthiest diet. If served meat by a friend I usually do consume it, but this does not alter my preference. I have written a cookbook as yet unpublished, Solo Cooking for a Sustainable Planet. It is unique in combining a pescetariian approach with a concern for sustainability of the planet. Future blog posts will include some of my favorite recipes, begining with some of the twleve healthiest foods, according to the Harvard Women's Health Watch.