Asian Cuisine: 10 Reasons It Is So Healthy
In many Asian cultures, food has long been seen as more than mere nourishment - it is part of the daily care for body and wellbeing. And there really is a lot in Asian food culture we could take a leaf out of. Here are 10 reasons why Asian food is considered so healthy.
Why is Asian food so healthy in the first place?
First things first: there is no single “Asian cuisine”, just as there is no single “European cuisine”. The culinary habits of an entire continent are made up of many national kitchens - the South and East Asian ones (Thai, Vietnamese, Chinese, Japanese), the Central Asian ones (Afghan, Mongolian, Tibetan) and of course the cuisines of the Indian subcontinent (Pakistani, Sri Lankan and more). What they all share are a few staple ingredients, plenty of spices and a high share of fresh, plant-based foods. Here are 10 examples.
1. Rice: lots of nutrients, few calories
Rice is the staple of Asian cuisine and lands on almost every plate daily, from Japan to Uzbekistan. It contains little fat and few calories (depending on the variety, around 120 calories per 100 g of cooked rice), but plenty of complex carbohydrates that are digested slowly and keep you full for a long time. On top of that, rice provides B vitamins, magnesium and various amino acids. The most nutrient-rich is brown rice (natural rice): because it is unpolished, it still has the silverskin, which holds particularly many minerals and vitamins.
A little beauty tip on the side: in many Asian countries fermented rice water is traditionally used for hair care - the proteins it contains are said to add grip and bounce.
2. Little meat, lots of vegetables
Do not let the takeaway around the corner with its multiple-fried pork in brown sauce fool you. Away from the industrial centres, traditional Asian cuisine uses little and rather lean meat. It is not the culinary centrepiece but more of a topping or side. Real Asian cuisine is rich in fresh vegetables and herbs, plus good oil, fish and soy products - a colourful mix with plenty of vitamins and plant protein.
3. The preparation: why wok cooking is so popular
It cannot be missing from any Asian household: the wok is hugely practical and up to almost any kitchen task - it can fry, deep-fry, steam, braise, blanch and boil. Even its shape is clever: the wok only gets really hot at the bottom, while the temperature stays moderate around the rim. Thanks to constant stirring, finely cut ingredients are only briefly seared and otherwise cook gently at the edge. This helps heat-sensitive vitamins stay better preserved. There is also a lot of steaming, for example in bamboo baskets or in banana and pandan leaves.
4. Spicy food: more than just panting
It is no secret that Asian cuisine is not stingy with chilli, ginger and co. The capsaicin in chilli creates the typical spicy stimulus, to which the body responds among other things by releasing endorphins - so spicy food can lift your mood. At the same time spiciness leads to a feeling of heat and to sweating. In hot regions people have made use of this for thousands of years, because sweating cools the body.
Still, moderation pays off: too much capsaicin can irritate the stomach and oesophagus, especially in sensitive people - and that is best avoided.
5. Oils and fats: sparing and high-quality
Oils are flavour carriers - yet Asian cuisine gets by with very sparing amounts. Fresh herbs, roots, miso and curry paste create an aromatic taste experience even without much fat. Unsaturated fatty acids from soy and sesame oil are frequently used. Opinions are divided on the popular coconut oil: it contains few unsaturated fatty acids but, in good quality, a high share of lauric acid, which also occurs in breast milk.
6. Soy: versatile and protein-rich
The soybean too appears in many forms on the plate: as tofu, harvested unripe as edamame, or as soy sauce. Soy is rich in plant protein and provides, among other things, vitamins E, B1 and B6, calcium and potassium as well as trace elements like zinc, iron, selenium and copper.
7. Few to no dairy products
In large parts of Asia, many people do not tolerate lactose. For comparison: in Germany it is around 15 percent who digest milk sugar only poorly, according to the Federal Centre for Nutrition. With lactose intolerance the enzyme lactase, which splits milk sugar, is missing - if dairy is eaten anyway, it can lead to stomach ache, nausea and digestive issues. Unlike most Europeans, many Asian people lose the ability to digest milk well as early as childhood. No wonder, then, that dairy barely features in large parts of Asian cuisine. In Ayurvedic Indian cooking, ghee (clarified butter) is used instead, for example.
8. Spices and herbs: the aromatic treasures of Asian cuisine
Alongside classics like garlic, Asian cuisine offers a real wealth of aromatic herbs and roots, for example:
Ginger: with its pungent compound gingerol, ginger - much like chilli - creates a warming sensation and is indispensable in Asian cooking.
Turmeric: the orange root gives curries their colour and has long been valued in traditional Indian cuisine. Its pigment curcumin is intensively researched.
Coriander: some love it, others hate it. With its essential oils it brings fresh seasoning to many dishes.
Lemongrass: indispensable in Vietnamese and Thai cooking. Its fresh, lemony scent makes it a popular aroma - including in aromatherapy.
9. Seaweed: the green superfood from the sea
Whether brown algae, spirulina or chlorella: in some regions - above all Japan - seaweed plays an important role in the daily diet. The best known are sushi rolled in seaweed and wakame salad. Seaweed takes up minerals from the sea and stores them. It is therefore considered a good source of minerals, vitamins, protein, unsaturated fatty acids and fibre.
10. Tea: a firm part of the food culture
No lavish Asian meal is complete without a pot of tea or an iced tea. Tea is alcohol- and sugar-free and firmly woven into everyday life in many Asian countries. Particularly aromatic varieties like jasmine are seen as soothing, and sharing tea has a fixed, almost ceremonial place in many cultures. A true classic is green tea, which has been drunk in Japan and China for centuries.
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Prices incl. VAT. Food supplements are not a substitute for a balanced, varied diet and a healthy lifestyle.
Frequently asked questions
What makes Asian cuisine so healthy?
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Eat mindfully for more wellbeing
Choosing healthy, mindful food does your body and mind a daily favour. For more tips, browse our Surpresa Natural blog. There you can read, for example, which foods help against inflammation, all about the benefits of omega-3 fatty acids and the difference between natural and synthetic nutrients.