Thai And Foreigner Diet..

[thaimee]

Is there a nutritional shortfall in the diet if eating only Thai food?

I like Thai food very much as it is delicious and can be had within minutes of ordering. i like my european diet as it never faulters in giving me that full feeling i often crave when the Thai diet can sometimes leave you a little ravenous.

Often i get an urge to eat western style dishes, although heavier Thai set meals. a thought occured to me over the time i've stayed here as to whether we should eat at least once a week the dinner that we would normally eat as perhaps there is a shortfall in the diet? but of course i've no data or stats so i thought i would band the idea out to the members here to see if they have any experiences?

Thaimee.

[strawberry]

Hi Thaimee

at a leprosy treatment center south of here they noticed during the year that patients slept much. When the corn was on they observed that the patients were up and around and much livlier. It was decided that there was a shortage of one of the vit. B's in the Thai diet. Can't remember which B it was. I'm sure someone can tell you. I don't notice it so much now but when I first came out here I seem to think Thai people slept a lot.

Regards Joe Strawberry

[thaimee]

thanx will look into that friend. not sure you understand the nature of the topic but this is amzing thailand.

Thaimee.

[thaimee]

I sense the body is a self learning temple that would react to any changes it encounters. If it eats certain European foods for numerous years it would sense a change in diet and yes change to meet demands if a stress is placed upon the body.

The Thai diet is a marvellous gift. But wouldn't it be interesting to discuss how when I 'live to eat' and not 'eat to live' I notice i'm never full. Well i guess it must be that having eaten Europeean foods, the digestive tract must have been use to bulkier deposits and now the body deals with eating smaller portions.

As I say I don't understand why I never really feel full. Do you see what i'm driving at? Wasn't making any reference to the Thai diet not having enough vitamins as i've seen vegetables here that are amazing shapes and tastes!

Seriously any thoughts?

Thaimee.

[travelgirl]

Hi Thaimee,

I was be misunderstood on your post as well, but in your case I think the crave or feeling of unfulfilness that sometimes arises may well come for the change of your eating patterns as well as the content of your meals.

You probably eat outside more often than you may do in your country. Thai food come into dishes you share with others, or in plates that are smaller than you may have back to your country. And of course, taste, ingredients and cooking are differents, you are used to some flavours and favourite dish.

So not only your body has to cope wih the new 'cuisine', but also does your mind.

I suggest you may eat "typical" European food, like your favourite home dish, a piece of cakes or some bread, along with the 'home' stuff you find in luxury or foreign groceries/delicacies once in a while.

This in order to let your body and mind adapt easily to your new food, avoiding any craving or other 'weird' reaction or feeling you may have toward Thai Food.

Dunno if I make sense...

"We are what we eat" he he he

Cheers!

[thaimee]

Hi travelgirl, what you say makes sense and your right about experimenting with both the Western and Thai diet.

So I will try the suggestion out in the very near future. Cheers.

I miss my English home cooked sunday roast's but that's a small quibble for the god sent of having the best cuisine in all the planet. Cheers.

If I were what I ate I would be Cow man Gai. Spelling? Thaimee.

[Foggy Bottom]

Back when I had a small cafe I noticed a curious phenomenon -

Young Backpackers who'd been travelling cheap and eating only Thai food were complaining of frequent and severe lower leg cramps while sleeping. This normally occurred about two weeks of entering a thai-food-only diet.

I did a bit of online research and analytical thinking.

The weather here makes us sweat a lot - sweat is saline - western foods are often processed and have a lot of salt added for flavouring - thai food uses almost no salt (except for one or two specific dishes) - saline is electronically conductive - pure water is not - heat and humidity leading to sweat causes us to consume too much liquid daily (2 litres of water daily is the max before it starts washing minerals out of the body) etc etc.

Answer - Farangs in the tropics need to INCREASE their salt intake in line with the clear liquids consumed in order to avoid muscle cramps caused by lack of electrolyte leading to muscle contraction.

I could be wrong but it seems to make sense and when I follow that regimen myself i don't get cramps - when I ignore it, I get them.

I suspect there may other vitamins or minerals in a western "home" diet that our body compensates for by lowering production or storage of those compounds and elements. When the accustomed input is removed, the body cannot gear up production fast enough and has insufficient stored supply, leading to abnormal health conditions.

JMHO - not got one shred of medical data to support it

Remember the song - "two pints of lager and a packet of crisps please"?

It was based on a UK Health Service advisory put out during a particularly hot and dry summer telling the UK public to consume beer and salted potato chips to make up for what was lost by sweating. But that was years ago and thinking may have changed now.

[thaimee]

Gaz Chiangmai your a winner Son..

I didn't expect any factual responses after the first couple of posts but Gaz's post is certainly enlighhtning. I believe you've cottoned onto something which would help all of us foreigners here at the forum. But where to start...

Since the Thai body shape has adapted to suit the landscape and ours has not I must assume we pay for the miss conception that Thai food is Enough. Really it isn't is it?

Sodium inbalance and electrolyte depletion are very possible and I believe there is one particular style of sodium we must consume and so as not to make a pig's ear of recommending the wrong sodium type I would welcome anyone with any dietician qualifications and or skills to Input.

Thank you. Thaimee.

[bina]

hi

once again the kibbutznik israeli lurker here:

with issan food a B vitamin is missing (i think its 6: niacin which is found in bread which westerners eat a lot of; white rice doesnt have it neither does sticky rice but the original old fashioned hand chaffed thai rice used to have. They fed their chickens the chaff, then ate the chickens. now adays they send the rice toa mill, process and bleach it and the chicks dont get the chaff... therefore no vitamin B 6..

."In the early 1950’s, a group of investigators from Cornell University made a detailed survey of food habits in Bang Chan, a village in the rice growing region twenty miles northeast of Bangkok.(2) They determined that aboutfour-fifths of calories came from rice in both prosperous households and those less well off. A few of the families still consumed home-milled rice, a method that removed most, but not all, the bran and other nutrients. The vast majority, however, took their rice to a local machine mill which returned the product to them in the form of thoroughly refined white rice. Although the machine mills are relatively new to Thailand, the practice of handmilling or home pounding seems to date from ancient times, and was carried out even though it involved a good deal of work. If brown rice was ever used in Thai cooking, the memory of this custom is buried in antiquity. The bran or polishings from handmilled rice were given to chickens and other livestock, and never used for human food. In fact, one peasant explained to investigators that the reason he continued to hand mill, when machine milling was readily available, was that if he took his rice to the local mill, the miller would keep the polishings for himself, and rice bran made excellent chicken feed! " Given the emphasis on white rice in the Thai diet, it is not surprising to find that one of the chief health problems, particularly among the poorer families in the villages, is beriberi, a vitamin B deficiency disease. Those families who did not suffer from the disease ate more animal foods, particularly beef, which they could afford to purchase. Ironically, those families with few chickens ate more eggs because those with numerous fowl took the eggs to market to sell.

To the dismay of investigators, the villagers of Bang Chan regarded rice as a strength-giving food. They believed that children needed rice “to make them fat,” and that too many “not rice” dishes gave children pot bellies. Children were encouraged to eat hot foods because the hot taste made them eat more rice, and could be punished if they ate a whole egg at a meal. One affluent farmer, however, expressed the opinion that these ancient beliefs were based on thrift. He said that “thrifty people did not want to spend much on a baby, therefore they said that if a child ate too much “with-rice” he would be potbellied but thin in the upper part of the body, and that eating eggs would cause dental caries.”

The Cornell investigators noted that overall intake of protein, vitamins and minerals among all but the poorest villagers seemed to be adequate, with the exception of calcium, although there were few signs of calcium deficiency except for short stature. Probably calcium levels were higher than those measured in staple foods, due to the use of bone broths in soups and unshelled shrimp in shrimp paste. "

SORRY LOST THE NAME OF THE WEB SITE I TOOK THIS FROM.

there is wayt oo much salt in thai food (nam pla for one, etc); but thailand is humid and we caucasions sweat twice as much as them so lose much more water... in israel a working man (outdoor work) needs something like 6 to 12 literd of water a day... for hiking our children must carry 3 liters plus extra jerrycans with water...

i eat only thai food (with the thai workers here) as it is tastier but now have high cholestrol and low B12... while in thailand i gained some weight (vacation not work with animals as i do here)but never snacked.

also thai seem to drink a lot of red bull and other high energy sports drinks w/o regard for suggested amounts...WILL TRY TO FIND SITE NAME AGAIN; HAVE ARTICLE IN COMPUTER FILE

[bina]

MORE INFO STOLEN FROM THE INTERNET:

Introduction:

This is an excellent article on the traditional Thai diet in the Northeast of Thailand by two of our favorite writers on nutrition -- Sally Fallon and Dr. Mary Enig. It is found on the excellent Weston A. Price Foundation Website. This site is the source for important information on diet and health -- well worth an extended look. Start with Myths & Truths About Nutrition. Our Health Links Page contains other links to the site. The only items Kasma found in the diet not covered in this article are insects and the leaves and bitter vegetables that village people like to eat with a Hot-and-Pungeant Fermented Shrimp Dipping Sauce.

Thailand -- Land of the Coconut

We hear a great deal these days about the presumed health benefits of Asian diets. China and Japan are presented as exemplars of "low-fat, high fiber, largely vegetarian" Oriental regimes. The foods of Thailand are often ignored in such discussions. The delicious, spicy cuisine of Siam is rich in saturated fat from coconut oil and lard, relatively low in fiber and features many and varied animal foods. Yet a comparison of autopsy reports on a group from Bangkok with a group from the US found that coronary occlusion or myocardial infarction was eight times more frequent in the US, diabetes was ten times more frequent and high blood pressure about four times more frequent.(4) Even more intriguing is the fact that Thailand has the lowest rates of cancer, for both men and women, of all the 50 countries studied by the World Health Organization.(3) Here is yet another paradox -- Le Paradoxe Thailandais -- that the "experts" would rather ignore than explain.

"Thai cooking is an artform," writes the author of a Thai cookbook (8), and as anyone who has frequented a Thai restaurant knows, a particularly delicious artform. Mouthwatering curries [see Roast Duck and Pumpkin Curry or Green Curry with Fish/Shrimp Dumplinsgs] and soups made from chicken or fish broth, and creamy with whole coconut milk, offer the palate a variety of delicious spices and flavors, including coriander, anise, cumin, nutmeg, lemon grass, chiles, ginger, turmeric (a variety of ginger), basil, mint, garlic and lime. Seafoods are plentiful in the diet, including fresh saltwater and freshwater fish, mackerel, shrimp, crab, eels, salted fish and dried fish. Fish sauce [see Flavoring Food with Fish Sauce ] and shrimp paste [see Shrimp Paste] are used frequently as seasonings. Pork and beef are consumed by those who can afford them, often raw or pickled. Other animal foods less likely to be featured on restaurant menus, but consumed in the villages, include duck and chicken and their eggs, water buffalo and more unusual items like snails, caterpillars, lizards, frogs, rats, snakes, squirrels and other small animals.

Plant foods include eggplant, onions, cabbage, baby corn, mushrooms, kale, mustard greens, radish, celery, cucumber, lettuce, several varieties of vegetable gourd, water chestnuts and swamp cabbage, which grows in ditches and rice paddies. Fruits include plums, tamarinds and bananas. Two plant foods are particularly associated with Thai cuisine. One is the kaffir lime (Citrus hystric), with a distinctive wrinkled skin. The rind and leaves give a wonderful flavor to soups and curries. The other is bitter melon (Momordica chiantria), of which there are several varieties. Bitter melon looks like a lime-green elongated cucumber with a furrowed, convoluted rind. The pulp is very bitter -- an acquired taste for Americans -- but the Thais are fond of it and believe it has potent healing qualities. (A small variety of M. chiantria occurs wild in the southern United States, where some rural Blacks used it as a potent medicine, calling it "Serasee.")

Soy foods play a minor role in Thai cooking. Bean curd is used in soups while fermented soybeans, soybean paste and soy sauces are used as flavorings. But other legumes such as black beans and mung beans are either sprouted or used in the making of sweets. "Yard long" beans and winged beans are eaten as vegetables.

Desserts made from coconut, fermented glutinous rice and bean pastes are sweetened with unrefined cane sugar or palm sugar. Overall, sweeteners are used sparingly in the traditional Thai diet. [see Coconut-Flavored Sticky Rice with Mangos or Coconut Egg Custard.

Thai dishes are always served with rice. In fact, the generic term for anything served with rice is "not rice." Long grained, nonglutinous rice is used in central and southern parts of Thailand, while sticky or glutinous rice is the mainstay of the diet in the northern and northeastern regions of the country. With few exceptions, the rice used is polished white rice. [see Thai Jasmine Rice .]

In the early 1950's, a group of investigators from Cornell University made a detailed survey of food habits in Bang Chan, a village in the rice growing region twenty miles northeast of Bangkok.(2) They determined that aboutfour-fifths of calories came from rice in both prosperous households and those less well off. A few of the families still consumed home-milled rice, a method that removed most, but not all, the bran and other nutrients. The vast majority, however, took their rice to a local machine mill which returned the product to them in the form of thoroughly refined white rice. Although the machine mills are relatively new to Thailand, the practice of handmilling or home pounding seems to date from ancient times, and was carried out even though it involved a good deal of work. If brown rice was ever used in Thai cooking, the memory of this custom is buried in antiquity. The bran or polishings from handmilled rice were given to chickens and other livestock, and never used for human food. In fact, one peasant explained to investigators that the reason he continued to hand mill, when machine milling was readily available, was that if he took his rice to the local mill, the miller would keep the polishings for himself, and rice bran made excellent chicken feed!

Common protein foods for the villagers of Bang Chan included fish -- mostly fresh water fish raised in ponds -- some pork and eggs. Lard was used for frying. Chicken and other fowl were usually consumed during feast days. The meat of water buffalo was available when a buffalo became too old to work, and dried beef paste was also used as a flavoring in cooking. The Cornell researchers did not discuss what was done with the internal suet and slab of back fat from the older buffalos that were butchered. The amounts can be considerable -- one animal may yield well over one hundred pounds of valuable suet and tallow.

Other animal foods used in the village included turtles, snails, eels, frogs, cobra and other snakes. Field rats, available all year long, were roasted. In general, the villagers prepared their own fermented shrimp paste and sauce. Many families grew herbs and bananas in kitchen gardens, but few vegetables. Instead they gathered swamp cabbage from the canals, or purchased vegetables.

Given the emphasis on white rice in the Thai diet, it is not surprising to find that one of the chief health problems, particularly among the poorer families in the villages, is beriberi, a vitamin B deficiency disease. Those families who did not suffer from the disease ate more animal foods, particularly beef, which they could afford to purchase. Ironically, those families with few chickens ate more eggs because those with numerous fowl took the eggs to market to sell.

To the dismay of investigators, the villagers of Bang Chan regarded rice as a strength-giving food. They believed that children needed rice "to make them fat," and that too many "not rice" dishes gave children pot bellies. Children were encouraged to eat hot foods because the hot taste made them eat more rice, and could be punished if they ate a whole egg at a meal. One affluent farmer, however, expressed the opinion that these ancient beliefs were based on thrift. He said that "thrifty people did not want to spend much on a baby, therefore they said that if a child ate too much "with-rice" he would be potbellied but thin in the upper part of the body, and that eating eggs would cause dental caries."

The Cornell investigators noted that overall intake of protein, vitamins and minerals among all but the poorest villagers seemed to be adequate, with the exception of calcium, although there were few signs of calcium deficiency except for short stature. Probably calcium levels were higher than those measured in staple foods, due to the use of bone broths in soups and unshelled shrimp in shrimp paste.

The other major health problem in Thailand is that posed by parasites and other pathogens in drinking water, and overall conditions deemed to be unsanitary. The Cornell investigators noted that "untreated water was the customary beverage with meals. Ordinarily no distinction was made in the source of drinking water for children and adults, although boiled water was given to mothers and infants to drink during the post partum rest period."

...The answer lies in the protective factors inherent in the traditional diet. Pickled garlic, onion and peppers, consumed frequently as condiments, inhibit the development of parasite eggs.(6) The practice of fermenting pork and other meats kills the larvae of the trichinosis organism.(1) Native maklua berries are an effective treatment for hookworm.(7)

But the most protective factor in the Thai diet -- and one most ignored by investigators -- is the lauric acid found in coconut products. Coconut oil contains almost 50% of this 12-carbon saturated fat, which the body turned into monolaurin, a substance that efficiently kills parasites, yeasts, viruses and pathogenic bacteria in the gut.

Coconut oil provides additional benefits. It strengthens the immune system and promotes optimal development of the brain and nervous system. It protects against cancer and heart disease, and promotes healthy bones. Finally, coconut oil seems to be the best fat for ensuring the proper uptake of omega-3 fatty acids into the tissues (9). This may explain the beautiful, velvety skin tone of the Thais.

The Thai diet is said to be low in fat -- about 15% of calories is the consensus among "experts." Most of this fat is relatively saturated coconut oil or lard. Poor families use watered down coconut milk for curries, and lard very sparingly. But more affluent families eat pork and beef frequently, make their daily curry with luscious thick creamy whole coconut milk and use coconut oil for sauteing. Tiny dried shrimp sauteed in coconut oil and formed into a cake is typical of Thai dishes that are both delicious and nutritious -- rich in vitamin D, calcium, high quality protein, omega-3 fatty acids and protective saturated fats.

It can be argued that even among poor families, fat consumption is higher than the accepted 15% figure. The Cornell investigators made their own determinations of the amount of fat supplied by coconut milk, because "use of figures now available in food value tables, for coconut milks as prepared in Bang Chan, would lead to gross overestimate of caloric value and fat content of the diets." What an amazing confession!

In an effort to improve the health of Thai villagers, medical workers have encouraged the boiling of water, consumption of whole rice or rice polishings and the use of polyunsaturated oils instead of coconut oil and lard. It is probably impossible to install western type sewage systems in the soggy Thai ricelands. Moreover it is unwise in that such systems would deprive the land of valuable manuring. A more rational -- and certainly more effective -- approach would be to encourage protective traditional foodways and higher prices for cash crops, so that this nation of subsistence farmers could afford more fish, meat, and coconut milk, to balance their intake of rice.

It seems unlikely that the Thais will accept brown rice -- and probably foolhearty as well, given that phytic acid in rice bran blocks calcium, already low in the Thai diet. Instead, millers could receive subsidies to return rice polishings to farmers, and farmers could be encouraged to eat more vitamin-B rich eggs from chickens fed rice bran.

The body stores the carbohydrates from white rice as fat. Thus white rice may be a vital factor in the diet if overall fat consumption is low. But with white rice as the basis of Thai cuisine, it is imperative that "not rice" foods be rich in nutrients from adequate amounts of plant and animal foods grown on mineral rich soils, seafood and above all healthy, protective coconut oil.

The authors are grateful to Tom and Nee Sinclair for their help in writing this article.

References

1. Dissamarn, R et al, "Viability of larvae of Trichinella Spiralis in some common Thai dishes," J Med Assoc Thailand, 1966 49:12:985

2. Hauck, Hazel M. et al, Food Habits and Nutrient Intakes in a Siamese Rice Village, Studies in Bang Chan, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, 1958

3. Harras, Angela, ed, Cancer Rates and Risks, 4th Edition, 1996, U. S. Department of Health and Human Services, National Institutes of Health.

4. Hirst, Albert E, et al, "A comparison of Atherosclerosis of the Aorta and Coronary Arteries in Bangkok and Los Angeles," Am J Clin Path, 1962, 38:2:162-170.

5. Manning, George S et al, "Fasciolopsis buski in Thailand," Amer J Trop Med Hyg, 1970 19:4:613-619

6. Papasarathorn, T et al, "Effects of garlic, onion, red pepper and green pepper pickled in vinegar upon the development of pig Ascaris eggs," Public Health Alumni Bull (Thailand), 1963 3:2:1010

7. Sadun, Elvio, et al, "The effect of maklua (diospyros mollis) in the treatment of human hookworm," J Parasit, 1954 40:1:49-53

8. Srisawat, Pinyo, The Foods of Thailand, SLG Books, Berkeley, CA, 1998

9. Oliart Ros, Rosa M et al, "Effects of Dietary Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids on Sucrose-Induced Cardiovascular Syndrome in Rats," American Oil Chemists Society Annual Meeting, Chicago, IL, May 1998.

Copyright © 1999 Sally Fallon and Mary G. Enig, PhD. All Rights Reserved. First published in the Price-Pottenger Nutrition Foundation Health Journal Vol 22, No 4. (619) 574-7763.

Offsite: Weston A. Price Foundation Website

HOPE THIS HELPS

[cathyy]

Great info, Bina.

I can shed some light on the "not full" feeling. It's the rice and the meat.

Here in the US the first solid food given to infants is...rice cereal. It is given because it is so easily digested and so rarely triggers an allergic reaction. It is broken down by the body quite rapidly. It's the large quantity of meat and saturated fat in a Western diet that gives the full feeling.

[Richard W]

I can shed some light on the "not full" feeling. It's the rice and the meat.

I used to feel unsatisfied with rice as my main carbohydrate - I used to be glad to supplement it with bread when I was in Thailand. Then I spent two weeks eating nothing but Thai food - the same food as my Thai girlfriend, except for the fermented food. At the end of that time, I realised my stomach had learnt to be satisfied with rice.

It was interesting to read about the low level of calcium in the diet - that explains the campaign to promote the consumption of milk.

[meadish_sweetball]

In fact, the generic term for anything served with rice is "not rice."

That's incorrect. The Thai word for food dishes eaten with rice is "kab khaao", which means "[dishes to be eaten] with rice".

The investigation seems to have missed the various noodle soups, or were they just not around at the time of the survey?

My own hunch is that present-day Thai city diet is getting too meaty, and too low on vegetable intake. Restaurants catering to farang will chuck in a lot more vegetables in their dishes.

Take a green curry with chicken for example. In its most common form, apart from the soup base with coconut milk/cow's milk and water, fish sauce, sugar and kaffir lime leaves, it'll only have the Thai eggplant as a vegetable ingredient.

If you buy it at the market, it will also contain those blood lumps which I first mistook for liver.

At many guesthouses, you can expect it to contain baby corn, carrot, mushroom and other veggies as well.

About the salt contents in Thai food being too low, I dont think it seems to be - but I am no nutritional expert either. Seafood, fish sauce and soy sauces are salty in themselves, and are used frequently.

I think lack of iodine (which is added to salt in the west) may be the real problem.

It would be interesting to see a similar survey conducted now, to see the differences from the Cornell study in the 60s.

[thaimee]

Seafood, fish sauce and soy sauces are salty in themselves, and are used frequently.

Q: How many of us prefer our food covered in Sauces or other preference. Personally I don't like spicy foods, so I think I will look into what a resonable amount of Sodium/ Iodine intake should translate to in Thailand. Not sure where to start...............

I think lack of iodine (which is added to salt in the west) may be the real problem.

Yes this could be possible. again where to start.............

My own hunch is that present-day Thai city diet is getting too meaty, and too low on vegetable intake. Restaurants catering to farang will chuck in a lot more vegetables in their dishes.

Yes I agree. Luckily though if you want vegetables Thailand has every vegetable imaginable and some that i've not seen before and again some that i see every so often that take me by surprise by being very different in shape, texture and taste.

Thaimee.

[meadish_sweetball]

I think lack of iodine (which is added to salt in the west) may be the real problem.

Yes this could be possible. again where to start.............

There should be iodine pills available at most pharmacies.

Personally, I take one Blackmore multivitamin pill, bought at a pharmacy in central Chiang Mai after dinner every evening. I am not 100% sure, but I believe that should cover most of what I may not get in my Thai food diet.

I also eat one vegetarian meal per week - a huge vegetarian lunch buffet is available at Khun Choen Restaurant, Nimmanhemin soi 11, Chiang Mai every weekday. All you can eat for 60 baht.

The food is very Thai though, so if your palate is sensitive to spicy food and "weird" tastes, it is not a good option.

To really fill you up, there is nothing like sticky rice. It probably doesn't have much nutrition in it though, except for carbohydrates.

[thaimee]

Personally, I take one Blackmore multivitamin pill

Ye, need those multi-vitamins! I consume raw garlic cloves daily to boost my immune system. I also like the new fashion drinks which has technically been around for thousand of years and that is tea but i guess the fashion tea is diluted.

Yes, i'm sensitive to anything spicy and odd tasting, but i will consume the sour gourds and medicine type vegetables because i know i'm in a lucky position to do so. The thai vegetabels should have a higher amount of minerals and vitamins than some of the european Veggies. Could be guessing there, but they say the more the unpleasent the taste is the more ther is a likliehood the food will do you good. Could be?

Did you say you live in Chiang Mai? I believe I read an article somewhere stating that the air quality in the city there is poor. Sort of makes sense that should be reported as Chiang Mai is the second largest city outside of Bangkok, right?

If you do live in Chiang Mai, or if anyone else is reading this topic, I wonder if the One Multi Vitamin suffices when the air pollution nearing the city can be quite harmful.

Shouldn't generalise, but what is it they say about the life expectancy for Thai men, I believe, and don't quote me but they probably look forward to ten or even fifteen less years till their untimely end. This can't be directly attributed to the air quality surely?

As for the Topic of discussion I can only hope to improve my diet as I age!

Thaimee.

[natee1]

There are 3 different things here:

1.not feeling full:

Yep, being German I make a point of having bread for breafast, crave milk products and the occasional french fries. Rice does not satisfy the same as our starchy, greasy fillers, innit?

2.cramps in yer legs

I had this in my twenties and was told to take calcium + vit.D tablets- it worked.

3.concerned about getting the right nutrients:

I was informed by a dietitian modern day diets contain too much salt (sodium oxid), but too little of everything else. The other kind of salts that are depleted in hot climates are in electrolyte-sports drinks and powdered rehydrating salts sold in pharmacies. I wouldn't take these regularly as part of my diet, though.

One might well suspect the veges to contain a lot of agricultural chemicals of the very unhealthy type, and the meat as well...

People who are seriously bothered by this eat organically grown products (no chemical fertilizers or insecticides), you'd have to grow your own in Thailand, I guess.

I believe vitamin supplements are sensible, but not to be taken instead of a balanced diet. I take vit.C and vit.E, since they aid the body's defense system.

Really, diet (as in what you eat or not) is an individual thing, should get a few dietitians to comment, they tend to disagree with each other.

[KevinN]

I find a lot of mis info. in the post by BINA, I don't know where they were when they observed Thai's eating,but it sure wasn't where I live, I see them get a bowl of noodles in a food shop or a plate of Phat Thai and load it with 2 large spoons of sugar.And the vegetables listed in the post are not reradily available here,maybe BKK you will find them,but not upcountry where only Thai's live,they have never heard of most of em, maybe that article was written in a sanitary kitchen in San Francisco,and not in a bacteria infested market or food shop here.

And there is a lot of salt in the Thai diet,as has been stated,to much for someone with high blood pressure already.plus dipping green mango,pineapple,or most fruits in a mixture of salt,sugar and chili.notice when you buy a bag of prepared fresh fruit on the street,it will always contain a plastic envelope of the stuff.

As for the minerals missing in Thai food,B vitamins sure are,and with a shortage of B's you do not process your food right and that also causes a lack of brain groth and reseptors,so there for when a Thai has to stop halfway thru a turn or some other thing that you think they can't make up their mind,Thats the reason.

As for the leg cramps and minerals missing and got from sports drinks, POTASSIUM and MAGNESIUM, When you sweat so much that you are getting mineral poor, Magnesium and potassium are leached out of muscle tissue to keep your main muscle[the heart] running smooth. Has nothing to do with salt,but salt will make a good substitute if nothing else is available. But SEA SALT has all the trace minerals and solar or evaporated salt does not. and only iodine is added and its main function is glandular,without it you will most likely form a lump on your throat called a goiter.That is the reason for iodine being in salt.

As for diets containing meat, seems like protine is a very important element, the countrys with the most meat consumption are alway the race that is ahead of everyone else.and meat protine is far superior to any other form.

well this is a long one for me and there are so many things That I do not agree with after spending so many years of my life living in the far east.