Sorry if the questions seems silly, but it seems to me that the number of strokes happening to people here -from mild to severe- seems higher than average -at least higher than home, which is not teh parangon of healthy conditions.
Ther is not a week that goes by without one or two people around me -neighbors (OK, most are elderly), coworkers (not so old, actually ) or relatives of such coming down with one.
Is there a link, like diet or genetics? Back home, there is prevalence of diabetes both because of diet and genetics. But so many seemingly OKish people just dropping like flies with brain strokes of diverse intensity is unsettling.
How about us expats living here long term? What if it is environmental? Can we do something to prevent becoming an statistic too?
Yep, that seems reasonable in most cases. Still, I am not satisfied. Did you hear about the guy who starined while doing number two and puff! stroke? Or the woman being massaged on the head and shoulders and puff! stroke. How about people who are not working? How about reasobably atheltic people? Something is weakening the veins severily. Usually, in the West weād say high blood pressure, being overweight, natural tendency due to genetics.
spent shopping on Yahoo, sleeping at the desk, and playing Minesweeper??
No way, man, the local diet (especially for the auldsters) is still WAY lower in sodium and higher in fiber than in the West, PLUS with the massive amounts of fruit and leafy vegetables, itās vastly superior.
Despite being an island, Taiwanese eat as much meat as Americans do, and only half the amount of fish compared to Koreans and Japanese. So the diets arenāt as different as weād perhaps think theyād be. Iād expect similar numbers of people with coronary diseases here as in the US. There arenāt that many overweight or obese here, but you donāt have to be overweight to get your coronary arteries clogged up.
This is what I have observed- work related. Salty food and alcohol seems to aggravate the high blood pressure. Almost all the middle-aged businessmen have high blood pressure, youāll see them popping there pills everyday. The high tech industry kills you if you work in it too long.
To quote from that news report: āMeat consumption in Taiwan averages 77.1 kilograms per capita per year, which is higher than in China, Japan and South Korea and slightly lower than in the United States and Germany, the Taiwan Institute for Sustainable Energy (TISE) reported yesterday.ā
While meat consumption may not be the only culprit for strokes, there seems to be a strong correlation. Itās certainly one of many reasons for me to eat vegan.
[quote=āelburroā]Hereās the stats for those into numbers. Also note the low amount of vegetables consumed in Taiwan. [/quote]
I like Germanyās numbers the best. Iām not that big on seafood and I like milk. I wish they had the U.K. in there.
Iāve been watching what locals eat for the last 16 years, and I have to say, thereās WAY too much lard and fatty meat, too much fried crap, too much cream (in cakes and fancy coffees), too much cheese (in all the ju2kao3 au gratin crap and greasy, cheese-laden pizzas and cheesecakes), way too much nitrates in all the UBIQUITOUS and (frankly, dodgy) sausage products, and even what pass for pizzas from places like La SLUT are loaded with bacon and sausage and cheese, stuffed into every CONCEIVABLE and unnatural part of the pizza. WTF? They may eat a lot of fruit here, but there are too many meals with inadeqate green veggies, and far, far too much fried fast food junk.
Sure, thereās seafood here, but when itās all deep fried, how healthy could that be? Taiwanese food is diverse, and there is certainly healthy food to be had, if you use your brain, but how many people really do?
Thereās a REASON some of us yearn for a bigger kitchen ā so we can more conveniently make healthier food for ourselves and our loved ones.
Agreed with a lot you say, but you donāt really need a big kitchen in order to make healthy food. You just need the right ingredients and stay away from the wrong ones.
[quote=āelburroā]Hereās the stats for those into numbers. Also note the low amount of vegetables consumed in Taiwan. [/quote]
Wow! Thanks for the chart.
For those of you who havenāt already added up the weights, Germany edged out America for first place, and Taiwan is in the cellar just above Japan. So, Taiwan gets relegated.
Grmny 894 Kgs.
USofA 861
China 747
Korea 707
Japan 523
R.O.C 512
I dare not draw any conclusions about how good the food is in various countries, or how much people from those countries love to eat, but at least Iāve got some stats ready for the next time some local tells me how much people in Taiwan love to eat.
[quote=āGC Riderā][quote]
Thereās a REASON some of us yearn for a bigger kitchen ā so we can more conveniently make healthier food for ourselves and our loved ones.
[/quote]
Agreed with a lot you say, but you donāt really need a big kitchen in order to make healthy food. You just need the right ingredients and stay away from the wrong ones.[/quote]
Youāre right of course, but this is related to the kitchen rants thread ā perhaps I should have bolded the āmore convenientlyā bit.
) or relatives of such coming down with one.
does the math in his head) 0.844 liter of milk a day.