Diets

That 2 week reprieve from work went all too quickly!
Back on my 2nd week and catching up on the latest news on the web in our country.

There is a news article that supposedly says that the people of our nation are eating themselves to death, with approx 1/3 of our meals being fast food and takeaways.

http://www.news.com.au/technology/doctors-weigh-in-you-are-what-you-eat-and-australias-killing-itself/story-e6frfro0-1226220222732

Looking also at the recommended daily intake of all food groups has led me to do a comparison of the typical Aussie diet and the diet of that of my latest overseas trip- Nippon.

Wholegrains and Cereals

Aussie:
A simple breakfast of the average Aussie man/woman at home before heading to work or dropping the kids off at school would be a bowl of cereal, maybe a slice or two of toast with Vegemite, jam or whatever takes their fancy.

If you wanted to go all out and have a hearty Aussie breakfast (or truckers brekky), this would usually consist of toast, bacon, eggs, sausages, grilled tomato, hash brown, steak and/or pancakes. (Grease, grease and more grease)

Nippon:
We experienced different sorts of breakfast on our trip. Nowadays the working Japanese has a simple breakfast consisting of toast, a boiled egg and a coffee at home. If you were to eat out, the fast food on offer (other than Maccas) would be a bowl of sauteed beef and onions over rice, nigiri sushi or danish, croquettes or sausages in a bread roll from the numerous convenience stores.

Fruit & Vegetables
Aussie:
We are meant to have 2 serves of fruit and 5 serves of vegetables per day. In reality most of us only consume half (if that) of this. The majority of times I find myself having fruit is as an occasional snack (morning or afternoon tea), but that is only if I can not tempt myself to reach for that packet of chips or crackers. Veggies though, we usually have as a side, amongst other carbs and put meat at the centre of our meals. I'd like to try and change that.

Nippon:
I didn't have much fruit over there, but in saying that though there was no shortage of it being offered as part of breakfast, lunch and dinner. Fruit was even available for purchase on the side of the road with a honesty purchase system. Even if you purchased a bento box (lunch box of a variety of sushi, seafood, egg) there was always a piece of fruit included to finish off. Much of the desserts are also fruit-based, if not otherwise just garnish over something abit more sweeter but not as sweet as Western desserts.

Unlike us, the Japanese put much more emphasis on vegetables. Every meal has either pickled veggies, boiled veggies, or came with a fair share of veggies with only minimal seafood and meat. (hard-core carnivores will weep). But...........................all meals were surprisingly filling even for a standard carnivore like me. I think I ate the equivalent of about 1 whole cabbage over the course of the trip.

Meats and Meat Alternatives

Aussie:
As mentioned before, we pride on our meat, whether red, white or multicoloured. Serious meat-eaters will devour a hunk of steak in moments and then have veggies as the side dish which if they don't finish they don't care. As long as all the meat is finished we are satisfied. Meat is cheaper here than in Nippon which is why we have so much more of it in our meals.

Nippon:
Meat (especially red and white meat like chicken and pork) is quite expensive there, hence it takes a backseat at most meals and allows veggies and rice to take over. There is nothing bad about this, except you might crave a big juicy steak sooner or later, which you can freely have, but your food budget will go out the window. Seafood on the other hand is pretty popular considering it is readily available.

Dairy Products

Aussie:
Milk and cheese are pretty popular choices here. Whether its part of breakfast, cooking or simply putting on a party spread there will always be dairy evident in many foods we eat.

Nippon:
Things such as cheese and cow's milk are hardly used in Japanese food with the exception for maybe  some desserts, however I must say I was abit surprised to see cheese still readily available on the grocery shelves. Most foods are soy-based which satisfies all lactose-intolerant people. Tofu is a very popular choice.

Sugars and Fats

Aussie:
Lastly, we love our fatty and sweet goodness. Be it savoury snacks and lavish/decadent desserts we probably eat waaaaaaay too much sugar and bad fats, but it tastes sooooo good!!! (Just have to get on that bike and ride to Perth and back to work it all off)

Nippon:
Desserts are also sweet but not as sweet as the Western palate. Those that love their thickly -rich chocolate mud cakes and sweet pavlovas will be disappointed with their desserts. I much prefer their desserts to be honest. Most are custard or fruit-based or contain red beans, sago, jelly and glutinious rice. However, I did stumble across a macaron tower in one of the big underground malls.....

Merry Christmas to all.