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Is it possible that with economic affluence of the West, overconsumption is harmful?

It used to be that there would be days where our ancestors would not be able to bring home any meat so fasting probably was built in as part of our metabolism process.

It was only in the past 100 years that we've seen mass produced sugary food and drinks.

Like the diet difference is painfully obvious when you go to Japan's 7-11. Healthy stuff all around compared to deep fried fast food.

Some days I will only eat 1 meal, and I honestly feel great. The biggest difference being I have way more energy and just feel "light".

These days I've converted to mostly Korean food consisting of rice and veggie side dishes incl kimchi of course. I've lost 4kg within 3 weeks just by changing diet.

Of course can't resist the burger and fries once in a while....but eating primarily Korean food because I'm Korean I realize is the wise choice....our ancestors have been eating the same stuff for millenias so it's probably "right" for my metabolism.

there's a study that showed East-Asian men living in North America have high rate of prostate related issues which has traditionally never been prevalent in East Asia...and also the rise of American fast food chains have collectively made the world a lot less healthier with the increase of diabetes and obesity.

> our ancestors have been eating the same stuff for millenias so it's probably "right" for my metabolism.

There might be a genetic factor here. The other thing is that the food habits of our ancestors were more thought out than we think. It might be that what they have been eating is not only better because of genetics, but more healthy in general than the terrible foods we can buy everywhere today.

Absolutely. It's fascinating how different dietary cultures develop and adapt to their environment in a surprisingly efficient manner. Nothing is wasted. Need to store meat for long periods of winter? Smoke it. Need it on the go? We'll use the left over bits to make sausages. What? You need side dishes that doesn't go bad for a long time? We'll pickle it, store it under ground to ferment it. Huh, you are throwing away all that extra cabbage roots from making kimchi? Put that in a soup or 시락국 containing high levels of Omega-H3 from the broth containing tiny fishes.

> Is it possible that with economic affluence of the West, overconsumption is harmful?

Absolutely. As Michael Pollan points out, our food has changed more in the last 50 years than it did in the preceding 5000, in both composition and quantity.

There is no way we have adapted that fast.

The big difference in traditional diets is enough plant fibre to support the biota that lets us absorb choline: https://medium.com/@russjj/choline-is-it-the-key-to-modern-i...

I live in Vietnam but we have a lot of Koreans in the area I live in and what they eat doesn't seem very healthy. Huge amounts of cheese and grilled meats and very heavy drinking. Is that typical for Koreans in Korea too?

Yes, it's a very unhealthy combo to do frequently. The bovine industry along with a connected global marketplace has made it far more abundant than is healthy.

For example, I heard that samgyupsal is mostly fat that isn't typically consumed for grilling, is really unhealthy as it consists mostly of fat lard with little pork meat. but once you taste it it's hard to put down. Typically, lettuce, garlic, onion, sesame oil and in traditionally green onions shredded with red pepper sprinkled. You take a bit of meat, bathe it in the sesame oil sauce with pepper and salt, wrap it up in lettuce, throw in some fermented bean sauce containing healthy probiotics also found in kimchi, and pop it in your mouth. When you get a bit tired of the grease, you yell "WUN SHUT!" ("one shot") and down what seemingly smells like acetone. There's a euphoria that happens when you combine it with family and friends, it's also a common way to bond with your co-workers and superiors.

Typically a traditional Korean meal consists of rice and banchan, or seasoned side dishes, but most people I know just eat rice and kimchi. Also, Koreans have a huge affinity for Pho and vietnamese cuisine because it feels familiar.

Writing about samgyupsal has gotten me salivating lol....

    "My mind is telling me no, but my body....my body is telling me YES"

     - R. Kelly

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