Tag: diet

The Reason Residents of Western Countries Struggle More Than Residents of Eastern Countries to Maintain a Healthy Body Mass Index

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The average person in an industrialized country takes in 50% of the amount of fiber which they need, with this intake increasing in more impoverished nations which do not have access to high fat, low fiber food resourecs, as diets are primarily plant and animal based in indigent states, with very few processed foods being consumed. This is one of the most influential reasons as to why western countries, specifically in terms of culture (e.g. the U.S., the U.K., Australia etc.) typically posess larger, more unhealthy populations than their eastern counterparts. It should be noted, obesity does not have a singular causation other than over consumption and increasing ones fiber intake should be considered as a single step upon the long and winding path of human health and wellness

 

The Country With the Most Vegetarians Per Capita and the First Notation of Vegetarianism Within Western Literature

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The country with the most vegetarians per capita is India, with 39% of the country identifying as vegetarian and/or vegan, a value which equates to 276,000,000 (276 million) people. This is primarily due to the dominant religion within India which is Hinduism, a faith which 79.8% of the country subscribes to, and to a lesser extent, Sikhism, a faith which promotes vegetarianism and is subscribed to by 1.7% of the country. Mexico trails India for the second spot internationally with 19% of the country identifying as vegetarian and Brazil takes the third spot with 14% having adopted this diet. The first time vegetarianism is mentioned within recorded western history is by the Ancient Greek mathematician Pythagoras around 500 BC, however it is unclear if this is the first recorded text worldwide

Weight Loss During Periods of Starvation or Fasting

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1 in 210 obese men and 1 in 124 obese women will lose weight following restrictive caloric diets. That is a failure rate of 99.5% for men and 99.2% for women. These values are even lower for those suffering from morbid obesity. Studies have demonstrated that 4 days of continuous fasting does not drop basal metabolic rates, rather it increases metabolic rate by approximately 12%. This mechanism is purposely designed by evolution because a metabolism which slows down greatly due to gaps in finding food, would cause lethargy and eventually death to the organism. Animals are programmed to increase metabolic rates during periods of starvation as a way to ensure the body continues to forage and hunt for food. Whilst fasted, the human body first burns glycogen found within the liver, then moves to body fat and muscle, and then finally more essential parts of the body like tissues and organs when all other non-essential resources have been exhausted. Fasting increases weight loss by 6x in comparison to caloric restriction