Thai eating habits-what can we learn?
I was in Thailand recently. I and my husband took off for a short break as my daughter was away on her school trip. It was fun!! We ate a lot of local food, walked a lot and then walked some more.
I am always interested in the eating habits of people from different regions and I observe and try the local cuisine.
What I saw in Thailand is that they love their rice. Now in India and generally in the weight loss industry rice has got a bad rap. It is the first thing that people drop like a hot cake if they want to lose weight. But the Thai people eat their rice in all main meals, including breakfast. And I found many of them quite skinny, So what is the secret here?
They pair the rice with crunchy vegetables. I prefer veggies and so got stir-fried vegetables with rice. But even when my husband ordered chicken and rice it was served with a generous portion of salad. They don’t overcook the veggies so that the veggies have a bite.
Now that is the thing with rice. It has to be paired with high fiber food. Rice is rich in B vitamins which are extremely essential for our well being. But it doesn’t have much fiber and hence you need to be smart with it. Giving up rice completely is not necessary. The people from the entire south, north-east, West Bengal and the Konkan region of India eat rice as their staple food. Rice is a part of our culture and hence need not be shunned.
Another thing that I loved was that they serve fresh vegetables as a roadside snack.
They are delicious, seasonal, chilled and so healthy. It is such a wonderful option to have on the go.
The third thing that I observed was their drinks. I saw very few people carrying an aerated drink with them. They drink a lot of fresh juices and the Thai milk tea which is chilled. They also drink variants of probiotic drink which is available under the brand name Yakult in India. They have different sizes and flavors and they consume it a lot. These drinks are hydrating and Thailand being a tropical country, it definitely helps.
We ate and drank the above things and walked a lot. By the end of the trip, both of us lost weight and felt lighter. And all this while eating rice 🙂
