Did you know that you can live a healthier life by adopting customs from other cultures?
While we may all be part of the same species, our lifestyles vary greatly depending on where we live. Each culture has its own traditions, cuisine, and customs. Some of these customs are healthier than others. And the United States has garnered a reputation for unhealthy customs such as serving and eating huge portions and for eating lots of junk and fast food.
Do not fret, however. Even if you live in Georgia, you can benefit from the healthy habits practiced in Greece. Here are some tips for healthy habits practiced around the world:
Turkish Baths
An experience regularly practiced in Turkey that can help anyone, anywhere, destress. “This is a relaxing and rejuvenating experience that will most definitely help one to de-stress,” says Nesochi Okeke-Igbokwe, M.D., M.S., in an interview with Bustle.
Balance Life and Work
In the States, we are all familiar with the 40 hour work week, as it is our normal.
In Sweden however, employees work six hours per day, which makes them more productive, happier, and even sick less often, according to the New York Times.
Control Those Portion Sizes
“The inhabitants of Okinawa Japan tend to have a longer lifespan than most others from various regions of the world,” says Dr. Okeke-Igbokwe. “Their longevity is partly attributed to not only the kinds of food they eat, but also the manner in which they eat their meals. They routinely practice the habit of ‘hara hachi bu,’ that is eating until they are 80% full. This is a great healthy habit to practice to avoid over eating.”
Spice and Everything Nice
Savory, aromatic, and sometimes HOT spices are the norm in India, but they’re used for more than just the addition of flavor. “Consider adding spices like turmeric, ginger, and coriander into your cooking,” says Okeke-Igbokwe. “These spices contain some anti inflammatory properties that can also provide some great health benefits.”
Regularly Scheduled Massages
We Americans are familiar with massage therapy, but do we take advantage of its benefits often enough? In Thailand, getting regular massages is the norm, and it’s easy to understand why. According to the Mayo Clinic, and several other studies, massages can help relieve anxiety, aid in injury recovery, relieve insomnia, help digestion, and alleviate joint pain.
#TreatYoSelf
It should be no surprise that the French associate food with pleasure—even though they tend to be less overweight than we are and also suffer less from heart disease. That’s because they do not deny themselves, but rather, indulge themselves—albeit intelligently. According to Cornell University researchers, studies show that indulging in a small bite of a “forbidden” food is just as satisfying as eating the whole thing. If you deny yourself small treats, you’ll end up overdoing it later.