If Rice Is So Bad, Why Are the Chinese So Thin? – Dr.Berg

If rice is so bad for you, why are Chinese people so thin?

Timestamps:
0:00 If rice is so bad for you, why are Chinese people so thin?
0:50 What did Chinese people eat before versus now?
1:42 In China now, sugar consumption and snacking have increased

Someone asked me, if rice is so bad for you, why are Chinese people so thin? Actually, they aren’t as thin as you think.

From 1985 to 2015 there was a massive spike of obesity in children in China. I mean obesity, not simply being overweight. For boys the increase was 14 times; for girls, 11 times.

The Chinese were once considered one of the leanest populations in the world. Now they’re ranked second in overweight behind the US because they’re eating like Americans.

Chinese people always consumed rice but let’s take a look at the rest of their diet in the early 90’s versus right now:

Less sugar then; far more sugar now
More vegetables then; fewer now
More fish and seafood then; less now
Mostly boiled food then; now it’s mostly fried
More fermented foods like natto, miso, kimchi then; less now
Western food and beverage companies shape obesity policy now

Soda consumption in the US is decreasing so beverage companies are marketing heavily in other countries. As well, in 1995 most soy was non-GMO. Now, most of it is. The pork raised in China is fed mostly GMO feed.

To summarize, the Chinese people are getting fatter because of an increase in consumption of sugar and refined carbohydrates and a decrease in their traditional healthy foods. You can see why rice combined with a US diet is problematic.

Dr. Eric Berg DC Bio:
Dr. Berg, age 56, is a chiropractor who specializes in Healthy Ketosis & Intermittent Fasting. He is the author of the best-selling book The Healthy Keto Plan, and is the Director of Dr. Berg Nutritionals. He no longer practices, but focuses on health education through social media.

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Disclaimer:
Dr. Eric Berg received his Doctor of Chiropractic degree from Palmer College of Chiropractic in 1988. His use of “doctor” or “Dr.” in relation to himself solely refers to that degree. Dr. Berg is a licensed chiropractor in Virginia, California, and Louisiana, but he no longer practices chiropractic in any state and does not see patients so he can focus on educating people as a full time activity, yet he maintains an active license. This video is for general informational purposes only. It should not be used to self-diagnose and it is not a substitute for a medical exam, cure, treatment, diagnosis, and prescription or recommendation. It does not create a doctor-patient relationship between Dr. Berg and you. You should not make any change in your health regimen or diet before first consulting a physician and obtaining a medical exam, diagnosis, and recommendation. Always seek the advice of a physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition.

Thanks for watching!
I explain why rice is problematic when consumed with a standard American diet such as people in China are consuming.

[Drberg]

To clarify the answer to this question. The traditional Chinese diet does include rice for sure, BUT with lots of vegetables, fermented foods, fish and WITHOUT the added junk, sugar (as in soda) and GMO soy oil. So it really depends on what you are adding to the rice and the type. If you only ate brown rice, you would deplete your zinc and other minerals due to phytates and if you only ate white rice, you'll develop Beru Beri (B1 deficiency). On the glycemic index, rice ranges between 50-90 depending on the type of rice (wild, brown to refined white) so you have to look at the whole picture: the type of rice, quantities and what else you are eating with it.

[mingchen]

When I grew up in China in the 80’s, we didn’t have this habit of snacking. We eat three meals a day and that’s it. Breakfast in the morning around 6:30am, lunch at 12 and dinner at 7. And that’s it. if you are hungry in between, just be. not like here in USA, people have to eat something nonstop!

[billyhickman]

Dr you avoided the rice subject. That is a question I always ask myself and I was eager to see your thoughts on it. If rice is so bad why do so many people eat it without being fat. My wife is Asian and her entire family eats it with every meal and in high quantities(probably 75% percent of their plate is rice).

My thought is, the foods that they eat with it are good wholesome foods, basically veggies and meat. Unlike here we have junk food. The trend I see is not the the rice being bad it's the other foods people eat along side it, just like you demonstrated in this video. The Chinese population was skinny until they added the junk food.

[TheWatchinator]

A dear friend of mine moved to the US from Taiwan in the late 80's when he was a teenager; he said he was skinny like most people in Taiwan and their daily diet consisted of a small bowl or two of rice, lots of vegetables (some sauteed, some boiled, fresh or canned), some meat/fish, or soups with vegetables, some meat/fish, with/without ramen noodles. 15 years later when he went back to Taiwan for a visit in early 2000's, he noticed many young Taiwanese a lot chubbier than he'd ever seen before and that lots of pastry shops, bakeries, and boba drink cafes had sprouted everywhere. From the mid-90's internet boom and onward, people in general have become more sedentary by having their eyes glued to a screen. Couple this with all the sweet treats or highly processed carbs plus the snacking of such carbs and we have a recipe for plumpness.

[Valhalla_Heathen]

“Because they’re eating like Americans”
🤣

[lynettec]

Liquid candy will mess you up. 4 months ago, I switched to drinking only water and black coffee, and 30 lbs literally fell off me.

[victoriar]

i speak for myself growing up poor in asia: we ate rice and lots of beans and vegetables and seasonal fruits, but not too much because we were poor and we had to share 1 whole chicken among 12 people in the household; we had meat when there was an occasion like birthdays, death and funerals and birthdays - that's the difference. :) we did not eat GMO food and no artificial oils and junk foods until the 90's? when american fast foods were introduced in the country. Now I observe obesity in children! Now I live in North America, I have to go on "diet" . I realized, I ate better when I was "poor" and had access to non-GMO food real food. In North America, it is so unaffordable to eat healthy!

[valinamiyu]

I was born and have always been living in Asia. Eating rice is a must everyday, up to three times a day, sometimes even more. But I usually pair it with homemade dishes of veggies, meat with a hell lot of veggies in it, and sometimes fish. Also, I’m a tea enthusiast and prefer fruits for snack. And yeah, I rarely eat junk food. Maybe that’s why I’m struggling to gain weigh instead 🤷🏻‍♀️

[elliotzhang]

I am Chinese and I can assure what Dr. Berg says is dreadfully accurate... most people are slim fat :(

[Soul.Is.Willing]

"Liquid candy, I mean soda." Berg is such a wise guy.

[chiefonelung]

I am 70 years old now. Back in the early seventies I was in the Peace Corps in South India. I lived with a host family in a small village in the Thanjavur District. They were Hindu and strict vegetarians. They had no refrigerator. Everything was cooked and prepared fresh daily. Lots of fresh vegetables and fresh fruit, Etc. I ate rice approximately three times a day and lots of lentils cooked in different sauces and gravies. I look back on that part of my life and for those two years I realize that that is the healthiest I have ever been in my life. I had no sodas or soft drinks although I craved them but nothing like that was available because of no Refrigeration. The only beverages that I had was water tea or coffee. And usually the South Indian tea and coffee is served with sugar and milk. There were not a lot of sweets or junk Foods available. I don't even remember back then finding candy bars in the markets. Of course today that has changed in India also as it has in China with junk food more candy bars Etc. Thank you for your hard work on your channel and bringing all of this good information to us. ... I will be making another trip back to that Village this coming spring. Of course now I am overweight but working on it and trying to eat healthier. Your channel is helping me enormously. Thank you so much. I wished I lived close enough to you for you to be my personal coach. I would let you film me and show the enormous difference that could take place with an old fart like me.

[stevendunn]

I like how "Chinese" seems to be a catch-all for Asians. When comparing traditional foods supposedly eaten in China he mentioned two traditional Japanese foods (natto and miso soup) and one traditional Korean food (kimchi)

[subStuff]

"...Liquid Candy, I am sorry, Soda.."; awesome line, Dr. Berg! 😁

[NoName-bmxg]

I visited the US a couple of years ago. My first visit to NY. I was shocked at the food that most people consumed including my brother. And they used plastic and thermocol containers for takeaways. I remember wondering so much research comes out of this country ...how come they don't follow their own advice

[Suecotero]

Having lived in China, I can confirm that having more than one bowl of rice (150g) during a meal is considered stuffing yourself. Most of the food consists of sauteed or boiled vegetables, eggs and meat.

[epicdreamr]

I think you're all missing one thing... yes, the diet has changed for many parts of the world but the major problem is that people are far LESS ACTIVE. Kids nowadays are not running around and playing outside with their friends. They'll finish dinner and then play games all night while downing several cans of pop and a bag of chips. The kids that are not spending time outdoors is also lacking in Vitamin D which will result in other illnesses.

[musiccabin]

Just wanted to clarify, Chinese don't have natto or miso. They are Japanese food. Also, growing up in China in the 90s, I think the problem with obesity wasn't really with fried foods (or rice), but the increasing amounts of processed foods, snacks and drinks. When we were little, our snacks were things made from nuts, sticky rice, or dried fruits, beans, etc. I didn't eat a lot of candies, and a lot of candies were made from berries, sesames.... Drinks were like bean or plum soups instead of pepsi or 7up. We had lots of home-made fried food, noodles and buns, and they didn't really affect us much. But I think our lifestyle was a lot more active though. Even for people who had office jobs, they probably biked to work or kids' schools everyday. With lunch breaks, that'll be at least 4 trips in a days. We also walked longer distances and cardio exercises were common. So maybe people nowadays think carbs are bad because our lifestyles have become a lot more sedentary due to various reasons.

[Scotkhuncap]

I've been living in Asia for 30 years. Major transformation has taken place. You are correct Doctor..

[headsup]

I'm 40 from India eats 2 times a day rice for whole life. No obesity whole family practice same diet. Fruits as snacks other than that no sugar, cream, or fats or meat. All are healthy and thin. No life style diseases(including Diabetes).
Thank you Dr. For eye opening to this so called "modern world". Still stick to the 80's village diet. You don't need to work in the gyms for hours.

[crickannada]

I am from India and I have been eating rice and ragi from my childhood days for almost 30 years. I am 33 now. Height is 5'9 and weights only 60 Kgs. In school and college I was bullied for being thin. Even now I look thin.

My mother also ate rice for last 64 years. Her fasting blood sugar is 82 and no obesity. But she ate only 2 meals a day for almost 35 years of her life.