18 Weight-Loss Tips From Around The World

Thailand's cuisine includes plenty of notoriously spicy chiles, and it's the spice that makes them beneficial for weight-loss. By incorporating spicy chiles into your diet, you are consuming more capsaicin. Capsaicin helps not only with appetite suppression but also with thermogenesis (heat production that can increase energy expenditure).

In Indonesia, the fasting practice of mutih involves eating only tasteless foods like white rice and drinking water in an effort to survive solely on the necessities. Traditionally, the fasting was practiced from dawn until dusk, at which point the fast could be broken. Beginning such a practice can oftentimes shock the body, resulting in not only desired weight-loss, but also a mental cleanse.

In Russia, small, rural dacha communities were created in order to provide both crops and getaways for larger cities. You may include something similar to a dacha plot, the small gardens housed within a dacha community, in your own landscape. These pieces of land promote self-reliance, health, and weight-loss by allowing you to pick, choose, and grow your own produce. By growing what you like, you not only have the ability to provide yourself with healthy options, but you can also ensure the organic quality of your food.

In Mexico (a country that also struggles with obesity), lunch is often far larger than dinner. By placing the largest amount of calories during an active part of the day, more of them can be utilized in an efficient manner by the body. This means that less of the food will turn into body fat and more of it will be used as fuel. Americans, who tend to eat their largest meal at night, don't use as much of their large meal as fuel.

The West African country of Gambia totes a grain- and nut-friendly diet. The groundnuts that have become staples of the Gambian diet provide plenty of fat and, at nine kilocalories per gram as opposed to the four kcals in protein and carbohydrates, these fats provide a great energy boost. They also help keep hearts healthy and promote leanness through high levels of fiber and cholesterol-lowering properties.

Swiss muesli is very similar to granola. The main difference is that all of the ingredients are raw. The high protein content of muesli helps diners feel fuller faster and so does its high fiber count. Incorporating muesli into your diet plan will also help you increase your zinc and iron intake as well as Vitamin B, a critical component in your body's food-to-energy processing.

Germans truly believe that breakfast should be eaten like a king. And, as the proverb goes, they eat lunch like a prince and dinner like a pauper. This method makes sense — breakfast is the first meal of the day and, thus, your body can begin breaking its fast with a large quantity of quality food. You're putting your body in the best position to use calories as energy and to resist fat storage. Additionally, big breakfasts can curb hunger throughout the rest of the day.

Together, rice and beans have been the sustenance of Brazilians for hundreds of years. In fact, much of the world has survived on this simple combination. When paired, rice and beans provide not only vital nutrients and energy, but the dish also stands as a point of cultural pride for countries like Brazil that have had it as a dietary mainstay throughout the ages. While beans may be more beneficial than rice, the fiber in these foods allows for lower cholesterol levels and a boosted metabolism — both crucial factors for someone looking to lose weight.

It doesn't take a professional nutritionist to see the benefits of the UK method of portioning food. While portion sizes and the all-you-can-eat style have reached an intimidating state here in America, the United Kingdom's sizing is much smaller and more reasonable. If you've visited both countries, then you'll know that a common fast food chain in the U.K. will size things much more appropriately than the same chain in America.