Since I’ve live in Taiwan and the US , I’ll speak about them based on observations and what I’ve learned so far.

Generally speaking, the Taiwanese don’t have diabetes and other diet related problems at the same rate as Americans. To my understanding, diet related weight gain and illnesses started to occur coincidentally when dairy and processed foods became more readily available and consumed. Apparently lactose intolerance is high in people of East Asian descent, so dairy isn’t big in their original cuisine.

Two things I can say for sure when comparing Taiwan with the US:

#1: Chemicals

Food in the US has more added chemicals and unnecessary things.. If you’re not paying attention, you can buy something simple like salt and it’ll have dextrose in it. A loaf of bread in the grocery store has many unrecognizable ingredients. Because of things like this, I made my own bread and many other things from scratch when I was living there. There’s definitely a difference.

Many people come to the US and complain about how fake the food tastes and are shocked by the portions. Americans go to a place like Italy and are surprised they lost weight despite eating pasta and bread everyday as they are foods they’d would normally eat in moderation at home. Why? Probably because the bread and pasta has 3 ingredients and they’re recognizable.

Now, everything in Taiwan isn’t chemical free the same can be said about other “developed” nations too, but there are chemicals used in America that are illegal elsewhere.

#2: Lifestyle

Americans are generally more sedentary. Always driving to places and most people work at jobs where they’re sitting for 8+ hours a day, and then they go home and sit some more. Unless it’s scheduled, there aren’t many opportunities to work pump the heart a bit from normal daily activities.

In Taiwan, I live in a 4-story apartment building that doesn’t have an elevator (I live on the 3rd floor), and I work at a place that doesn’t have an elevator (my “office” is on the 4th floor). Major Taiwanese cities are more walkable than most major American cities. Here, there are more opportunities to exercise passively during your day.

There are many ways to the same goal.It seems like you found something working for you and that’s great. Everyone’s body adjust to foods differently. Everyone has different activity levels, body types and genetics which call for different nutritional needs.

I truly believe it is the consumption of hidden chemicals and processed foods combined with a super sedentary lifestyle that’s crippling the overall health of most people in America.

My theory: If everyone in America had access to chemical free foods (of all types) and walked at least 2 miles per day, there’d be an improvement.