Learn to become healthier

Twenty-plus researchers from Johns Hopkins and Dr. Oz’s Columbia University Medical Center spent two years analyzing data on immigrants in the U.S. and published their findings in the journal The Lancet. One finding: Immigrants to the U.S. are less likely to die from heart disease, cancer, respiratory illnesses and other chronic diseases than native-born Americans.

That means that not only do they not increase our healthcost burdens as much as natives do, but the kind of diet and lifestyle they had in their homeland helps protect them once they are exposed to the processed foods and low-energy, high-calorie habits of their new land.

What’s so special about their diets? Guatemalan cuisine is built around corn, beans, squash, rice, tomatoes, chilies, tropical fruit, cocoa and wild game. The locals eat on average 2,150 calories a day. In Ethiopia, the diet centers on millet, sorghum and plantains. Many folks are vegetarian. The locals consume about 1,950 calories daily.

Homegrown Americans down an average of 3,750 daily calories! Only 8 percent of the average American diet comes from fruits and vegetables. The U.S. Department of Agriculture says flour and cereal products make up 24 percent, added fats and oils are 23 percent and caloric sweeteners are 14 percent! Meats, eggs and nuts account for 21 percent; dairy products 9 percent.

It’s time to go on culinary adventures — visit restaurants to sample cuisines from around the world. Stop in ethnic groceries and bodegas to explore their offerings. At restaurants, opt for the genuine cuisine. Stick with steamed, stir-fried or roasted veggies; braised, roasted, steamed or pan-cooked chicken and fish. Try new grains. At ethnic groceries ask about foods you don’t recognize; find out what they are, how they taste, how they can be prepared. Take time to get to know the cuisines and the people.

Mehmet Oz, M.D. is host of “The Dr. Oz Show,” and Mike Roizen, M.D. is Chief Wellness Officer and Chair of Wellness Institute at Cleveland Clinic. To live your healthiest, tune into “The Dr. Oz Show” or visit www.sharecare.com.