Today we have a very expansive topic for you! The word diet covers many different areas. We’re not going to focus on foods in people’s diets. Instead, we’re going to look more closely at the food groups and vocabulary relating to exercise and diet. Here we go – diet vocabulary in Thai.
Don’t forget. If you want a workout for your mind, look no further than Ling. Ling is an app that builds your Thai skills week on week, the same way you do if you go to the gym and lift weights for your muscles. It’s all about those gains!
Diet Vocabulary In Thai – Food Groups And The Food Pyramid
Here are some basic words to categorize types of common foods that you eat or would go shopping for in a Thai supermarket.
Diet Vocabulary In Thai – Words Related To Exercising And Calorie Counting
For those looking to eat healthier or who are watching their diet, these words will help you explain to others what you’re current health kick is!
Diet Vocabulary In Thai – Related Phrases
It’s all well and good learning vocabulary, but if you want to sound natural, you need to put that vocabulary to use in longer sentences. Here are ten that might come in useful.
How Healthy Are Thai People?
We’ll start with some statistics:
- 32% of Thai people are overweight- 9% of which are obese
- 20% of Thai people smoke- Worryingly, 15% of those people are 18 or under
- 37% of Thai people drink alcohol(this is very low compared to the global average)
- 2% of the Thai population is addicted to some form of narcotic
Obesity In Thailand
Thai cuisine is generally healthy; however, as restaurants entice people to keep returning, traditional foods like sticky rice, Thai eggplant, and Pad Thai are modified to have more unhealthy elements. For example, natural coconut milk is generally healthy but combined with other sugars and served in large doses increases the risk of diabetes.
In global terms, Thailand has a low rate of obesity; however, if we zoom in on South East Asia, we see that it has one of the highest rates in the region. Obesity doubled between 1991 and 2014. As you’d expect, obesity rates are lower in rural areas than in cities like Bangkok and Chiang Mai. This is a common problem seen in many developing countries where people live a more sedentary lifestyle, and junk foods are more easily available.
Smoking In Thailand
106,000 people die every year from smoking-related illnesses in Thailand. 24% of male deaths are related to tobacco smoking. Thailand was slow compared to western countries to develop health warnings on tobacco-related products. New restrictions are put in place each year to discourage Thais from smoking and negate the effects of second-hand smoke. For example, smokers are now not allowed to smoke in public buildings, and smoking indoors in Thai restaurants is banned. However, if you’ve been to Thailand, you’ll know this law is poorly enforced.
Alcohol In Thailand
Being a Buddhist country, Thailand has tended to have quite strict alcohol laws; for example, from 1972- 2022, you couldn’t buy alcohol anywhere from 2-5 pm. That changed very recently in a bid to boost local tourism after COVID.
Thai drinking culture is very communal, and people tend to get drunk together as opposed to alone. If you’re invited to a Thai party, expect a glass of Sangsom rum to be passed around the table.
In 2006 the legal age for drinking alcohol was increased from 18-20, although this is usually only enforced in high-end establishments.
Note: drink driving is endemic in Thailand. I would highly advise against riding a motorbike after 10p.m
Learn The Thai Language With Ling
There you have it- Diet vocabulary in Thai. We hope we covered the word or phrase you wanted to hear. As we mentioned in the intro, if you’re interested more generally in Thai food terms, Thai cooking, Thai food vocabulary, and the differences between Northern Thai food and Southern Thai cuisine check out some of our other blog: Thai food vocabulary and flavors of Thai food.
Ling has entire units on mastering vocab related to that oh-so-delicious Thai food. Learn to order papaya salad, fried egg, and fried rice like a pro. We also cover many things mentioned in this list that will enable you to order a delicious, but most importantly, healthy meal.
Speaking, reading, writing, listening, we have it all. Come on over now.
See ya.
