The umbrella term vocab about diet in Vietnamese is a little broad, so let me start this article by breaking down what we’re going to cover. We’ll start with food groups, move on to diet and exercise, and finish with phrases that tie the two together. For other food-related words, check out some other articles from the Ling blog. Does all that appetizing?
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Vocab About Diet In Vietnamese – Food Groups And The Food Pyramid
Diet Vocabulary In Vietnamese – Words Related To Exercising And Calorie Counting
Vocab About Diet In Vietnamese – Related Phrases
Vocab is all good but what you really need to level up your phrases.
How Healthy Are Vietnamese People?
Statistics are always a good place to start when considering the overall picture
- 4% of Vietnamese people are overweight. This is astonishingly low, given the global average
- 50% of men and 5% of women smoke
- 77% of men drink. Only 20% of women do. Worryingly, this number is increasing year after year.
- 217,000 people are labeled drug addicts in Vietnam, although there are problems with the data.
Obesity In Vietnam
Generally speaking, Vietnamese cuisine is very healthy. Go into any restaurant in Hanoi, and you can order delicious fresh spring rolls, a Vietnamese sandwich or rice vermicelli without worrying about your belt line expanding. As we said in the intro, obesity levels in Vietnam are tiny, but many health officials fear a tsunami of health-related problems in the future. 42% of urban Vietnamese children are overweight, something which the healthcare system may not be able to cope with in the future.
Smoking In Vietnam
Smoking causes 40,000 deaths every year in Vietnam. Smoking is banned in government buildings such as political offices and hospitals, but the law is not very well adhered to. A big problem is second-hand smoke. It is estimated that 70% of children aged 13-15 are exposed to some form of second-hand smoke. In recent years the government has taken steps to reduce the ill effects of smoking, such as increasing taxes on products and printing health warnings on cigarette packets.
Alcohol In Vietnam
Vietnamese people rank 16th in the world in total alcohol consumed in liters, and 97% of that alcohol is beer. Although there is no such thing as healthy drinking, it is generally safer to drink beer than spirits.
90% of the market is controlled by Habeco, Sabeco, Heiniken, and Hue. Beer is remarkably cheap in Vietnam, with most places selling a 330ml bottle for around $2. You can find places on the street where you can drink beer for less than a dollar. The Vietnamese government is very liberal when it comes to promoting sales in the country, in contrast to nearby Thailand and Malaysia.
Drugs In Vietnam
The top 3 used drugs in Vietnam are heroin, opium, and cannabis. Whereas alcohol is part of the culture, drugs of any kind are highly taboo, and it is recommended that you don’t even bring them up in conversation, particularly with older people.
Learn Vietnamese With Ling App Today
It can be tempting to go calorie crazy when you get to Vietnam. All that grilled pork chop, traditional sugarcane grilled shrimp, and strong coffee mixed with condensed milk. But it is possible to eat healthy food if you put your mind to it. With this diet vocabulary list and some Vietnamese cuisine planning, you could even come back looking better than when you left.
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If you’re more interested in Vietnamese food terms, common Vietnamese food vocabulary, and more general food in Vietnamese, check out some of our other blogs here and here.
