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Why Are Asians So Slim? (Secrets Revealed)

Jason Park
Published by: Jason Park
Last updated:

Are all Asians so slim… this might be a common stereotype but there is some truth to it.

However, if you’ve ever been to Seoul, Shanghai, or any other Asian city. You might have noticed that it’s not really true, mainly because there are so many people.

There’s no one size fits all, so you can definitely say that not all Asians are slim.

The ones that are slim are mainly Asians that eat smaller-sized meals with fewer calories.

Exercise more frequently and also walk more often than people from other cultures.

Even though you might have a group of friends, all of them are Asian and slim. It’s mostly considered to be good genes if you ask me.

In short: Asian people are slim because of their smaller-sized meals, fewer calories, and more frequent exercise. Asian people also tend to have “small” portions when looking at the average height worldwide.

But if you want to lose weight yourself or get a slim body like Asians.

It’s very achievable in quite a short time frame.

Asian Culture and Dieting

If you look at Asian culture, you often think about extremely skinny girls.

Even though this might be a common conception not, all Asians are skinny. There are many plus-size models in China, South Korea, and Japan.

It’s becoming more and more common to see curvy Asians in the media.

However, the stereotype of slim Asians still exists for a reason.

The stereotype mainly exists because the majority of Asian-Americans are on the skinny side.

And also the people that are in the media are often the ones that tend to be on the slim side. Though it’s not uncommon to see someone that’s a bit “bigger” these days.

When it comes to do dieting in Asian culture, it often goes to the extreme. You see all these types of diets where people go through a 7 or 14-day crash diet.

A crash diet is basically “almost” starving yourself for 7 or 14 days to lose significant weight.

Famous K-pop idols lost about 4 to 6 kg or 8 to 12 lbs in just those days.

It’s often not a sustainable way of dieting, and people tend to gain all the weight back after the “crash” period is over.

The more sustainable and healthier way to diet is to cut down on calories gradually.

People do get insane results from crash dieting, however, it could lead to serious health problems in the long term.

So, if you want to lose weight the Asian way. Just be careful with these crash diets and make sure slowly eat fewer calories.

Effective Diets That Asians Follow

Effective dieting is key to many Asians that are very slim. You lose a lot of body fat extremely fast, while also keeping a healthy weight. Here are 3 effective diets to keep your Asian body slim:

K-pop Diet

Following a K-pop, diet is quite hard these days. Especially since there are many idol diets out here, some of the most popular ones are from groups like Red Velvet, ITZY, and SNSD.

These K-pop diets go to the extreme when it comes to dieting. You’re basically starving yourself, and for most people, this isn’t worth it.

That’s why you see so many people criticizing these diets. Especially in the western media, you see many fans criticizing these diets since your calorie intake is only 1200 a day.

A normal healthy male and female should eat at least 1800 to 2000 calories a day. So because they aren’t used to these beauty standards that we in Asia have, it’s hard to relate. Read more about it here.

BTS Diet

The BTS Diet is a bit more sustainable than the K-pop diet, but it’s still quite hard to follow. The diet is all about eating healthy and working out.

You have to eat six times a day, and every meal should have protein, carbohydrates, and fat.

You’re also supposed to work out at least once a day, which is dancing for the members. However, Jungkook is known to work out once more after.

That’s why his build is somewhat bigger than the rest, you can literally see his veins. Read more about it here.

Kimchi Diet

The kimchi diet is one of the better ones out there, not only is it great for weight loss. It’s also one of the most popular Asian food in South Korea.

If you think about South Korea, your first thought is probably kimchi.

The kimchi diet is all about eating kimchi as one of your main meals. You can eat it with plain white rice, noodles or even make a kimchi stew.

It’s a very healthy diet since kimchi is packed with vitamins and probiotics. Eating kimchi will also prevent you from eating junk food, since kimchi is a bit spicy it’ll help your cravings. Read more about the kimchi diet.

How Long Should You Follow an Asian Diet?

Doing a diet should be a lifestyle change and not something you do for a short period of time and then go back to your old eating habits.

If you really want to make a significant change in your life, it should be permanent. However, since many people still want to eat their favorite food, they often diet for 3 to 6 weeks.

After those 3 to 6 weeks, they go back to their old eating habits and often gain all the weight back, and sometimes even more.

Many studies have shown that you should take little steps when dieting and not go to the extreme.

Slowly decrease your calorie intake and start exercising, these are the two main takeaways when it comes to losing weight.

In Asian cultures, it’s very common to start eating less every single day. That’s the fastest and easiest way when you’re following an Asian diet.

Should You Diet Forever or Crash Diet

Never do a crash diet unless you’re under strict medical supervision. The best way to lose weight and keep it off is to change your lifestyle permanently.

Start by eating less every day, as we’ve mentioned before.

Crash dieting is going to the extreme, where you’re basically starving yourself for 7 to 14 days. Then you’ll see some significant results from losing weight.

However, doing this can be very dangerous and it’s not recommended at all.

Many idols have done this in the past, where it went wrong and needed medical attention.

Even if you are going to do a crash diet, always make sure there’s someone with you.

How Come Asians Eat So Much and Still Stay Skinny

Asians tend to eat a lot because they have a higher metabolism. Even though we might not look it, most Asians are quite active.

In Asian cultures, it’s very common to go for a walk every day.

Countries like China, Japan, and Korea take naps in between work, which helps to re-energize the body.

It’s also common for Asians to have smaller portion sizes than what you see on YouTube or TV.

The meals are split into 4 to 5 different times and eaten a little bit at a time.

Also, Asian countries eat a lot of rice and less fatty food, which makes it look like they’re eating a lot but in reality, they’re not.

Conclusion

All in all, Asian diets are some of the best ones out there. They’re healthy, nutritious, and will help you lose weight.

If you want to start yourself, make sure to start today and not tomorrow.

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    About The Author

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    Jason Park

    Jason has been living in Seoul for over 4 years, and during that time, he has experienced many of the city's hidden stores. He loves to write about his experiences and share them with others. Jason has been quoted and referenced by different major media companies like Mashed, Distractify, ThePrint and TastingTable. In his free time, he likes to watch Korean dramas and learn more about Korean culture.

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