There are people in the world who wish to maintain their youthfulness without gaining weight. The United States has a health insurance system that fulfills these wishes. Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the United States has seen 76 million infections and 900,000 deaths. However, there are certainly people in this country who are protected. The wealthy have expensive health insurance. They were protected from COVID-19 infection. American health insurance has an interesting structure. It emphasizes preventive care. Preventive care reduces the number of sick people, maintaining and improving the health of members, and insurance companies earn significant profits. Checkups are cheaper than surgery. If you get sick, you pay high medical fees to medical institutions, but if you are healthy, you don’t have to pay for consultations or surgery. The less insured people visit the hospital, the more profitable the insurance company becomes.
In the United States, health economists have suggested that “100% investment in preventive medicine can save 300% in medical costs.” Taking steps to prevent illness before worrying about it is also a wise approach. Those interested in preventive medicine have focused on the lifestyle of the Japanese, whose average life expectancy is longer than that of Westerners. There seems to be a trend to attribute this longevity to Japanese food. Among these noteworthy foods are seaweed and vegetables. Japanese people have the unique ability to obtain large amounts of short-chain fatty acids through seaweed. Short-chain fatty acids are considered an important health factor in preventing obesity and lifestyle-related diseases.
For example, short-chain fatty acids are produced when intestinal bacteria digest the dietary fiber contained in legumes. It is said that the ideal dietary fiber intake is a 2:1 ratio of insoluble to soluble fiber. Typical sources of insoluble fiber include soybeans, sweet potatoes, and corn. Typical examples of water-soluble dietary fiber include bananas, apples, wakame seaweed, nameko mushrooms, taro, and natto. Wakame seaweed is becoming popular among foreigners. It is known that people who consume dietary fiber through these foods have more intestinal bacteria. It has also been found to have a positive effect on the function of intestinal bacteria. It is becoming common knowledge that good results cannot be achieved by consuming only one type of seaweed or vegetable. It is hoped that new ingredients and cooking methods will be developed based on these hints.
