Dutch Diets

The Dutch have a love affair with milk and cheese. It is common to drink four to six glasses of milk daily. Besides ensuring proper cell division, milk produces strong bones, cartilage, muscle and tissue. Cow growth hormones resemble human growth hormones. Bovine and human protein contains 191 amino acids, and insulin-like growth factor-1 contains 70 amino acids in bovines and humans. Dutch men consume pints of milk at pubs, business meetings and social functions. A study published in the 2006, "American Journal of Clinical Nutrition" examined Dutch females in their sixties who ate a modified traditional Dutch diet of dairy, potatoes, fruits, vegetables and non-alcoholic drinks. The study showed a longevity increase of 30 percent over women on a Mediterranean diet.

Traditional Dutch Diet

• In 2010 the Hogeschool Van Amsterdam reported that the Dutch diet consists of 17 percent protein, 50 percent carbohydrate and 33 percent fat. Dutch people eat high-nutrient meals from balanced food groups and never skip meals. Daily foods include bread, potatoes, root and green veggies, pork, beef and dairy. They eat fresh and smoked fish like cod and herring twice a week. Breakfast might include bread with cheese, jam or sliced cold meat, lunch is similar with an extra raw fruit or veggie, and dinner consists of potatoes, veggies and fish or meat.

Eating History

• In the 1300s, Holland used cow and sheep milk to make cheese. Wet, damp soil made it impossible to grow wheat so the Dutch bought rye and wheat from Baltic granaries. They used their land to graze cattle and began making dairy goods. Early Dutch merchant marines brought back new foods and drinks, which included French, Italian and Spanish wines as well as German and Swiss beer. Spices came from India and the Spice Islands, and Mediterranean countries provided raisins, dates, figs and nuts. The Dutch preserved food by smoking, drying and pickling. Travelers brought back tea from the East, and coffee houses appeared in the 1700s.

Dutch Diet Plan

• Breakfast and lunch include whole grain bread slices with jam, cheese, protein or butter. Dinner includes meat or fish, rice or potatoes and two to four veggies. Eat a fruit and yogurt dessert and two fruits daily. Eat three snacks of fruit, carrots, whole grain bread, olives or nuts. Drink eight glasses of water or green tea. Exercise 30 minutes three times weekly. Dieters that have strayed from the eating plan for one day require a balance day the following day -- a balance day includes ample water, green tea and one of four choices: an apples-only diet, three bread-only meals, fruit juices and smoothies only with a fruity yogurt dinner shake, or three 30-minute physical exercise sessions accompanied with the regular Dutch daily diet.

Eating Trends

• Dutch food stalls sell snacks such as seafood, fried fish, chopped onion and raw herring bites or French fries with mayonnaise. Indonesian, Suriname and Moroccan immigrants have expanded the Dutch palate to include exotic ingredients. Snack bars sell "kroket," a deep-fried meat ragout rolled in bread crumbs. Vietnamese street hawkers sell "loempias," a spring roll, from street carts. Late-night snacks include take-out foods like "shoarma," a Middle-Eastern kebab with spiced meat, salad veggies and hot sauce wrapped inside a pita.