Excess Oil
Everyone loves to eat greasy food because they are often the most delicious.
But in Thailand, this becomes a problem: the country has the second highest obesity rate in Southeast Asia. It is not really a wonder since Thai food is often cooked using large amounts of oil.
Now, health authorities are trying to devise an answer to solve this national problem. Because fat people are more prone to heart diseases.
This is not by controlling the food options or making policies on greasy food, but by redesigning the plates.
Called the AbsorbPlate, its name gives away what it does: it absorbs grease from noodles or stir-fry, blotting off excess grease that would otherwise go into the body. In other words, it separates surplus oil from food.
There are 500 holes in AbsorbPlate, making it similar to a Chinese checkers board but really acting as a sponge.
While it does not completely remove the grease, the plate cuts off about 7ml of grease per meal according to the creators. That is about 30 calories.
An autonomous government organization that supports health initiatives in Thailand called the Thai Health Promotional Foundation and agency BBDO Bangkok are the brains behind the engineered plate.
Before nutritionists react to how this will affect the obesity in Thailand, the inventors have noted recent research which says about low-fat diets being not that effective in preventing obesity and heart disease.
To call a diet healthy is still difficult.
There are also studies which identify eating fried foods as not entirely unhealthy. But the AbsorbPlate is a way to reduce the grease consumption of the Thais – after all, most diets should have everything in moderation.
For now the plate is still a concept but the Thai inventors plan to mass produce this, hoping it could help solve the obesity problem.
Source: Mental Floss
