Warmer weather recently had Rozanne Stevens thinking about getting fit. And, according to her column, it reminded her about the Thai New Year, which is celebrated as a water festival in Thailand. It also reminded her that Thai food is among the most healthiest.

"The World Health Organization has conducted a very comprehensive study on the benefits of Thai cuisine and its health-promoting ingredients," she writes. "When I was putting together my Cook Yourself Slim course recently, Thai salads featured heavily as they tick all the boxes for trimming waistlines while being highly nutritious, packed with flavor and texture and visually appealing."

Alan Wong had similar thoughts when he read about First Lady Michelle Obama’s national campaign to fight childhood obesity. The first step, he said in a release, ought to occur in the public school system.

“Student meals are often high in fat, additives, and preservatives,” said Wong. “So far, the only defense various school districts have offered up is that brown bag lunches tend to be even less healthy. I don’t understand when less adequate became an acceptable replacement for less than adequate. Make better meals at school and kids won’t pack brown bag lunches.”

As a point of comparison, Wong cited a February 2008 article in Edutopia that compared school lunches in the United States, Russia, and Japan. Americans are eating turkey dogs and tater tots. Russians are eating beef, beet soup, and rye bread. And Japanese students are eating wonton miso soup, spinach and Chinese cabbage, rice, and milk.

Recently, Wong visited a school to take a picture of a meal served by the local school district. It consisted of an overcooked hamburger, wilted lettuce, and a few stale french fries. By comparison, he found the turkey dogs looked better.

The reason Thai food is healthier, Stevens explained, is that many of the ingredients in Thai cooking have phenomenal health benefits. She specifically cites chili, galangai, and coconut milk among her list. But more than that, she includes something we all appreciate about Thai food. Most recipes are high in protein and include many vegetables.