When I think about (for instance) French vs Indian culinary traditions, traditional Indian food seems a lot ‘healthier’ in general than traditional French dishes. Is that a distinction/classification we can make fairly or is my view on these countries’ traditions too narrow and/or bigoted?
Your view is probably too narrow. Traditional French food tends to be fairly healthy, and in southern France it’s even fairly in line with the Mediterranean diet. It tends to be cooked from scratch from whole ingredients. They also tend to have more reasonable portion sizes, walk more, etc.
It’s important to let people retain their traditional cuisine as much as possible, and seek to be healthy within that, instead of forcing everyone to eat according to just one method/culture because its deemed “most” healthy.
People’s diet have evolved to fit the environment around them. Cultures in the rainforest eat much different diets than cultures from Arctic areas. Their bodies over generations have adapted to the environment around them. Take an Inuit and make them eat the fruit heavy diet of someone from the tropical islands and their health will totally change. There is no “healthiest culinary tradition” just like there is no “healthiest diet.”
That being said, studies that look at cultures with people that live longer have certain aspects in common but many of those things have nothing to do with food. IE emphasis on whole food and quality over quantity, emphasis on community and family, promote outdoor activities over indoor activities.
TLDR: there is no healthiest culinary tradition, “being healthy” and longevity have many more aspects than just food.
there’s no single healthiest tradition. any place with a decent climate for crops and livestock grazing will provide a good cuisine. that being said, regions furthest from the equator will usually yield worse options