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The Japanese eat a lot of fresh and unprocessed foods with very less refined foods and sugar. Rice and seafood are a staple in Japan. They consume a lot of grains and vegetables and moderate amounts of animal products and soy. Dairy products and fruits hardly figure in their diet. This country also has the lowest rate of cardiovascular diseases and the nation is known for longevity and the absence of weight related problems. Obesity is almost unheard of here. According to a recent study published in the British Medical Journal, people who followed a diet similar to the Japanese diet had a reduced risk of heart disease and stroke.
Traditional Japanese diet is low in calories and saturated fat. It consists of foods rich in antioxidants and flavonoids. In fact, if you want to lose weight and keep it away for good, you must switch to a Japanese diet.
Shoku-Iku literally means 'food education'. Thanks to the concept of Shoku-Iku, Japanese people never have to go on diets. They maintain perfect figures well into old age. They are very well-informed about the nutritional value of the food they consume and they consciously monitor their nutritional intake at every meal every day. Shoku-Iku propagates the Buddhist-inspired Power of Five to boost variety. This means you must eat foods from five groups (grains, vegetables, fruits, protein and dairy) that appeal to your five senses. These foods should contain five tastes (sweet, sour, bitter, salt and the savoury umami) and reflect five colours (green/blue, red/orange, white, black/brown, yellow). This forms the foundation of Japanese diet.
The Japanese are lean and fit people. They hardly suffer from lifestyle diseases and have perfect weight. Many advocated of the Japanese diet say that the secret lies in how they eat and what they eat. Here, we reveal the importance they give to different foods and how you can incorporate them in your diet. We list them in terms of their importance in Japanese diet.
[caption id="attachment_683355" align="alignnone" width="675"] Low fat grains, packed with filling carbohydrate provides essential vitamins and anti-inflammatory substances. Gettyimages[/caption]
Include grains in some form or another at every meal. Rice is rich in carbohydrates and has very less sodium, saturated fat, trans fat or cholesterol. In Japan, any meal without plain rice is unheard of. This is filling and replaces many less nutritious alternatives in other cuisines. Noodle can also be another option. They have a low fat content and are packed with filling carbohydrate. Noodles in Japan is usually made from mung beans and buckwheat (soba), not just wheat.
Have at least one serving of grains at each meal and aim for five to seven servings daily. Each serving size must be 40 grams or about 1/4 cup of rice.
[caption id="attachment_683356" align="alignnone" width="675"] the Japanese people depend highly on low fat and high protein vegetables. They consume green leafy vegetables as much as they can. Gettyimages[/caption]
Vegetables have a low fat content. They are also packed with fibre. They fill you up and stop you eating too much. Add a lot of green and colourful vegetables to your diet. Let there be variety in taste too. Eat five to six servings of a vegetable dish daily. Each serving size must be 70 grams or a about 1/3 cup.
[caption id="attachment_683357" align="alignnone" width="675"] Japanese people prefer their protein from fish and legumes and not from pork and beef. Gettyimages[/caption]
Seafood is a staple in Japan. Almost 10 per cent of the world's fish is consumed by the Japanese. Eat three to five servings of fish and meat daily. Portion size may be 6 grams per serving. Remember, Japanese people prefer their protein from fish and legumes and not from pork and beef. Salmon and tuna are very popular here. Both are excellent sources of omega-3 fats, essential for a healthy heart and mind.
Seafood is the main source of protein. Fish provides lean protein. It I low in saturated fat and contain essential vitamins and anti-inflammatory substances like omega-3 fatty acids. These are great for weight loss.
Japanese people consume a lot of plant-based protein like soy. This is great for weight loss. Soy influences your metabolic rate and encourages weight loss. You can tofu, edamame, soybeans and tempeh to you diet to take advantage of this food.
[caption id="attachment_683371" align="alignnone" width="675"] The Japanese do not have more than two servings of fruit per day. Gettyimages[/caption]
These are right at the bottom of the Japanese food chart. You may have not more than two servings of fruits and dairy products every day. Portion size may be 100 grams for both. This means 2/3 cup of chopped fruits or less than 1/2 cup of milk.
[caption id="attachment_683363" align="alignnone" width="675"] Sencha, or green leaf tea, is the most popular kind of tea in Japan. Gettyimages[/caption]
Japanese people love their green tea. The flavonoids offer protection from heart diseases, diabetes and also promote weight loss. Thanks to this habit, only 3.6 per cent of Japanese adults are obese. In fact, Japanese adults are three times less likely to be overweight than their Americans counterparts, according to joint study by researchers from the University of Minnesota and Japan's Masahiko Gemma Waseda University.
The Japanese also have a unique way of eating their food. This is what keeps obesity away. Let us look at a few of these distinctive habits.
Usually, Japanese people eat 3 meals a day with an afternoon snack thrown in. And, snacks can be anything from rice balls to candy to chocolate. But the secret lies in the tiny portion size. The Japanese believe that deprivation will lead to binging. So they have everything in moderation.
This basically means that people should eat till they are 80 per cent full. This is a great weight loss tip. It takes about 20 minutes for your brain to register when your stomach is full. This 80 per cent rule means that you are unlikely to overeat at any meal.
The Japanese don't believe in going to the gym. Yet they are some of the healthiest and fittest people on earth. This is because they walk a lot. This is mainly due to high costs of cars and inaccessibility of public transportation. But the benefits are there for all to see. This also benefits bone health, cardiovascular health and promotes mental well-being.
Fermented soy and pickled foods are eaten almost daily in Japan. This has a positive effect on gut health. This, in turn, promotes weight loss.
This is a great weight-loss strategy. Soups contain very less calories and can fill you up. You tend to eat less if you start your meal with a soup. In fact, according to a study published in Appetite, a bowl of low-calorie soup before a meal can reduce your total caloric intake and promote weight loss.