The Japanese Diet: Healthy Oriental Food for Weight Loss

Weight loss diets seem to be a modern idea. This is not actually true. If you look at traditional eastern diets, especially the Japanese diet, you see all the elements of a balanced and healthy eating regime. So perhaps modern science does not hold the answer to weight loss after all? Perhaps you should turn to the fresh foods, small dishes, vegetable beverages, rice and fish of the Japanese diet.

The secrets of the Japanese diet

How do we know that the Japanese diet works?

Let’s start with the statistics that show that people live longer in Japan. This has got to be attributable to the diet along with other lifestyle habits. Despite being people that are very hard working, the Japanese know how to use rest, enjoy nature and practice relaxation.

When did you last see an obese Japanese person? In fact, only 3% of Japanese women are obese. Compare this to the 64% of UK women that the World Health Organisation predict will be obese by 2030. We certainly have something to learn from the Japanese!

What is the Japanese diet?

The Japanese follow two golden rules when it comes to their diets. Their food is fresh and is eaten in small portions. A meal in Japan is judged by its quality and not quantity. They simply do not like to eat convenience foods and food that is reheated in a microwave. Refined flours and sugars and fatty foods are not part of the diet.

The Japanese do not grab a high calorie snack on the go. They eat slowly and with pleasure. The food is well presented and looks attractive – a feast for the eyes as well as for the stomach!

The Japanese do not consume dairy products and eat very little bread and meat either. Instead they like rice, vegetables, and fish. Fresh fruit is also essential and always eaten in small portions.

The most important meal of the day in Japan is breakfast but they do not start the day with sugar laden cereals or fatty baked products. Instead they enjoy breakfasts made up of vegetables, rice, soups, eggs, and the essential drink – green tea.

A Japanese diet for weight loss

If you want to lose weight by adopting the Japanese diet make sure that you include the following:

• Rice: the basis of the diet but use whole rice if possible.
• Noodles: Japanese specialties such as udon, somen, ramen and soba. They have different sizes and are made with different types of very healthy wheat and have barely any carbohydrates. Many of them are also great for coeliac sufferers.
• Fruit: Especially fuji apples, persimmon, and mandarins.
• Fish such as mackerel or salmon
• Soy, millet, or tofu. These are rich in calcium, protein, and antioxidants. They can reduce bad cholesterol and prevent diabetes.
• Green tea: a Japanese diet essential.
• Vegetables: eggplant, mung beans, red beans, mushrooms, cabbage, ginger, pumpkins, potatoes, bamboo sprouts, radish, and seaweed.

Try this oriental diet

Her is a typical example of a meal plan that you can follow throughout the day. This will not be a time consuming task because a Japanese meal not complicated to make. yet it is really tasty. Remember that it is essential that all of the foods are fresh, that you mix up foods of different colours and that eat slowly so that you can really enjoy every ingredient.

Breakfast

• A mandarin
• A cup of miso broth: Find miso in specialised stores or on-line. This is a typical soup to eat in the morning because of it provides a huge amount of energy but is very low in fat. Make the broth by heating some tuna, tofu, seaweed, miso (aromatic pasta made from soy) and chives.
• A cup of green tea

Lunch

A bowl of sushi (raw fish with rice), with soy sauce

• A cup of noodles with mushrooms
• An apple
• A cup of green tea

Dinner

Sashimi assortment (this is a plate of different types of fish), accompanied with soy sauce and wasabi (take care because it has a very strong flavour).

• A bowl of whole rice
• An orange
• A cup of green tea

Don’t just adopt the diet – adopt the lifestyles!  Make sure that you meditate often, take every opportunity to exercise and appreciate every moment of your life.