Imagine a diet that gives you a wide variety of foods, allows for treats and that will help you live longer, be healthier and happier.
Well, if you want to lose weight and enjoy your food this is the perfect diet.
Let’s take a look at it.
It’s the Japanese diet, but can be enjoyed by anyone.
Japan’s population has the lowest level of obesity in the industrialized world and the population tends to live to a ripe old age.
The Japanese diet is easy to do.
Dieting should not be a chore. The Japanese diet is natural, balanced and a sensible way to eat that makes eating fun as it should be.
The Japanese diet is low in cholesterol, fat, and calories and high in fiber and here are the reasons it works.
1. Rice
Brown rice is rich in carbohydrates and proteins and it is the basis of the Japanese diet. Rice makes anyone eating it stay full for longer and being a good carbohydrate it keeps energy levels constant throughout the day.
Brown rice is eaten daily by the Japanese and is a fantastic base for the diet.
2. Fish
The Japanese eat up to 80 kegs of fish per year.
That’s four times as much as the average for the rest of the world and the bias toward fish is very similar to the Mediterranean diet another of the world’s best.
Eating fish (particularly oily fish) such as mackerel, sardines and salmon, lowers the risk of disease and increases overall health and provides the good fats our body needs, to function to function at optimum efficiency.
3. Soya
the Japanese eat up to 10 times more Soya produce than any other country.
Low in calories and fat and high in protein Soya is another fantastic base the diet is based upon.
4. Variety
Japanese people eat an average of around 100 different foods a week this is compared to just 30 in other western countries.
To get all the nutrients we need daily we must have plenty of variety and the Japanese diet provides this in abundance.
5. Eat naturally from the earth
The Japanese tend to favor food this is not processed and tend to eat naturally from the earth which means the food has not lost its nutritional value before it is eaten.
There is a tendency to eat food that is "shun" or "now-in-season”.
This method of eating provides variety and nutritional content that many diets in the west don’t provide.
5. Eating Slowly
Portions tend to be smaller and are carefully eaten slowly which allows the food to be broken down and digested properly and allow the stomach to register that is full.
6. Portion Size
Portions tend to be smaller as well and portion control is essential to natural weight control.
6. Breakfast
Your body has been without food for 8 – 10 hours and energy needs to be re plenished to stop hunger pangs later in the day.
A typical breakfast would have the following: Rice, miso soup, tofu, onions, omelette and salmon, making a tasty and nutritious start to the day.
7. Cooking to retain goodness
Food is normally steamed, pan-fried, simmered or stir fried.
This means more of the nutrients and anti ageing antioxidants remain in the food.
They don’t fry or over cook and this is essential for anyone who wants to get the most from what they eat.
8. Treats
The Japanese diet love chocolate, pastries, ice cream and many more treats and that’s how they view them - As treats, not to be consumed all the time, but a few times a week.
The Japanese diet has the following basics which should be the basis of any diet
• Low in cholesterol and bad fat
. High in good fats
. High in good carbs
. Cooking methods are light to retain goodness
• Well balanced
.Variety
