
6 Reasons Japanese Stay Slim – Their Simple Secrets Revealed
“A good, functional and healthy body is the ultimate fashion statement.” Kiyokazu Washida, fashion critic
Recently I came upon a small, but informative book by Naomi Moriyama entitled, Japanese Women Don’t Get Old or Fat. Intrigued and a bit skeptical, although I follow a very similar style of diet, I found some delicious recipes to add to my daily repertoire of meals and gleaned some useful tidbits of information. Such as, for the past 25 years Japanese women have held the world record for living the longest, 86.4 years. Not just the women, Japanese men have the longest life expectancy among all men in the world’s 192 nations. Much of this distinction is attributed to eating a healthy diet.
In her book Moriyama takes the reader into her mother’s kitchen in Japan and reveals her secrets for living a long and healthy life. Not much you haven’t heard before, and yet taken altogether and practiced over a lifetime the results are impressive. Here’s the Japanese recipe for living to a ripe old age, while staying active and healthy.
How Japanese Stay Slim
1. KEEP IT SIMPLE
The ingredients simmering in a Japanese kitchen are a simple variety of foods eaten on a consistent and daily basis:
- Fish
- Vegetables
- Soy/Tofu
- Rice
- Fruits
- Tea
2. HOME COOKED IS THE BEST
The Japanese enjoy home cooked meals on a daily basis. A traditional meal consists of grilled fish, a bowl of rice, simmered vegetables, miso soup, sliced fruit for dessert and green tea. The Japanese consume almost 10 percent of the world’s fish, although they make up about 2 percent of the world’s population. That’s 150 pounds per year, per person compared to the world average of 35 pounds. And this daily dose of omega-3 fatty acids may well explain why they live long and healthy lives. That, and the fact they consume 5 times the amount of cruciferous vegetables, broccoli, cabbage, kale, cauliflower and Brussels sprouts, that Americans do.
If you can’t eat homecooked on a regular basis (like I do LOL) you can subscribe to healthy diet deliveries, or eat smart and avoid oily, greasy fast food.
3. LESS IS MORE
The Japanese eat small portions of a variety of courses at a meal. According to Moriyama, from childhood they are taught to eat slowly, savoring every bite. The food is served on plates at least a third the size of American tableware. Moriyama includes the basic foundations of Japanese home-cooked food presentation. How Japanese Stay Slim.
- never completely fill up the plates
- never serve a big portion of any item
- each item is served in its own dish
- less is always more
- each item is arranged to showcase its natural beauty
- food should be garnished and dressed–lightly
- fresh is best
4. EAT LIGHT
Japanese cooking is intentionally light and cooked gently. Most of the work is done on top of the stove using a variation of techniques such as: steaming, pan grilling, sauté, simmer or quick stir fries in a wok. The Japanese chef uses heart healthy oils and flavored broth to season a dish. And though the meal is light you feel content and satisfied, but not overly full. The secret how Japanese stay slim.
5. RICE NOT BREAD.
The Japanese eat rice instead of bread with every meal. This is an important distinction between the East and West way of eating. It is the over consumption of refined wheat flour that is a major cause of obesity in America today. Instead of eating bread with each meal try a serving size (half a cup) of brown rice or other whole grain 1-2 times per day.
6. EXERCISE
Exercise is part of the Japanese daily ritual. According to a 2004 Time magazine cover story, How to Live to Be 100, “The Japanese are in good health and in excellent shape, they are an active people who incorporate plenty of incidental exercise into their days.” They have created a welcome environment for bicycling around town, walking, hiking, and generally staying active. Check bicycling ditles on Firstlightcycling.com
So guys, that’s how Japanese stay slim! Let’s try to follow some of these tips, if not all.
original article from: http://www.care2.com/greenliving/10-reasons-japanese-women-dont-get-old-or-fat.html
