Why Aren't Japanese People Fat?

missjojo31

well, that was interesting...

pyrowill

Godzilla [ɡodʑiɽa] has eaten most of them because they stick out and are slow.



Edit after actually reading article.

lol

IronPhyllida

My ex sister in law is japanese and she could eat 3 helpings of what we had and still be stick thin. I just hope that one day, or in another life, it comes back to bite her. That's the only way I can think it's fair.....:sick:

ElliInJapan

The article is spot on. I live in Japan for a year now and from the very beginning I was surprised with their food, it's not that 'healthy'. Then I went for a trip to the US and I was really shocked with the portion sizes. Japanese portions look like this



Compare that with


Edit: I'm too lazy to resize, sorry for the huge image. It actually helps with the point I'm trying to make though

be_patient

because they live on konnyaku, something that is pretty much 0 cal

jen_zz

I've been living in Japan for a year now and everything in this article is true. They have amazing junk food but even their junk food has less sugar than ours. Another thing to add is that they eat sitting down. It is frowned upon to be seen walking around eating and even drinking.

I learned the latter bit when I was in Tokyo. I grabbed a croissant from a 7-eleven and started eating it while walking on the street. The looks people gave me...:grumble: :grumble: :noway: :noway:

jen_zz

Its a cultural thing. Among my friends, Asians are the only people who will greet me hello, and then in the same breath comment on how I'm getting fat. They don't say it to be rude like you'd expect, more that like 'hey you should be careful'.

*source: I'm half Chinese*

Yup, yup yup. And I will say that in Asian countries, it's a pain in the *kitten* to be fat. My aunt lives in Thailand and has hypothyroidism so she is something like an American size 18, maybe a 20. There are no stores that sell clothes that fit her so she has to have clothing custom made (like for her job, which requires a uniform) or she buys clothes here in America when she visits.

Yup, I'm Chinese living in Hong Kong and trust me, people tell me I'm fat before I even realize it.

It's true that here people say "omg you got fat!" not so much in an insulting rude kinda way, but more like "oh dear how could you let that happen?!" concerned kinda way.. it's hard to explain..

grandevampire

Its a cultural thing. Among my friends, Asians are the only people who will greet me hello, and then in the same breath comment on how I'm getting fat. They don't say it to be rude like you'd expect, more that like 'hey you should be careful'.

*source: I'm half Chinese*

But it comes out rude anyway. Lol.
*source: Chinese descent on both sides.

Totally 1) portion control + 2) much less sedentary on average (even taking public transit is considered active when compared to driving EVERYWHERE)

I live in Europe now, and when I go back to Canada to visit, I am always stunned by the amount of food heaped on plates. I used to see that as normal, but now I realize they just put a huge quantity of filler stuff to make it "worth your money". Here, when you eat out, it might be rich, but the portions are sensible ("tiny" by NA standards). You feel sufficiently full at the end, and feel no pressure to eat beyond what you need so that you don't waste perfectly good food left on the plate. You can even indulge in a dessert at the end with your (tiny) coffee if you are feeling decadent, but it's so small that it is a reasonable sweet note at the end of the meal without being a 700 calorie epilogue.

tigersword

It can be the way eat and exercise and stuff, but I strongly believe it's their genetics. DNA is very sensitive and diet has a huge impact on our internal structure. The food that has been processed so much and GMO and fast food, I believe, messed up our genetics over the past decades. America wasn't always known as being fat.

You realize you're talking about Japan, right? The company that pretty much utilizaes science and technology for everything? If I recall, they are one of the world's leading producers of artificial sweeteners? Hell, they've created square watermelons so they could ship more of them by stacking them. You want to complain about the amount of tinkering supposedly in American food, I can almost guarantee there is way more of that in Japan.

grandevampire

It can be the way eat and exercise and stuff, but I strongly believe it's their genetics. DNA is very sensitive and diet has a huge impact on our internal structure. The food that has been processed so much and GMO and fast food, I believe, messed up our genetics over the past decades. America wasn't always known as being fat.

You realize you're talking about Japan, right? The company that pretty much utilizaes science and technology for everything? If I recall, they are one of the world's leading producers of artificial sweeteners? Hell, they've created square watermelons so they coul;d ship more of them by stacking them. Yoiu want to complain about the amount of tinkering supposedly in AMerican food, I can almost guarantee there is way more of that in Japan.

Yeah, I highly doubt my DNA has evolved in one generation (or for my parents during their lifetimes, zero generations). During my adult life living in North America, I was fatter and more unfit than now, where I have portions controlled for me and I have to walk everywhere and climb loads of handicap-inaccessible stairs everywhere in public. Take theatre popcorn for example. I love popcorn, so I rarely don't get some whenever I go. In Canada, the smallest size at your average megaplex was about twice the size of the largest one available here in Paris. And I never used to get the smallest size because it was only like 25 cents less than the "regular" size, which was twice as big.

QueenGyn

Bump...

Btw, my Japanese friends are kinda on the heavy side. :laugh:
:flowerforyou:

mperrott2205

There is no fat in there food

And award to the silliest comment goes to!

hookilau

There is no fat in there food

:huh: :laugh:

:drinker: :drinker: :drinker: :drinker:

Fab30s

Does this apply to Chinese people too. This reminds me of a Chinese friend in college who used to put cheese and ketchup on icecream, she ate just about anything. and she was skinny. she was always conscious of her weight too.

pkw58

The article is spot on. I live in Japan for a year now and from the very beginning I was surprised with their food, it's not that 'healthy'. Then I went for a trip to the US and I was really shocked with the portion sizes. Japanese portions look like this



Compare that with


Edit: I'm too lazy to resize, sorry for the huge image. It actually helps with the point I'm trying to make though

I agree. I live in Houston Tx and the only place where portion control is easy is a sushi restaurant. Any where else, I am eating one half or one forth of what is put in front of me in a meal or I am ordering a la cart.... seriously. My husband and I split "single" orders of fajitas all the time at restaurants.

hookilau

Its a cultural thing. Among my friends, Asians are the only people who will greet me hello, and then in the same breath comment on how I'm getting fat. They don't say it to be rude like you'd expect, more that like 'hey you should be careful'.

*source: I'm half Chinese*

Yup, yup yup. And I will say that in Asian countries, it's a pain in the *kitten* to be fat. My aunt lives in Thailand and has hypothyroidism so she is something like an American size 18, maybe a 20. There are no stores that sell clothes that fit her so she has to have clothing custom made (like for her job, which requires a uniform) or she buys clothes here in America when she visits.

Yup, I'm Chinese living in Hong Kong and trust me, people tell me I'm fat before I even realize it.

It's true that here people say "omg you got fat!" not so much in an insulting rude kinda way, but more like "oh dear how could you let that happen?!" concerned kinda way.. it's hard to explain..

We have relatives from France, when they come to visit, kiss on both sides accompanied by 'you're getting fat' :laugh: :laugh: They really don't mean it rudely. They eat as I eat now, rich small portions, walk everywhere, none of that non-fat, low calorie BS.

I'm of mixed Chinese, Indian, and European descent. None of my relatives from Trinidad have a problem with mentioning a little extra weight, poking your belly like you're the pilsbury dough boy, or telling you you MUST be doin' good cause look at how you much SIZE she puttin on boi?! :huh:

kirstyfairhead

Just to mix it up a little.

It would seem that the article makes a strong argument that less calories is more important than food choice if you don't want to be fat.

Unfortunately you could just as easily have the argument that Japan's culture of eating small portions of nutritionally poor food, whilst keeping them skinny, actually leaves them 'skinny fat' (I hate the saying too but you guys will know what I mean!!) with a propensity for osteoporosis and rickets.

So shouldn't we 'ideally' be comparing diets with the healthiest nations rather than the skinniest one's and, if we do, is their success down to calorie intake or food choice or activity level etc

Could it be that (in a horribly oversimplified way)

Less calories = slimmer
Macro management = healthier
Exercise = fitter

Pick your favourite combination!!

grandevampire

Just to mix it up a little.

It would seem that the article makes a strong argument that less calories is more important than food choice if you don't want to be fat.

Unfortunately you could just as easily have the argument that Japan's culture of eating small portions of nutritionally poor food, whilst keeping them skinny, actually leaves them 'skinny fat' (I hate the saying too but you guys will know what I mean!!) with a propensity for osteoporosis and rickets.

So shouldn't we 'ideally' be comparing diets with the healthiest nations rather than the skinniest one's and, if we do, is their success down to calorie intake or food choice or activity level etc

Could it be that (in a horribly oversimplified way)

Less calories = slimmer
Macro management + micronutrients + food quality (non-GMO/artificial everything/mercury-filled dolphin) = healthier
Exercise = fitter

Pick your favourite combination!!

hookilau

What I will say is that there is a strong social pressure to not be fat in Japan and it starts with mothers teaching their children to only eat until they are 80% full. If you are a woman and an American size 10 in Japan you will not find much in the way of clothing that fits you. And it is the same for men. All of my suits that I owned there were either purchased in Hong Kong or the U.S. or were custom made. That alone provides quite an incentive for many people to stop growing.

Whereas in the U.S. it's more of a... "If you're fat you're beautiful and if you don't think fat people are beautiful then you're a degenerate waste of a human being who promotes anorexia" kind of thing. If you can't find clothing that fits you, it's because the clothing makers are perpetuating an unattainable ideal and you should definitely write a blog complaining about how Marilyn Monroe would be a size 14 today and maybe file a civil lawsuit.

I mean, whatever. Society man.

LOL, this is hilarious, way to put things in perspective!!
:laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :drinker: