Recipe Advice

maggiec0116

Hey guys! So, I've recently run into a problem with access to healthy foods. I've been looking around for good, healthy recipes for weight loss for a while and while I have found a few good ones, most of them just aren't possible for me to make.

I live in a very rural town in Japan (i have to drive 20 minutes to the grocery store, so I can only go once a week) and I don't have an oven, which really limits my options. Fortunately, since spring is approaching, I'm starting to get more access to fresh veggies, but it's still fairly limited to mostly native Asian veggies and basics (no fancy greens like kale or even spinach, avocados are uncommon but expensive).

I was hoping people would have some advice/recipes/resources to share so I can try to get a decent stockpile of food I can cook for myself, since this winter I basically lived on fast food

Thanks in advance!
(And if you need any clarification, let me know!)

MaltedTea

Do you hail from this area in Japan?

I ask because, if not, then I'd just walk to the grocery store/convenience shop. Years ago, when visiting a relative who was studying at a university in some suburb I forget the name of that's what I did...before escaping to Shinjuku a week later lol

I was vegan at the time and had limited Japanese language skills so I just picked up green veg that looked interesting and cooked it back in her apartment. Veg and noodles...lots of noodles lol. Oh, and great sauces of all sorts!

Japan's suburbs aren't rural but it definitely wasn't what I was used to...until I got to Shinjuku with the world's most amazing food everywhere 😍

Alternatively, perhaps you can pair up with someone (virtually) and they can walk you through cooking easy, local fare.

maggiec0116

I live in Hokkaido, about an hour from the northernmost point in the country. We do have a convenience store which has been a life saver, but they have very limited options and most of the produce they have isn't super fresh and marked up quite high.

MaltedTea

Hmm, are you able to ship pantry staples? Or make a trip once every month or two to a larger area to get proteins 'n such? Or ask the shop owner to stock a specific product for you (since you're guaranteed to buy it from them once it arrives)?

Ultimately, pairing up with a local or finding a Hokkaido cookbook would be my approach.

Enjoy the northern regions. That'll be my next trip along with a stop in Taiwan...some day 😌

Edit: the markups will be inevitable due to your location, btw.

deannalfisher

What are the common foods in your local area? Healthy recipes are in the eye of the cooker - you don’t need kale/avocado etc

maggiec0116

@MaltedTea Yeah, I think a Hokkaido cookbook might be my best bet at this point haha! Northern Japan is beautiful, I definitely recommend a trip up here!
@deannalfisher I would say potatoes, eggplants, onions, carrots, pretty much all basic meat is quite common here along with tofu and crab, eggs. Cheese is uncommon. Only white rice, no quinoa or those kinds of grains. And I agree! I've been able to eat fairly healthy with what I have up here, but most people sharing recipes online seem to always use ingredients I don't have access too

deannalfisher

I’d say make your own recipes - keep it simple - grilled veggies; add a protein and starch (your rice or potato’s) and voila

Remember weight loss is about calories and not specific foods that you eat

swirlybee

My in-laws live in Hokkaido, about an hour south of Sapporo. Rural, but not as rural as Nakatombetsu.

You don't have to get a Hokkaido cookbook unless you're specifically curious about Hokkaido food, not that it's all that different than Japanese food. Seafood from Hokkaido is the best IMO and the crabs are great! It's easier to find cheese in Hokkaido than other parts of Japan. Kale and avocado are probably impossible to find but there are plenty of leafy green substitutions you could use if kale and avocado are your thing. I don't know how big your local grocery store is but I was surprised at some of the stuff I'm able to find every time we've visited. I don't remember spinach being hard to find.

Can you read Japanese? If not, here's an English-language website for Japanese food that I like. https://www.justonecookbook.com/ so all (most) of the ingredients should be easily accessible for you. Like others have said, healthy isn't about the specific food/ingredients, but Japanese food is typically thought of as being healthy.

Does your conbini (convenience store, Seicomart/FamiMart/etc) have ready-cooked food. They should have a good selection of onigiri and other healthy-ish foods which would be a better alternative than western fast food places.