Japanese diet vs American diet
Replies
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I've lived in Japan. Of the many things I have noticed is that their sweets aren't as sweet as they are in the U.S. Mochi is one example of a sweet that I think is just sweet enough. Also people over in Japan eat white rice. I never heard of brown rice until I came back to America. Nutritionists in U.S. seem to love demonizing white rice.
Did you lose weight, or manage to maintain your weight there?0 -
If America actually ate smaller portions and relied less on vehicles we probably would be a lot healthier.
Well, yes. "Eat less and move more" is generally the path to health.0 -
I love eating shellfish on my diet as you get double portions of that. Makes me wish I lived on the east coast, would be great to live in Maine on this diet.I eat lots of veggies and rice already! I would eat more shrimp if I had the money.
Same here! I'm in land-locked Misery, I mean Missouri, so any seafood is high-priced and a rare treat. I hate sushi though, at least what I've had at the restaurants around here. I like dim sum. They have an EXCELLENT Chinese place here called Bo-Ling's. The guy brought a dim sum starter from China, literally had the stuff in a container on the plane, and they are the best. That is my annual birthday treat is going to Bo-Ling's on the Plaza once a year.
http://www.bolings.com
(Is that off-topic since it's not Japanese? :laugh:)0 -
Japan is not a GMO free country o.O Yes, they do have less over all chemicals in their society. Japan cost, a lot of money to live there.I mean alot. Students eat ramen and very cheap food. They just have a completely different lifestyle. Heck, they watch TV, pig out, and do all kinds of unhealthy things. However, they keep busy and active and walk alot of the time. Now I love Japan, and Asia overall. It is a place I really want to visit, but Americans can not nor will they live a lifestyle like the Japanese.0
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Troof. It's easy to make but it takes so much time... Just like packing my bento did this morning. Easy but time consuming. There's some food I have no patience to prepare, though; so I feel you there. (I'm looking at you, specialty pastries.)That's it. I'm going on a Japanese diet. Sushi, pocky and sake only. Doing it for reals
Yes. Can I do it with you if I help? Bonus: I can actually make sushi.
Yes, you are a must! I suck at making my own sushi. Perhaps we can learn sushi art and make them into cute little cats and stuff.
Sushi is easy to make. It just takes forever.
Patience is not a virtue I have for food. It would end with me stabbing the attempted roll with chop sticks and using my face as a vacuum.0 -
I've lived in Japan. Of the many things I have noticed is that their sweets aren't as sweet as they are in the U.S. Mochi is one example of a sweet that I think is just sweet enough. Also people over in Japan eat white rice. I never heard of brown rice until I came back to America. Nutritionists in U.S. seem to love demonizing white rice.
Brown rice is just blech..
Also, Japan adds MSG *on purpose* :noway:0 -
^ This...I completely agree!I have lived in Japan. It all boils down to calories in and calories out. People in Japan don't eat huge servings of food and are pretty active. The cities are fairly congested and people walk and bike a lot. It isn't necessarily the foods they eat that makes them have a healthy weight, it is the fact that they don't eat huge servings of food and don't sit around all day doing nothing while consuming huge portions of food.0 -
I favor Okonomiyaki, Oyakodon, and Melon Pan. Pocky and Koala cookies are great, but fresh melon pan is amazing
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I made Melon Pan, last summer. So freaking good!!! Caloric, though. Definitely not a regular indulgence for me.0 -
Pointing at the foods a particular nation consumes is just another way of deflecting attention from individuals' poor eating and exercise habits.
It's not what they eat or do, it's how much they eat and do.
Once you accept responsibility for the condition of your own body, it's amazing how things change. Look at all the successful people on this site. Regardless of what actual diet they use - IIFYM, paleo, raw, vegan, etc - they all have one thing in common. They took responsibility, ate less, and moved more.0 -
Where did you get the part about it being caused by smoked and pickled foods? I would like to see that reference. The first thing I think of is the work ethic, that could cause ulcers.The Japanese eat a lot of smoked and pickled foods, and have a high rate of stomach cancer. True.0 -
I favor Okonomiyaki, Oyakodon, and Melon Pan. Pocky and Koala cookies are great, but fresh melon pan is amazing.
I made Melon Pan, last summer. So freaking good!!! Caloric, though. Definitely not a regular indulgence for me.
I feel deprived! I have never heard of any of these things. :sad:
There are a couple of Japanese steak houses here, the ones where they toss the food around and cook your food at the table. I went to one once, again, just a rare treat because of cost, but it was basically just choose your meat and veggies and sauce and they stir-fried it. They did have Sake, which I thought was pretty interesting and a fairly strong.0 -
saki = winning
seafood = NO! :sick:0 -
I love sushi. I could eat it every day. But over eating would make me fat. Japanese aren't overweight or obese due to the fact that they just don't eat big portions.It's a fact that America is a big country. And it's easier to get overweight here than in most other countries. I've been wondering..what if Americans went on a Japanese diet? Japan is one of the healthiest countries in the world. They eat a lo of fish veggies and rice and all maintain healthy weight. I'm subscribed to a couple on youtube who live in Japan and the wife is American and when she moved to Japan she lost 20 pounds without trying! so..yeah I would love to eat a Japanese diet. Would you?
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Been in fitness industry for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition0 -
No. Japan has GMO's. They just label them.it's all the GMO's American foods have!
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Sorry I lived in Guam and Saipan and believe me, they are small in height, but not in girth.I agree, friends of mine from Guam eat smaller amounts and no junk they are small people. Life style is very important. When I move more and eat healthy I lose no matter where I am. Keeping my Head in that mode is the problem!
A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
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Been in fitness industry for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition0 -
I favor Okonomiyaki, Oyakodon, and Melon Pan. Pocky and Koala cookies are great, but fresh melon pan is amazing.
I made Melon Pan, last summer. So freaking good!!! Caloric, though. Definitely not a regular indulgence for me.
I feel deprived! I have never heard of any of these things. :sad:
There are a couple of Japanese steak houses here, the ones where they toss the food around and cook your food at the table. I went to one once, again, just a rare treat because of cost, but it was basically just choose your meat and veggies and sauce and they stir-fried it. They did have Sake, which I thought was pretty interesting and a fairly strong.
Well, I used a recipe I found on the internet, so I have no clue how authentic it was, but it was definitely labor-intensive. You have to make bread (mix it, let it rise, punch it down, then let it rise again), then you make a type of sugar cookie to wrap around it and bake it. They came out huge, and I ate like 4 of them over the weekend. Lol!0 -
And the Japanese exercise together before WORK!I have lived in Japan. It all boils down to calories in and calories out. People in Japan don't eat huge servings of food and are pretty active. The cities are fairly congested and people walk and bike a lot. It isn't necessarily the foods they eat that makes them have a healthy weight, it is the fact that they don't eat huge servings of food and don't sit around all day doing nothing while consuming huge portions of food.
Very true! Japanese people do much more activity and have different habits than Americans. I did research on refined sugar and in Japan they don't really have much processed junk. What I noticed is the portion size in all their food seems smaller than Americans portion as well.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=biGPteoP2jg
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Been in fitness industry for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition0 -
saki = winning
seafood = NO! :sick:
Strike that and reverse it, for me. haha!0 -
And the Japanese exercise together before WORK!I have lived in Japan. It all boils down to calories in and calories out. People in Japan don't eat huge servings of food and are pretty active. The cities are fairly congested and people walk and bike a lot. It isn't necessarily the foods they eat that makes them have a healthy weight, it is the fact that they don't eat huge servings of food and don't sit around all day doing nothing while consuming huge portions of food.
Very true! Japanese people do much more activity and have different habits than Americans. I did research on refined sugar and in Japan they don't really have much processed junk. What I noticed is the portion size in all their food seems smaller than Americans portion as well.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=biGPteoP2jg
A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
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Fitness is important. And! It's more fun if we all do it together.
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I favor Okonomiyaki, Oyakodon, and Melon Pan. Pocky and Koala cookies are great, but fresh melon pan is amazing.
I made Melon Pan, last summer. So freaking good!!! Caloric, though. Definitely not a regular indulgence for me.
I feel deprived! I have never heard of any of these things. :sad:
There are a couple of Japanese steak houses here, the ones where they toss the food around and cook your food at the table. I went to one once, again, just a rare treat because of cost, but it was basically just choose your meat and veggies and sauce and they stir-fried it. They did have Sake, which I thought was pretty interesting and a fairly strong.
The recipe I use is only about 200 Calories for one Melon Pan about the size of your palm. It's not that bad
. I make it quite often.
I've been to those places too, but I prefer to eat what's cooked at home because of the price and I can control the ingredients lol. Okonomiyaki is delicious and simple to make, as is Oyakodon. Tonkatsu and Takoyaki are good snacks with sake too. I think my favorite though is Char Siu Ramen. If you have the right ingredients on hand cooking anything is really simple.
*edit* Nikuman/Bao xi are really filling for around 200cal too 0 -
The US eats a lot of smoked and pickled foods too, but isn't high on the list of countries reporting stomach cancer. Correlating the foods as the cause while looking past the genetics and environment would be jumping to conclusions.The Japanese eat a lot of smoked and pickled foods, and have a high rate of stomach cancer. True.
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I have lived in Japan. It all boils down to calories in and calories out. People in Japan don't eat huge servings of food and are pretty active. The cities are fairly congested and people walk and bike a lot. It isn't necessarily the foods they eat that makes them have a healthy weight, it is the fact that they don't eat huge servings of food and don't sit around all day doing nothing while consuming huge portions of food.
^This.
They're also the longest-living country. Japanese live longer than any other people on earth... but I think this has proved to be genetic, not necessarily because of the food they actually eat. I've read speculation on whether or not people who eat smaller portions do actually live longer due to having adequate nutrition and not stuffing their faces...0 -
If anyone's interested in the stomach cancer issue, this is interesting (I think) lol.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xy--51Jw6T8 0 -
Maintained.0
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They eat fish and rice for breakfast.
No thank you.0 -
Eat less and move more.0
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I have lived in Japan. It all boils down to calories in and calories out. People in Japan don't eat huge servings of food and are pretty active. The cities are fairly congested and people walk and bike a lot. It isn't necessarily the foods they eat that makes them have a healthy weight, it is the fact that they don't eat huge servings of food and don't sit around all day doing nothing while consuming huge portions of food.
Yup. Adopt a Japanese lifestyle, not just the diet.0 -
I agree. Its not what they eat, its how much they eat.
Although indirectly, the type of food they eat might be more satisfying. Its really easy to overeat greasy foods, and sugary foods. Try eating 500 calories of white rice vs. 500 calories of Candy.
Or 500 calories of white rice, vs. 500 calories of Pork Fried rice.
I could easily slam 500 calories of candy in the blink of an eye.
500 calories of white rice is a cup and a half of rice and I got overweight after returning from Japan eating on average 2-3 cups of steamed rice with my western diet. Not a good combination.
After 11 years in Japan, I would say that the average Japanese eats more than that in a given day ( often it's rice three times a day ). I lost 27 pounds in my first year there nd then maintained 53-55 kilos/116-121 pounds. I biked everywhere. My very small subway stop in Western Tokyo had parking for 28 000 bikes and none for cars......that should say it all.
Things however have changed a lot in Japan and one can find quite a few overweight and even obese younger people these days, because the US food culture has arrived in Japan also. The sad thing is that now many young people ( my experience is mostly with universities ) eat hamburgers and similar food ON TOP of their traditional diet......and those are calories they don't need. I have worked extensively in Asia ( over 25 years ) and every time McD's, Dominos pizza and similar chains came to a country they had unexpected rises in obesity and whole cultures that before never snacked now do so on hamburgers, fries and coke.....and of course people who indulge get bigger and bigger.0 -
I also watched a youtube video about a baby (8 months old) brought here from japan and put on american food- DIED because of the additives and preservatives we put in our food. SOoooooo its not just about the "diet". And they also walk everywhere and use public transportation where the elderly, invalid and pregnant are the first seated and everyone else stands.
If there's any truth in this, then the baby had a severe allergic reaction or a metabolic disorder.
What does that have to do with anything?0 -
Yep. It's a great way to start the day. If you're raised that way, it's normal. You weren't so you don't think it's normal.They eat fish and rice for breakfast.
No thank you.
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