Japanese diet vs American diet
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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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Been in fitness industry for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition0 -
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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The portion sizes in the US are crazy. Order the same meal as you would here in Russia or something and you'll get a quarter of the amount of food.0
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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.
A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
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Agreed, Fresh trout for breakfast is something I grew up on, my wife thinks it's a horrible breakfast food. Then again, I could eat fresh trout for every meal.
Rigger0 -
saki = winning
seafood = NO! :sick:
Strike that and reverse it, for me. haha!
+1
Love, love, love seafood.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.
A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
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Agreed, Fresh trout for breakfast is something I grew up on, my wife thinks it's a horrible breakfast food. Then again, I could eat fresh trout for every meal.
Rigger
Love, love, love freshwater fish too! Trout = YUM!0 -
My son is in Japan and this is what he has said as well. Plus they are brutally honest with you if you are over weight they think nothing of shaming you into losing the excess weight. To them being over weight is not only unattractive and unhealthy but its very frowned upon. Our son worked out and lost weight before he went because he was warned by his Japanese friends that he will have a hard time getting a job there if he is over weight.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 -
Wow what responses. A lot of them a bit mocking.
I was in Vegas recently where almost everyone is living "large". The portions there are incredible, one is easily enough for two people. I heard a lady bragging that her baby was 18 lbs. already which was 6 lbs. over the norm, like that was a good thing. I wondered if it was ..... but she seemed so proud that her baby weighed so much.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.
facepalm
double facepalm with repeated forehead banging on desk0 -
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.
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
Melon Pan recipe, please? :bigsmile:0 -
From a nutritional standpoint, pretty much any diet is going to be leaps and bounds better than the SAD...and yes, overall the typical Japanese diet is far more nutritious than the SAD.
That said, it's not just what they're eating that makes the difference here. There is an old Japanese saying, "We eat with our eyes." Great attention is given to presentation of food and particular attention is given to colors and textures...these things are valued much more than the portion size which tend to be quite small. An elegant Japanese dining experience may consist of numerous small dishes many of which won't be more than a bite or two. Conversely, US consumers place a great deal of emphasis on large portions...this is what is valued...they want that "value" for their $. I would also add that while many western foods have been introduced and are being consumed, traditional food customs are very strong and valued in Japan. Really, the U.S. as a whole doesn't really have much in the way of traditional food customs save for certain regional kinds of things.
The Japanese are far more active in their day to day lives as well. Here in the US, a lot of emphasis is placed on getting out and exercising, but beyond deliberate exercise, the vast majority of us are rather sedentary. In contrast, a smaller % of Japanese engage in deliberate exercise...but most of them spend a great deal of their daily lives moving around. You will actually find similar statistics in big cities in the US where public transportation is relied on more heavily that personal vehicles...public transport usually means quite a bit of walking as well.0 -
its not the nationality of the diet, it is the amount of calories that he person consume and how much they move…
I am sure that there are some obese people in Japan, just like all Americans are not obese, pie eating, lards….correlation does not equal causation …people drown swimming in pools, does that mean that all pools are death traps? No, of course not, it just means some people drown in pools…
Eat the food you want, eat in a caloric deficit, and move exercise more and you will lose weight and keep the pounds off...0
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