Why Aren't Japanese People Fat?
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Bump...
Btw, my Japanese friends are kinda on the heavy side. :laugh:
:flowerforyou:0 -
There is no fat in there food
And award to the silliest comment goes to!0 -
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There is no fat in there food
:huh: :laugh:
:drinker: :drinker: :drinker: :drinker:0 -
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.0
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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.0 -
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:0 -
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!!0 -
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!! 0 -
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:0 -
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.
:huh: I would be looking at the change in lifestyles and habits waaaay before I would be looking at evolution for cause & effect here.0 -
im sure it was already said, but they literally walk everywhere. they walk over 10,000 steps just to work and back. and an additional 10,000 probably doing leisure activities.
when my bf goes back to his island country to work, he usually walks to and from work. his diet remains the same as here.. usually pasta and what not. but when he comes back the fat is just melted off of him!0 -
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:
:laugh: :laugh: yup belly poking, or squeezing of bat wings are not uncommon!0 -
I work in a Japanese company. There are lots and lots of overweight Japanese people.
LOL! Have you been to Japan?0 -
I always knew that Hello Kitty ate daintier portion sizes than Garfield.0
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1 word, 2 syllables : Kung Fu. That's why.
Wrong country... and that's definitely two words. :bigsmile:0 -
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!!
This article is in no way arguing that the Japanese have the ideal diet, and if you read it you'll see that it's pretty much the opposite. That is the point. It is a counter to those that want to put up certain national diets as the end all be all to why certain nations are fat and others are not. The entire point is that fewer calories = lower weight.
The article and my post also weren't meant to criticize the Japanese diet or the Japanese. They clearly have figured out a very important lesson, and when you compare their health statistics to other wealthy nations, they come out quite well. Simply not being fat goes a long way towards making people healthier.
After several years of living there it became very hard to rationalize why I wasn't eating white rice, or worried about getting my meals perfect. I couldn't even bring myself to argue such silliness when I was out with Japanese friends drinking into the wee hours of the night and slurping down ramen as the sun came up. None of these guys were anywhere near fat, and several were in rather good shape. The issue comes in missing the obvious (fewer calories, and yes, moving more). And no, the Japanese are not afraid to point out that "foreigners" are fatter and frankly I can't blame them. You can only hear so many times about how white rice is going to kill you before pointing out the obvious.
All of that said, yes, building and maintain muscle mass is an entirely different issue.0 -
I always knew that Hello Kitty ate daintier portion sizes than Garfield.
Yet she's still a bit pear shaped. She could do to start lifting to get her fitness up to scratch!0 -
This is a good discussion.
Never been there so I can't comment on that.
But in line with the cultural thing, perhaps there is a difference with how weight control is approached; Americans are very prone to diet fads and nutritional nonsense. I mean, how many American's actually believe that simply eating smaller portions of what they are currently eating will cause them to lose weight? I would wager that in fact only a minority believes that.0 -
Never been there either but I believe the article is spot on... It's all about society. Same society that made it so there was no looting whatsoever during the tsunami. They're different from us (which is not necessarily a good thing either). I can totally see how it would not be acceptable to be fat in Japan.0
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okinawan diet
"Their overall traditional diet would be considered a very-high-carbohydrate diet by modern standards, with carbohydrates, protein, and fat providing 85%, 9% and 6% of total calories respectively.["
I actually GAINED weight when I moved to Okinawa. :laugh:
This is actually common among my American friends that move there.
The real culprit?
I quit my more active job. (Ie, moved less)
I went on vacation mode (I ear much less when I'm stressed and I used the vacation mode to routinely over indulge especially with drinks)
Once I got over the newness of the place, I maintained. (I still ate and drank but started enjoying water activities)
Once I went back to both watching what I was eating and moving more, I lost the weight. Who knew.
As for portions, it is true they have smaller portions overall.
p.S. Where are he freaking vegetables? I mean the ons not covered by tempura? Sight over exaggeration here but not by much.0 -
There is a whole culture of calorie low but nutrient dense food built in the repertoire of the culture.like seaweed and tofu is very high in nutrient and protein. Also fish being the main protein sources is a lot lighter than red meat. The culture does not advocate frying rather than boiling meat in broth and stir fry.
And I'm Chinese not Japanese, but we share a lot of the same dietary items. And the reason I'm on MFP is because of the Texas meat culture. LOL NOM NOM NOM....0 -
1 word, 2 syllables : Kung Fu. That's why.
Wrong country... and that's definitely two words. :bigsmile:
LMAO I meant to type Karate, but one of my co-workers mentioned kung fu while I was typing and i didn't even realize hahaha0 -
1 word, 2 syllables : Kung Fu. That's why.
Wrong country... and that's definitely two words. :bigsmile:
LMAO I meant to type Karate, but one of my co-workers mentioned kung fu while I was typing and i didn't even realize hahaha
That was cute. :flowerforyou:0 -
I have nothing to add to this thread other than it reminded me of okonomiyaki.
Apparently there are not one, but two, okonomiyaki restaurants which I can easily get to and I intend to eat at one in the interests of science.
For science I say!0 -
This is a good discussion.
Never been there so I can't comment on that.
But in line with the cultural thing, perhaps there is a difference with how weight control is approached; Americans are very prone to diet fads and nutritional nonsense. I mean, how many American's actually believe that simply eating smaller portions of what they are currently eating will cause them to lose weight? I would wager that in fact only a minority believes that.
Actually, fad dieting is a bigger problem over there. There's more stigma with being fat, and women encourage each other to diet down to sometimes unhealthy weights. Most of the infomercials are diet fads. Not workout videos, but puddings and pills and powders and magic placenta solutions, and belly fat zappers and vibrating arm bands.....
It's a completely different culture than we are used to in the West. It's very hard to compare the two. They don't understand our adherence to lean meats and micronutrients when we work on fitness, and we don't understand their adherence to A5 kobe (think big slab of fat) and white rice when they are already thin.0 -
Awesome link, thank you. In my opinion also the french are the same. They put cheese on everything and yet they are stick thin. The only chubby people I saw there were the tourists.0
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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:
:laugh: :laugh: yup belly poking, or squeezing of bat wings are not uncommon!
blech. I forgot about the bat wings squeeze.
Sigh. My auntie just poked my belly last week, I was mortified.0 -
Interesting read - thanks! 0
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don't forget their overcomplicated eating processes!
Tee hee!!
I love when people comment without even reading the article that you posted about. :ohwell:
The article makes good points, as do a lot of other posters here. Smaller portion sizes = less calories = less fat. But obviously smaller portion sizes is NOT equal to healthier. It all depends on what the nutritional density is of the food being eaten. It may be socially unacceptable to be overweight in Japan, but unfortunately that way of thinking is already beginning to decrease in popularity as they, like the rest of the world, become Westernized in their thinking of food. Fat Japanese are coming... just wait a generation or two. LOL0
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