Lots of Japanese women and men have seriously enviable bodies – washboard stomachs, toned legs and not a sprinkling a cellulite on their pert bottoms.
It’s all down to their healthy diet which includes lots of fish, veg, healthy rice and smaller portions.
Japan has the lowest obesity rate in the developed world, at just 3%! Pretty good when you compare it to the US, where the figure is 32%…
The average Japanese person also eats about 25% fewercalories a day than an average American. Over a week, that tots up quickly. By making our diet a little bit more like the general Japanese diet, you might well start to see the pounds fall off.
HOW IT WORKS
Replace high-energy (and calorie!) food, such as chocolate, crisps and biscuits, with lower-energy food, like the following:
Rice
The Japanese diet has lots of rice in it. It’s low fat and helps you to fill up on fewer calories. Swap to brown rice for an extra healthy meal.
Vegetables
Red bell peppers, green beans, onions, spinach, bamboo shoots, turnips, shitake mushrooms, wakame, the list is endless! It’s quite normal to have four or five types of vegetable in one meal.
Fish
Fatty fish is good as the omega-3 fatty acids are know for their heart-health and mood- boosting properties. Fish like salmon, fresh tuna, mackrel and sardines are good.
Soy
There’s a lot of soy in the Japanese diet – tofu, edamame beans, miso soup and, of course, soy sauce! Just make sure you don’t have too much as it’s high in sodium.
Fruit
Desserts are normally a selection of fruits. You can have some ice cream too, but just a little bit.
Broths
Broths play a big part in the Japanese diet and are a warming, filling treat.
Source:
