The obesity crisis exploded back in the 1960s when the food chain drastically changed. Fast food restaurants popped up all over the place. Addictive forms of calories became more accessible and as a result, waistlines began to expand. In 1950, it’s estimated that 10% of Americans were obese or overweight. Today, that figure is a staggering 70%. That’s a huge increase in the last 70 years and it seems that figure is only going to rise. And this issue isn’t unique to the USA. Across the world obesity rates are skyrocketing.
The issues associated with this are obvious in terms of health.
One of the biggest healthy lifestyle habits I believe you can have is the habit of healthy eating. After all, you have to do it multiple times a day so it’s a good thing to begin. It can affect not just your weight but the way you feel and your outlook on life. In my experience, being overweight made me feel rubbish. I had less energy and didn’t feel like doing anything.
Some people are perfectly happy being overweight but if you’re looking for healthier lifestyle eating habits, I think there’s a lot that can be learned from the folks over in Japan.
Although Japan has all the food luxuries we do in the West, their obesity rates are remarkably low. Only 4.3% of women are obese and only 6% of men are obese.
And it’s not just low obesity rates where Japan is winning. They also have the longest lives out of any country in the world. Men have a life expectancy of 81 years and women, 87. Compared with the USA, men and women can expect to live on average up to the age of 79.
So why is that?
The answer seems to lie in traditional Japanese healthy eating lifestyle habits. The interesting thing is, that back in the 1960s, Japan actually had one of the worst life expectancy rates in the world due to obesity-related diseases. So whilst most of the world has been shooting off in the wrong direction, Japan has managed to reverse their eating habits dramatically and I find this fascinating as it could potentially be a roadmap for the rest of us.
Interesting fact: The residents of the Japanese island of Okinawa have a 40% chance of living to 100 than any other areas of Japan and many of them do.
So in this post, we’ll look at some of the healthy eating lifestyle habits that have allowed Japan to continue to do this and hopefully, we can use them as inspiration for our own lives so we might be able not just to live longer but also live healthier.
1. Food preparation
It’s not uncommon for the Japanese to take more time than Westerners when it comes to preparing meals, almost treating the process as a ritual. Food is prepared without many sauces to preserve the natural taste of the ingredients and only certain ingredients like unprocessed salts and pastes are added to enhance the natural flavours of each dish.
Food preparation is treated as important and not rushed, adding to the mindful process of the whole experience.
2. The meal structure
Traditional Japanese meals consist of four different foods, a bowl of miso soup, a main dish which consists of meat or fish, a bowl of rice and a bowl of vegetables. These are laid out in separate bowls and the portions are of a sensible size. Usually, the foods will be eaten one at a time. That means one slurp of soup, one bite of meat, a scoop of rice and a mouthful of vegetables. Time is taken to eat each food mindfully, helping to eat the food at a much slower pace than if you were to grab a sandwich on the go, for example.
The fish is usually mackerel, tuna or salmon. Fish is a real staple in the Japanese diet and helps provide a large amount of protein and healthy fats. Along with this, the meats served are lean and not overeaten. Beans, carrots, soy and fermented vegetables all contribute to a healthy gut. Overall, the structure of a typical unprocessed Japanese meal contributes to providing all the micro and macro nutrients you could want in a healthy diet.
3. Chopsticks
It’s no secret the Japanese use chopsticks for many meals. Whilst you might find them hard to use (including me!), the Japanese have been using them since they were very young. Using chopsticks might help you to build a healthy eating lifestyle habit of slowing down between bites so you can pay attention to your hunger signals. Chopsticks help you to take one bite at a time, rather than using a spoon or fork to lift big heaps of food in one go.
4. Tea drinking
Whilst soda is consumed in Japan like anywhere else in the world, the Japanese drink a lot more tea than those in the West and not just any tea. Macha tea is typically consumed with every meal and has a unique sweet yet slightly bitter taste. But the green tea doesn’t just taste good, it is also packed with antioxidants that can help prevent disease.
If you make one healthy eating lifestyle habit change, try and swap out a creamy coffee or a soda for some green tea instead for a powerful punch of antioxidants.
5. The 80% rule
Whilst it’s typical for us in the West to shovel down our meals (especially when we’re on the go), the Japanese are much more mindful eaters. They not only separate out each of their foods in different bowls, but they also eat until they are 80% full to avoid overeating. Your hunger signals can lag behind your hands so if you eat quickly, you might overeat before suddenly feeling uncomfortably full.
However, by eating slowly, the Japanese are more aware of when their satiety levels start to reach capacity. By doing this, you may find you have less bloating after eating.
6. Shokuiku
From a young age, children are immersed in Shokuiku or “food education” where they learn not only about healthy eating but also where food comes from, what different foods do for the human body and how to prepare food. This helps them to grow up already with the knowledge that allows them to have respect for the food they eat and the ability to make healthier choices. In fact, food education is a big part of the typical overall curriculum in schools.
In Japan, there is a big emphasis on communal eating and this begins at school. Many schools encourage children to eat the healthy meals that are provided to them every day, rather than packed lunches and they are made to sit with their fellow students to eat.
An emphasis on unprocessed foods
I don’t think the traditional Japanese diet is some kind of magic diet. Its longevity benefits seem to lie mainly in the fact that ultra-processed foods are largely avoided and meal times are treated as a time to slow down and be mindful of what you’re putting in your mouth.
Here’s what I think you can take away from the traditional Japanese eating habits and use in your own diet;
- Spend time researching and preparing fresh foods to cook
- Aim for unprocessed single-ingredient foods instead of processed foods with multiple ingredients
- Design a recipe that includes some kind of meat or fish with vegetables, rice and potentially a low-calorie soup
- Take your time eating your food and stop when you begin to feel full
- Swap out beer and wine for natural teas
My own experience
In my own experience of losing weight and becoming much more lean, I used some of the healthy lifestyle eating habits found in the traditional Japanese diet. Of course, I didn’t use chopsticks with every meal or increase the time I spent eating every meal but I had success with stopping when I began to feel full.
This has helped my stomach to feel “better” after meals and less bloated. Previously I would stuff my mouth until my stomach was cramping, simply because I used to eat highly palatable processed foods too often and couldn’t stop until my plate was empty. No doubt consuming less when I knew I was full helped me lose weight.
Another habit that has helped me to get lean is to focus on single-ingredient foods that have had minimal processing. This means not only eating plenty of vegetables for dinner but also with my lunch, making these foods a habit and “normal” to eat for lunch. Typically my lunches now consist of lean meats with vegetables instead of sandwiches and potato chips. When I get peckish, I’ll grab a handful of nuts and seeds.
I truly believe that mostly putting natural foods into your mouth makes you feel much better and can lead you back to being a healthy weight. Your body understands these foods and knows what to do with them, let alone the fact you’re getting a boatload of vitamins and minerals from natural foods which could also make you feel less sluggish.
In summary, this way of eating is a sensible approach to nutrition, focusing on natural food sources and learning about them from a young age means the Japanese have a head start when it comes to making healthy food choices throughout life.