Japanese diet is insane

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Traveling through Japan and eating at a Ryokan for 2 meals - dinner and breakfast - and you really recognize how our food in the west is poison. For breakfast, the traditional Japanese course was basically all vegetables of some sort, plus one tiny bit of fish, and a little bit of rice. Dinner was fish, nearly all vegetables and one course of beef that was probably less than 3 ounces. No wonder Japanese people love forever and with relatively good health. And here I'm thinking about the breakfast we'd consume back home, which would be something like pancakes, bacon, eggs, sausage, refined cereals, and so much other sugar laced foods full of carbs and fat. I almost felt like my body was detoxing after two weeks on a traditional Japanese diet. So much lighter feeling.

NP. I am glad to hear that traveling to Japan has inspired OP to adopt a healthier diet. When I was growing up, bacon & eggs was the norm for breakfast. But I can’t remember the last time we ate that. Even my parents are eating lighter to manage their cholesterol. My only complaint about the Japanese diet is the large consumption of white rice. It’s empty calories and not good for the blood sugar.

[Anonymous]

OP you are 100% correct. A Japanese breakfast doesn’t take long to make. My family often has a piece of fish or tofu, rice, miso soup, and a fermented veggie for breakfast. The SAD diet has no fiber and is gross.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Rice makes many people’s blood sugar spike much higher than many other carbohydrates.

If you refrigerate it and reheat it the glycemic index is less

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Regardless of whether the the cultural associations are accurate or not, it is worth noting how wonderful it feels to eat a really clean diet focused on vegetables and fish. It's really easy to fall into a trap of convenience food - I will definitely admit to it - but I do love it when I refocus on the good stuff. It's like working out - hard to get started, and can be inconvenient in our rushed lives, but then feels awesome!

I have started eating dinner leftovers for breakfast a few times a week. It seems strange, but I really like a hot breakfast - yogurt doesn't always do it for me - and heating up last night's salmon and asparagus in the toaster oven is healthier and tastier than a bowl of oatmeal.

I have always done this. I also don't mind a salad in the morning. I am not a yogurt or oatmeal person.

[Anonymous]

This is such a lie. The Japanese diet is just as disastrous as western diets. Step outside your ryokan into one of the 7-11s or Lawsons that line every single street and you'll realize they have even MORE processed food than we do in the west. Sure, the TRADITIONAL japanese diet is healthy- just like the traditional western diet is mostly like lean meats with some potato and veggies. And yet how many people eat that way? Not many- same in Japan. Stop this "everything in Japan is so perfect" sperging

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I am Japanese and LOVE to be treated to traditional cuisine.

BUT.

This is not how the majority of Japanese eat today. Everywhere in industrialized nations, people are tending towards the US model of fatty and sugary convenience foods, because they have busy lives and don't have the time to cook lengthy meals.

Do you know how long it takes to make a traditional Japanese meal? Or a traditional meal in many other countries? It takes hours. All the vegetables have to be peeled, prepared, slow-cooked just so, the broth is flavored and takes its own time to make, the fish is traditionally charcoaled-grilled (need to prepare the charcoal so it heats at the right temp), etc...

Such cuisines around the world harken back to when kitchens lacked all modern conveniences and women and girls stayed home and where near enough to the house that something could simmer all day. Women went to the market every day for fresh vegetables. Indeed, my grandmother would go every day, so she could make and eat fresh food daily. No eating wilted produce 5 days after the weekend grocery shopping!

We all try to eat as healthy as we can in the short time we want to dedicate to cooking, but it can't be the Ryokan spread all the time.

This.

Also, the meals OP listed are very low on proteins. When DH and I traveled in Japan, DH lost weight b/c most meals that he could eat (he doesn't eat much seafood) was heavy on rice and very, very low on protein. The best meals we had were ones from a monastery stay in Koya San. Lots of wonderfully prepared beans, pickled plums, tofu, etc there were nutritiously balanced.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What do Japanese people in Japan drink with their breakfast? Just curious, do they do coffee and juice?

I grew up in Japan. I used to drink cold barley tea (mugicha) a lot when I was a kid.

Thank you for sharing that. I’ve not heard of that I will look it up

[Anonymous]

My breakfast is oatmeal cooked in milk, banana or apple chopped, 2 tsp of hemp hearts, 1 fistful of walnuts, 1 tsp roasted and ground flaxseed, 1 tsp ground chia, 1 tsp bilberry powder, handful of blueberries, 1 tbsn raisins.

Also - one glass of green juice - celery, beet, carrots, apple, kale, spinach, ginger, cilantro, cucumber, lemon.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I am Japanese and LOVE to be treated to traditional cuisine.

BUT.

This is not how the majority of Japanese eat today. Everywhere in industrialized nations, people are tending towards the US model of fatty and sugary convenience foods, because they have busy lives and don't have the time to cook lengthy meals.

Do you know how long it takes to make a traditional Japanese meal? Or a traditional meal in many other countries? It takes hours. All the vegetables have to be peeled, prepared, slow-cooked just so, the broth is flavored and takes its own time to make, the fish is traditionally charcoaled-grilled (need to prepare the charcoal so it heats at the right temp), etc...

Such cuisines around the world harken back to when kitchens lacked all modern conveniences and women and girls stayed home and where near enough to the house that something could simmer all day. Women went to the market every day for fresh vegetables. Indeed, my grandmother would go every day, so she could make and eat fresh food daily. No eating wilted produce 5 days after the weekend grocery shopping!

We all try to eat as healthy as we can in the short time we want to dedicate to cooking, but it can't be the Ryokan spread all the time.

Huh? We eat stir fried vegetables with a protein and a small amount of rice several times a week and it is quick and delicious. No peeling or slow cooking.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Gosh people are so nasty here. Sorry about that, OP. I think it’s a useful insight because a lot of us forget what the real baseline for food consumption should be!

+1

Maybe I’m just weak, but it takes an enormous effort to eat healthy in the US. Everything is designed to manipulate us into asking poor, impulsive decisions.

It also takes a lot of money to eat healthy in the US. Things like fruit, veggies, unsweetened yogurt, and fish are much more expensive than processed carbs and sugary coffee drinks. You also need more time to eat a healthy breakfast. A lot of people are eating a bodega BEC or bagel with cream cheese at a bus stop or in their car not a 1200 calorie plate of eggs, bacon, and pancakes. Much harder dealing with a bowl of berries and plain yogurt while you navigate public transit or driving.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I eat smoked salmon and avocado for breakfast. I eat it on bread but now that you mention it, it would be so much more healthy to eat it with rice. Unfortunately I don't have time to make rice in the morning and I don't like reheated rice.

smoked salmon is not something you should eat daily -- its carcinogen profile is similar to bacon and hot dogs.

Doesn’t this apply to smoked meats with nitrates not the nitrate free ones? Not pp by the way.

[Anonymous]

I travel a lot for work. The first thing that I realized was how trash American breakfasts were. We're practically the only country that doesn't start its day with veggies, and no, a tablespoon of onions, tomatoes, and spinach in an omelet doesn't count. Also, savory porridge is super common in most other countries. I started making my own version here and love it for breakfast.

[Anonymous]

I found this soup recipe and I’ve been making it ever since:
https://www.lafujimama.com/power-breakfast/

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Regardless of whether the the cultural associations are accurate or not, it is worth noting how wonderful it feels to eat a really clean diet focused on vegetables and fish. It's really easy to fall into a trap of convenience food - I will definitely admit to it - but I do love it when I refocus on the good stuff. It's like working out - hard to get started, and can be inconvenient in our rushed lives, but then feels awesome!

I have started eating dinner leftovers for breakfast a few times a week. It seems strange, but I really like a hot breakfast - yogurt doesn't always do it for me - and heating up last night's salmon and asparagus in the toaster oven is healthier and tastier than a bowl of oatmeal.

There are no clean or dirty foods, hence no such thing as a clean diet.

[Anonymous]

I lived in Japan with a host family in high school, and I found Japanese breakfasts the most difficult meal to accustom myself to. My host sisters ate fermented soy beans, which smelled to high heaven! I really tried, but my host mother took pity on me and would make me an egg, with some fruit and vegetables on the side. A little bit Western, a little bit Japanese...