Why Japanese Women Never Get Fat And Live The Longest – Their Secret!
jyotsana raoBeauty & Lifestyle Writer 
Experience: 4 yearsJyotsana Rao is an engineering graduate from NIT, Nagpur, who discovered her love for writing during her undergraduate days. She is passionate about writing about everything related to beauty - makeup... more
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Do you know what the average lifespan of Japanese women is? It is 84 years. Yes, you read that right! For the past 25 years, they have held the record for being the longest-living women on earth. It is also said that a majority of the population is healthy and they do not get fat easily. Amazing, isn’t it? So, what is the secret behind their healthy and long life? Is it in their genes or is there any other secret?
While doing some research on this topic, I came across a book entitled Japanese Women Don’t Get Fat Or Old by Naomi Moriyama. In this book, the writer has taken an effort to take the readers into her mother’s kitchen to reveal the secret behind their long and healthy life. She summarized the secret of their excellent health in these seven points:
1. They Eat Simple, Healthy, And Nutritious Food.
Japanese people believe in healthy and homemade food. Their traditional meal includes grilled fish with a little bit of steamed rice, a bowl of miso soup, some simmered fruits and vegetables, and green tea. Instead of eating sweets as dessert, they prefer eating fresh fruits.
2. They Eat Small Portions.
Visited any Japanese restaurant recently? Did you ever pay attention to how they serve the food? Japanese people give more importance to the presentation of the food, and this is why they use beautiful plates and bowls. Another thing you will notice in their style of serving is they never fill your plate completely. Rather, they prefer serving and eating in small portions. Each dish is served in a separate plate or bowl. This makes you pause to enjoy the aesthetic elements, and you automatically stop eating when your stomach is 80% full.
3. They Do Not Overcook Their Food.
They believe in light cooking in the form of simmering, sauteing, steaming, quick stir frying or pan grilling while preparing the dishes. They prefer using heart-friendly oils to cook food and do not generally go with cooking methods that involve exposing the ingredients to high temperatures for long. Also, they prefer having light and fresh foods. This ensures they eat light, yet stomach-filling foods.
4. They Do Not Eat Bread.
Japanese people prefer rice over bread. In fact, they serve steamed rice in all the meals of their day, and in this way, they eliminate the consumption of wheat flour or bread. These days, many people are switching from plain white rice to healthy brown rice.
5. They Have A Healthy Breakfast.
Japanese people consider breakfast as the most important meal of the day. It is even considered as the biggest meal of the day, which includes a bowl of miso soup (rich in probiotics). It gives them an extra energy boost for the day.
6. They Have No Or Very Less Dessert.
It is not like they do not consume sugary items at all, but they watch their portions.
7. They Have A Very Different And Positive Attitude Towards Food.
Japanese people are raised and encouraged to eat a variety of foods and are not concerned about dieting or weight loss. Since childhood, they are taught to eat slowly and cherish and appreciate each bite.
Apart from all these, they also lead a healthy lifestyle by including physical activities in their lifestyle such as walking, biking, and hiking.
Mentioned below are the key food items of a Japanese diet:
1. Fish
Since fish is rich in omega-3 fatty acids, Japanese people include fish in their diet, and thus, manage to stay youthful and healthy. While the Japanese make up only 2 percent of the world’s population, they consume around 10 percent of all the fish in the world. Now you can imagine how religiously they include fish in their diet.
2. Rice
Rice is considered as the staple food of Japanese people as it helps them avoid trans fat, saturated fat, and cholesterol. Many people prefer brown rice or purple rice over white rice these days.
3. Green Tea
Japanese people finish off their meal by drinking a small cup of green tea. Since it is rich in antioxidants, green tea helps in protecting the heart from chronic diseases.
4. Soybeans
They consume a lot of soy in a day, sometimes up to 50 grams a day. Most of their dishes are made using soybeans.
5. Fruits
They eat a lot of fresh fruits instead of cakes, muffins, or biscuits and consider fruits as the best option for desserts.
6. Vegetables
Japanese people are known to consume cruciferous vegetables (including broccoli, cabbage, kale, etc.) around 5 times more than Americans. They also prefer consuming sea vegetables (seaweed) and consider them as an important source of nutrients.
This was all about why Japanese women never get fat and live the longest. Not only this, they also have healthy and glowing skin.
Now that you know their secret, what are you waiting for? Include these foods in your daily diet and see yourself transform!
Share your experience in the comments section below.
