Have you ever wondered why almost all Japanese women have a distinctive body shape and look young? Additionally, Japan has the highest percentage of people living over 100 years in the world. According to experts, food plays a very important role in Japanese people. It needs to be based on the principle of longevity and health. In other words, in Japan, food is not only eaten for taste, but they actually believe that their health depends mainly on the dishes they eat daily.
Today I will show you 10 reasons why Japanese women remain young and graceful.
- Big fan of fermented foods
Fermented foods such as kefir, sauerkraut, kombucha, tempeh, kimchi, etc., are very popular foods. In the process of making fermented foods, natural bacteria feed on the sugar and starch in the food to make lactic acid. Fermentation preserves the natural nutrients in foods and makes omega-3 fatty acids, B vitamins, beneficial enzymes, and several strains of probiotics.
Fermentation helps boost the beneficial bacteria in the gut and break down foods into a more digestible form. This aids in better digestion, which will aid in weight loss as well. Moreover, it is beneficial in flushing out heavy metals and harmful toxins from your body. Don’t skip this tip if you’re looking for reasons to stay fit and young Japanese women. According to a study in the Journal of Physiological Anthropology in 2014, fermented dairy products greatly aid in the growth of beneficial microbes in your gut.
- eat fewer parts
It can be said that eating small portions is a typical part of Japan’s culture. As you know, smaller portion sizes make you eat less, which in turn helps you lose weight quickly. Therefore, it helps prevent unintentional overeating and high calorie intake.
If you are trying to manage your body weight, eating smaller portions is likely more important than any type of food you eat daily. Here are some basic foundations for showing home cooked food in Japan. For example, they often do not fill the plates completely and do not eat a large portion. In addition to choosing fresh foods, they do not decorate foods and often arrange the items on the menu correctly to show the natural beauty of the foods.
- Don’t eat fast
In Japan, meal times are considered a sacred time to rejuvenate the body. Therefore, there is no eating fast. If you eat quickly, it is considered impolite even though it is acceptable in Japan. This also explains the reasons why you rarely see anyone eating on the street or on public transportation.
In addition, Japanese people do not do anything else during their meal times. Also, they eat slowly, which gives their stomachs enough time to process the foods they eat and sends a signal to the brain that they are full. Japanese people also use chopsticks in their meals, which actually hinders the quantity as well as the speed of eating.
- Martial arts
In Japan, there are popular types of martial arts practiced by both men and women. They include Karate, Aikido, Judo, and others. These types of martial arts effectively help to improve the level of physical fitness and general health.
Besides, most martial arts help improve cardio fitness and endurance, build muscle strength, and enhance muscle flexibility. It is also helpful in losing body weight and slowing down the aging process. According to a 2013 pilot study in Clinical Optometry, martial arts exercises help improve body composition and reduce inflammation in obese or overweight premenopausal women. It also helps favor biomarkers of bone turnover (increased bone formation and decreased bone reabsorption)
- healthy sweets
When it comes to dessert, we often think of ice cream, cake, or other unhealthy foods. However, Japanese people use candy to cleanse and refresh the mouth after a meal. Generally, Japanese desserts include fruit and other available ingredients such as rice and sweet beans that are very low in sugar.
In Japan, a popular dessert is mocha, a rice cake that is made by grinding a type of rice called moshigeum into a sticky dough. People often stuff mochi with different fillings like strawberry, ice cream and sweet red bean paste. Besides, dorayaki is another healthy dessert in Japan. In Japan, fruit sandwiches, squash liqueur, pumpkin pie, and green tea meringue sweets are easily found in their dessert. Therefore, to stay slim and look young, you should enjoy dessert after your meal like Japanese women do. However, candy in the West is often high in sugar, caramel, refined flour, and other fattening ingredients, all of which have been described as unhealthy items.
In fact, there are different ways to make dessert more healthy by replacing the bad ingredients with the good ones. You can choose brown sugar instead of white sugar, whole wheat flour instead of refined flour, cocoa nibs or cocoa powder instead of chocolate. You should also use a milk substitute such as almond, rice, or coconut milk instead of whole milk. These simple choices will also gradually improve your overall health and enhance your quality of life.
- drink green tea
Do you know that the most favorite drink of Japanese women is green tea? That’s because green tea is very famous for its medicinal properties. Indian people used it to speed wound healing, control bleeding, improve heart health, aid digestion, and control body temperature. Green tea is extremely rich in antioxidants and nutrients and also has a strong impact on human health. Green tea is made from leaves that have bioactive compounds and phytonutrients such as flavonoids and catechins. These are powerful antioxidants that may help reduce inflammation caused by free radicals. This tea also contains a specific catechin – epigallocatechin gallate, which helps reduce bad cholesterol, support arteries to become healthy, reduce platelet activity, and protect you from some types of cancer by blocking tumor production.
According to a study in the Journal of the American Medical Association in 2006, Japanese adults who drink more green tea have a lower risk of death from cardiovascular disease.
- They love seafood
Japanese people tend to choose seafood in their diet rather than red meat. This is because red meat is actually linked to many health problems, such as obesity, high cholesterol levels, inflammatory diseases, etc.
In addition, the most common choice for Japanese meals is rice or noodles along with different types of seafood. In fact, fish and shellfish including tuna, salmon, shrimp, and mackerel are very popular in Japan. Seafood has a rich content of nutrients as it is full of vitamins, minerals, omega 3 fatty acids, protein, etc.
Seafood is very low in saturated fat, which helps in promoting a healthy heart. Besides, the omega-3 fatty acids in seafood offer a lot of benefits for human health. It can be related to a lower risk of cardiovascular diseases such as stroke, heart attack, and arrhythmia. It is also effective in relieving pain caused by rheumatoid arthritis, supporting brain development in children, reducing the risk of age-related macular degeneration, and treating depression.
Seafood contains a high source of nutrients that make many people unsatiable. Salmon, trout, tuna, and sardines are the healthiest because they have higher sources of fat-based nutrients. You should eat at least 2 plates of seafood per week to get the nutritional benefits. You can prepare fish in different ways such as raw, boiled, steamed, breaded, fried, or grilled.
- Make walking a ritual
Walking is very popular in Japan and is a simple type of exercise to stay fit and fit. On top of that, it’s great for your health, including controlling your ideal weight. In addition to reducing traffic congestion, walking is also a Buddhist ritual. About 90 million Japanese people consider themselves Buddhists, and many of them walk to meditate. This meditation is a simple exercise that you do as it requires no equipment.
You need to prepare a pair of shoes to walk comfortably. You should think carefully about your steps, rather than walking without focus. Therefore, you should focus on raising your foot, moving it forward, and placing it on the floor. Then, you need to focus on raising your other foot, moving it forward, and taking the next step. Remember to notice how your weight shifts when you start walking.
In other words, you can simply walk slowly and pay attention to your every move. Walking helps maintain an ideal weight, increase lung and heart fitness, reduce the risk of stroke and heart disease, and control various health conditions such as high cholesterol, high blood pressure, diabetes, and muscle and joint pain.
Walk for at least half an hour daily to increase muscle strength and endurance, lose or control body weight, and gain strong bones. In addition, you can start your walking habit by taking the stairs instead of using the elevator, getting off public transportation and walking, or walking instead of driving your motorbike.
- Healthy cooking methods
The technique used to cook the food plays a major role in preserving the nutrients present in it. Japanese people have always used healthy methods to cook food. In general, they use four main methods of cooking. They are jimono (similar to deep frying), moshimono (steamed food), yakimono (a form of grilling), and nimono, boiled food.
In these cooking methods, steaming appears to be the healthiest option because it can help get rid of the extra fat that is used during preparation. Also, steaming helps preserve nutrients better than other cooking methods. You should choose this cooking method to cook fish and other seafood, as it does not dry out the meat. You just need a simple saucepan or a bamboo steamer, and you can easily make a meal with vegetables and meat.
Grilling is also one of the healthiest cooking methods for you to choose. For this dry heat cooking method, you don’t need to use water or oil. You can grill lean cuts of meat such as beef and chicken. Besides, vegetables like zucchini, onions and peppers are delicious when grilled. Although boiling vegetables is not your favourite, this cooking method brings you all the health benefits.
You use water to boil vegetables, so they are fat-free. When added to your diet regularly, it can help you lose body weight. It has a rich source of fiber, which makes it easily digested in the stomach. Furthermore, boiling can help prevent kidney stones, as this method of cooking removes oxalate from foods.
- Take hot spring baths
The Japanese people are big fans of the hot spring bath, which helps to prolong life. Hot springs have many types and you can distinguish them from minerals that are dissolved in water. Each mineral provides a different benefit to our health. Soaking yourself in hot springs is considered a mineral water treatment and provides various health benefits. It can help relieve pain, stress, skin problems, etc. Taking a bath in a hot spring can help boost blood circulation because your skin absorbs minerals like magnesium, niacin, sodium bicarbonate, and calcium. This in turn increases blood circulation and increases oxygen flow to the muscles, such as when exercising. Plus, this helps keep your heart and other organs strong and healthy.
Besides, balneotherapy can relieve stress and promote sound sleep. Heat helps relax contracting muscles, reduce pain, and increase body temperature, improving your sleep and treating insomnia. Bath water can also relieve some skin-related problems, such as dryness, psoriasis, and eczema. Although hot springs are safe for most people, if you are elderly, pregnant, or have cardiovascular problems, you should consult your doctor first
