The Chopstick Diet: Can Japanese Eating Habits Help You Lose Weight?

Shed some kilos by turning Japanese.

 

One of the many delights of visiting Japan is the food. From sushi and sashimi to barbecue and noodles, Japanese cuisine comes in many forms, and it's mostly all good for your health. According to Melbourne-based dietitian Catherine Itsiopoulous, the traditional Japanese diet is one of the healthiest. The Japanese have the longest life expectancy in the world and low rates of cardiovascular disease.

"The Japanese diet is low in fat, especially saturated fat," Itsiopoulous says. Following a traditional Japanese diet can also help you shed kilos. In her book, The Chopsticks Diet (Simon & Schuster), Japanese cook Kimiko Barber explains how Japanese food can help trim your waistline and improve your heart health.

She also demonstrates that Japanese cuisine doesn't have to be complicated. "The essence of Japanese cuisine lies in its simplicity," Barber says. "We don't cook [the food] if we don't have to, and we prefer to eat it in its natural state if possible.We believe nature has an understanding of what, when and how we should eat."

However, Itsiopoulous has a word of caution. "The Japanese diet is fairly high in salt from the sauces, the seaweed in foods such as nori rolls and miso soup, and preserved foods such as pickles. Salt can increase your risk of developing high blood pressure and stroke."

When it comes to weight loss, however, another key factor that gives the Japanese diet a thumbs up is portion size. "A Japanese meal consists of many delicacies that are carefully prepared in small, appetising portions, rather than the oversized portions of foods often seen in western societies," Itsiopoulous says.

"There is also data showing that the Japanese consume 25 to 50 per cent fewer kilojoules than [in] western countries."Barber agrees. "Compared to the western diets, Japanese people eat less and what we do eat is better balanced and healthier," she says. "We eat a wide variety of vegetables and seaweeds, less animal protein, especially red meat, almost no dairy, and more fish and soy beans."We also use chopsticks, which physically slows you down and makes you eat less."

Chopsticks diet

• Eat plenty of fresh vegetables, fish and rice.
• Eat with chopsticks, even when out at a restaurant.
• Shop daily to get the freshest ingredients.
• Eat five different colours of seasonal vegetables.
• Cut food into small bite-sized portions so it is easier to eat with chopsticks.
• Eat slowly and take time to appreciate your food.

The health benefits

• Dietitian Catherine Itsiopoulous says there are many health benefits to eating common Japanese foods.
• Tofu: High in protein, relatively fat free, lowers blood fats (LDL or "bad" cholesterol), and reduces the stickiness of platelets. It is also high in phytoestrogens, which may reduce the symptoms of menopause.
• Adzuki Beans: High in antioxidants and used in Chinese medicine to treat conditions such as high blood pressure. The juice can lower blood fats (triglycerides).
• Brown rice: High in fibre and a good source of carbohydrate.
• Soba noodles: Higher in protein and fibre than spaghetti and a good source of B-group vitamins.
• Green tea: High in antioxidants, may have anti-cancer properties and may lower blood pressure and improve elasticity of blood vessels.
• Seaweed: An excellent source of iodine, which is important for thyroid function and brain development in infants.
• Salmon: One of the richest sources of omega-3 fats, which can lower certain blood fats (triglycerides), and is a good source of the mineral selenium, which has anti-cancer properties.

It is also anti-inflammatory and contains a recently discovered antioxidant called astaxanthin, which can protect cells from damage and boost immunity.