6 Food Habits That Help Japanese Women Stay Slim

Japanese women are considered among the most beautiful and elegant in the world. At 30 they look like they’re 18, at 40 like they’re 25, and they live the longest.

We at Bright Side decided to find out the secrets of Japanese diet and lifestyle, for they prove to be quite useful.

A rich and balanced diet

It’s a common misconception that the Japanese only eat sushi — their diet is, in fact, rather diverse. They prefer fish, seaweeds, vegetables, soy, rice, fruit, and green tea. The Japanese diet is versatile and balanced, and it’s almost devoid of high-calorie and junk foods.

Freshness and relevance to the season are of great importance, and they usually eat those products that ripen at the time. Seasonal fish is also preferable. Weather is another crucial factor: in winter, the Japanese traditionally have meat, fish, and hot drinks and soups, while in the heat of summer they prefer cold soups, seafood, cold ramen, and salads.

Cooking methods

The Japanese traditionally cook their food by stewing, grilling, steaming, or frying in a special pan with minimal oil. The vegetables are sliced so they look better and cook more quickly. The advantage of such methods is that the foods retain much of their nutritional properties.

Vegetable broth is a popular base for many dishes. Japanese women are very careful with spices, trying hard to keep the food light without excess burden on the stomach, liver, and kidneys. The gist of the Japanese cuisine is in accentuating the natural beauty, color, and flavor.

The culture of eating

Eating is also a ritual in Japan. They eat slowly, with little pieces, and the helpings and plates are small. They strive to keep the natural taste and appearance of the food, and so they rarely decorate it. Different dishes on the same plate are bad tone, as each food should have its own place. The plate is never full to the brim. You have to agree that it’s impossible to overeat this way.

Rice instead of bread

Rice is an essential part of each meal, and it’s very particularly cooked without salt or butter. Thus, the absence of mealy foods helps keep their figures slim.

Breakfast is the main meal of the day

Breakfast is the most substantial meal of the day in Japan. It’s their main meal that includes several dishes — normally fish, rice, omelets, miso soup, a soy dish with greens, seaweeds, and tea.

There are next to no sweets for dessert

Dessert is a rare occasion, and there’s usually little of it. The Japanese have very different expectations of sweets than we do — there are no cakes or buttercream. They even have ice cream made of rice (mochi). Japanese desserts are generally low fat, low sugar, and probably not really to Western tastes. However, they don’t leave anything behind on your belly.