Japan is one of the most beautiful countries in the world. Green mountains, vibrant culture, blue ocean, delicious local food and friendly people make Japan one of the best places to visit. If you have traveled to Japan or met many Japanese people, it is easy to notice that they, especially women, look slim and young. You could mistake a 50-year-old Japanese woman for a 30-year-old. Japan also has the highest percentage of people who have lived over 100 years in the world.
All this may surprise you; how exactly do they do it? Some of the reasons why Japanese women are thin and age quickly are as follows.
Drink green tea
Japanese women love green tea. If you walk into a Japanese home, the first thing you’ll be offered is hot green tea. Powdered green tea (matcha) is dried and ground from high quality tea leaves. The powder is then mixed with boiling hot water to make green tea.
Green tea is not only sweet, but it has been proven to have a wide range of health benefits. It is rich in powerful antioxidants that slow down the aging process and aid in weight loss.
Use fermented foods
Japanese women often consume fermented foods such as kombucha, kefir, tempeh, miso, and kimchi. Fermented foods are lacto-fermentation where natural bacteria feed on the sugars and starches in the food to produce lactic acid. Fermentation helps preserve natural food nutrients and creates beneficial enzymes, omega-3 fatty acids, B vitamins and other probiotics. It also breaks down food into a more digestible form, which helps with weight loss.
Seafood
Unlike people in most of the world, the Japanese prefer seafood over red meat, which can cause various health problems such as obesity, inflammatory diseases, and high cholesterol. Japan is surrounded by seas rich in seafood, so things like tuna, salmon, shrimp and mackerel are very popular.
Fish is rich in protein and omega-3 fatty acids, which help reduce body fat.
Eat small portions
Portion control is a big part of Japanese cuisine. The Japanese eat less than other cultures. During a meal, Japanese people usually spread the food in many bowls that take up the entire table. Plates and rice bowls are smaller than in other cultures. It makes the food look better and take longer to eat. The Japanese use chopsticks instead of spoons, which slows down their eating. Eating slowly helps you eat less and thus keeps your weight in check.
The simplest form of exercise is walking. Walking is easy, but very few people, especially in America, do enough walking. Japanese cities and transportation systems are structured to encourage people to walk rather than drive. In cities, trains are the main form of transportation, so people need to travel to and from the train station. In addition to walking, Japanese women also love their bicycles, and most of them use bicycles as their main form of transportation. A good daily walk or bike ride boosts energy, improves cardiovascular health, and helps people stay slim.
Eating is usually at a certain time
In Japan, it’s rare to find someone eating a burger or burrito while walking down the street. In Japan, mealtime is sacred and treated as such; no TV, no work, no movement while eating. Although you are allowed to eat whenever you want, it is considered impolite to eat while traveling in Japan. This helps them avoid overeating which helps them stay slim.
Healthy cooking methods
Japanese cooking involves boiling, steaming, stir-frying, pan-frying, slow-cooking, and fermenting. Raw, boiled, steamed and fried methods are preferred as it helps to avoid excessive consumption of fat which leads to weight gain. These cooking methods not only avoid weight gain, but also preserve the flavor and nutrients in the ingredients. Deep-fried dishes such as tempura are rare, but there are other accompaniments to balance the dish when served.
A balanced diet
The secret to a healthy diet is to ensure that every meal you eat is balanced. It should contain protein, carbohydrates, vitamins and fiber to aid digestion. Japanese traditionally eat a lot of rice, vegetables and fish. At the end of the meal, they prefer to eat fresh fruit instead of sugary desserts like fattening ice cream. By regularly consuming such a diet, they are getting only nutrients that are beneficial to the body and do not lead to weight gain.
Practicing martial arts
Learning martial arts in Japan is not just a sport; It is a way of life and it is related to their spiritual activity