Let's say right away. Most of the "Japanese" diets on the net have nothing to do with Asian cuisine or the diet which will be discussed below.. Typically, these pseudo-Japanese dietssuggest eating "bird-sized" portions of boiled cabbage, a couple of eggs and 100 grams of meat or fish a day, reducing the number of meals to three and living in this mode for up to 2 weeks. Do not! Such a poor diet is not suitable for an actively working person.
Why is the Japanese theme and all that mowing under it so popular?
The Land of the Rising Sun will always be attractive and incomprehensible to a European. Perhaps this stems from the fact that for a long time Japan was a closed state for Western civilization. What are they, the Japanese, in our traditional view? They are technological but they believe in spirits; conservative, but invented the "Ganguro" style; restrained, but capable of savage detachment; appreciate life even in a tiny stem, but historically elevated suicide to the rank of an honorable ritual. The islanders have given the world the most beautiful and wonderful Pokémon engravings. In addition, they are thin and live a long time. How come?
You can talk about genetics and physiology, or you can answer like this: we are what we eat.
The article is taken from the book The Japanese Diet by Elisa Tanaka.
Traditional components of Japanese cuisine
I lie down in the shade
My laughter pushes for me
Mountain stream.
Rice
For the Japanese, rice, like bread for us, is "the head of everything". It is a healthy source of carbohydrates that does not containgluten free. Residents of Japan eat various varieties of rice, but prefer to eat brown rice cooked with sesame oil.
Fish and seafood
Fish dishes are in second place by volume in the daily diet of the inhabitants of the Land of the Rising Sun. The protein structures of fish meat are complete, easily digestible and contain essential amino acids for a person. However, the Japanese do not eat smoked or salted fish, only sea or fresh water. The fat contained in the fish is fusible and will not settle on the thighs with vile cellulite, but will give the body full-fledged polyunsaturated fatty acids.
Seaweed
Seaweed (also called seaweed, brown seaweed) is widely used in Japanese cuisine: it is added to rice, fish dishes or soy dishes. Laminaria is a good prevention of thyroid disease, atherosclerosis and heart attack, rich in iodine, minerals and macronutrients. In addition, the inhabitants of the Japanese islands use dried seaweed instead of the usual table salt.
Vegetables and legumes
True Japanese cuisine is impossible without vegetables. This, of course, all kinds of cabbage, radishes, garlic, green onions, cucumbers and tomatoes, eggplants, carrots, peppers, legumes, asparagus, spinach, celery and all kinds of lettuce.
Sprouts and sprouts
Valuable sources of nutrients, as the sprouts are eaten in a "live" form, meaning their benefits are not killed by heat treatment. In addition, sprouted wheat is more useful than "sleeping" wheat, because all life processes are activated in it.
Advise: Sprouts can be purchased at any large hypermarket, or you can sprout the kernels yourself on your window. Take 2 tablespoons of seeds or grains, put them in a container and fill them with water at room temperature so that the liquid level is 6 cm above the surface of the grains. Leave on for 7-12 hours, covering the container with gauze. Then drain the water and rinse the beans well. Sprouts should be kept in the dark and can be eaten with salads, soups and as vegetable substitutes for main courses. Just don't make large stocks for future use.
Fruits and berries
Instead of the traditional pastries and confectionery for us, Asians eat fruit as a dessert. At the same time, it is important to eat seasonal fruits and berries, that is, no strawberries in winter.
Spices and seasonings
Curry, black, red and cayenne peppers, anise, turmeric, garlic, horseradish, dill, ginger (fresh and pickled), basil, mustard seeds, coriander, cinnamon are commonly added to many dishes. But bay leaf, on the contrary, is not used. Salt is also not very popular, instead dried seaweed powder (as already mentioned), soy sauce or sesame oil is used.
Green tea
Tea is believed to have many medicinal properties: it strengthens the teeth, pacifies the soul, treats heart disease, neutralizes poisons and helps achieve longevity. The basic principle of Japanese tea consumption is: "Drink - share, fill - drink". The second cup of tea is considered the most valuable (especially if you brew the tea in the cup itself).
Advise: To make the tea fragrant and as useful as possible, first rinse the teapot with boiling water and close the lid to heat it. Then rinse the tea leaves in warm water and put them in a teapot at the rate of 1-2 tsp. for a cup of tea, fill the tea leaves with water not exceeding 80 ° C. First, pour water into a third of the teapot and steep for 3-5 minutes. After that, top up halfway and start again, but for 1 min. Then add all the water needed to drink the tea and let it brew for a minute. The tea is ready.
Tofu (bean curd)
It is bean curd that provides Asian vegetarians with complete protein: 240g of tofu contains as much protein as two chicken eggs. 100g of tofu is 20% higher in calcium than 100g of cow's milk. Soy proteins are 95% digested, rich in lysine, calcium, iron, vitamins B, E and K. Tofu is a great dietary product and, despite all its high nutritional value, bean curd is very poor. of calories. It has littlecarbohydratesand without cholesterol. Unlike meat, which is acidic, tofu is alkaline. And nutritionists claim that an alkaline environment is more beneficial than an acidic environment and recommend eating at least 25 grams of soy protein per day.
Benefits of the Japanese diet
Many people cannot tolerate a diet regimen simply because diets have a very restrictive, sometimes overly restrictive taste of what we eat. The enjoyment of the taste of food is that joy that cannot be abandoned for long and without damage to well-being or mood. The true Japanese diet consists of delicious dishes made with healthy, low-calorie products.
Cons of the Japanese diet
The diet assumes that you have to master some recipes of Asian dishes and also requires some adaptations. This diet is technically more complicated than many others, where you just take a couple of foods and eat for a while or until you get tired of them.
The study of Japanese cooking techniques can be considered as another skill in your arsenal, such as the ability to sit on a string - this can be amazing, this can be proud.
So, from the kitchen inventory you will need:
- Wok or wok for quick frying or stewing;
- Non-stick coated cookware;
- Bain marie (instead of a bain marie, you can put a metal colander in the pan);
- Food processor, mixer;
- Utensils in beech, cherry or maple wood to mix cooked foods: the wood does not absorb odors and lasts a long time;
- Skewers or wooden skewers.
For cooking you will need:
- Various varieties of rice;
- Noodles;
- Mushrooms;
- Spices and herbs;
- Sauces: soy, teriyaki, fish, oyster.
Japanese food items shouldn't be a big deal to you, you can now buy them at any hypermarket or you can easily substitute some of our ingredients. Don't be afraid to experiment.
Japanese diet: basic principles
The Japanese diet menu includes many soups and vegetable dishes.. This is a great weight loss strategy, because such dishes are low in calories and good for digestion. And the vegetable dietary fiber in the composition of vegetables will give your stomach the necessary saturation, so you will not feel atrocious hunger pangs.
The number of calories in the menuindicated without adding sugar or cream to drinks. Therefore, do not forget to add 16 kcal per 1 teaspoon to your daily calorie intake. sugar and 36 kcal per tablespoon of cream (if you use them). In other words - sweetened coffee - reduce the volume of the main portion of food. Instead of cow's milk, it is recommended to use soy.
The optimal number of calories consumed per day should be between 1200-1400 kcal (for women). It is this number of calories that is sufficient for the life of the body at rest, before eating and at an average room temperature. On the one hand, reducing calories to 1200-1400 does not cause pathological changes in metabolism, on the other hand, it allows you to fully live your day (not feel a burnout) and fitness classes will be provided with energy by burning your own reserves. of fat.
The danger of diets that reduce calories below 1200:
- With rapid weight loss, you will quickly gain even the lost kilograms or even more;
- Poor diet will adversely affect the condition of the skin, hair and nails and lead to loss of muscle mass;
- The more muscle you lose, the more your metabolic rate will slow down, making it harder to lose or maintain weight.
The main rules of the Japanese diet
- Don't try to artificially speed up the weight loss process, reducing the number of calories (we wrote about the consequences above). You shouldn't lose more than 1kg per week.
- Stay in the range of 1200-1400 calories per day. Be sure to supplement with vitamins and minerals.
- Maintain energy balancebetween energy received and consumed. From food we get calories, with the help of fitness we spend. Violation of this balance, unfortunately, leads to excess weight.
- The key to weight loss in the Japanese diet is a variety of foodand small portions, the transition from fatty meat dishes to a healthy diet based on fruit, vegetables and seafood.
Asian nutritionists have developed a healthy food pyramid that can be used as a guide when planning your diet and the ratio of certain foods it contains.
Tips for Effective Weight Loss on the Japanese Diet
- Keep track of your physical activity and diet (calorie count). This makes it easier to see progress;
- Strictly adhere to the meal plan and portion sizes chosen;
- Don't think of food as "good" or "bad", enjoy the process of eating;
- If on any of the days you indulged in high-calorie foods, be sure to reduce the calorie content of your diet the next day;
- Do aerobic exercise.
You may initially lose more than the recommended kilogram per week. This is due to the loss of fluids in the body. Then weight loss will slow down, but don't despair - this is a completely normal healthy weight loss process.
Example of a Japanese diet menu for 14 days (table)
| Day | Menu of the day | |||
| Breakfast | The lunch | Snack | Lunch Dinner) | |
| one |
|
|
Apple. Calories: 80. |
|
| Total daily calorie intake1428 kcal | ||||
| 2 |
|
|
1 cup of unsweetened coffee. Calories: 5. |
|
| Total daily calorie intake1386 kcal | ||||
| 3 |
|
|
1 glass of soy milk. Calories: 150. |
|
| Total daily calorie intake1334 kcal | ||||
| four |
|
|
Calories: 30. |
|
| Total daily calorie intake1424 kcal | ||||
| 5 |
|
|
1 orange (fruit salad) Calories: 141. |
|
| Total daily calorie intake1443 kcal | ||||
| 6 |
|
|
|
|
| Total daily calorie intake1433 kcal | ||||
| 7 |
|
|
1 glass of soy milk. Calories: 150. |
|
| Total daily calorie intake1392 kcal | ||||
| eight |
|
|
1 glass of vegetable juice. Calories: about 70. |
Calories: 576. |
| Total daily calorie intake1424 kcal | ||||
| 9 |
|
|
120 g of fruit yogurt. Calories: 60. |
|
| Total daily calorie intake1440 kcal | ||||
| ten |
|
|
10 young carrots. Calories: 38. |
|
| Total daily calorie intake1303 kcal | ||||
| eleven |
|
|
|
|
| Total daily calorie intake1290 kcal | ||||
| 12 |
|
|
|
|
| Total daily calorie intake1441 kcal | ||||
| 13 |
|
|
1 bowl of cherry. Calories: 31. |
|
| Total daily calorie intake1430 kcal | ||||
| fourteen |
|
|
10 young carrots. Calories: 38. |
|
| Total daily calorie intake1272 kcal |
If you are a little scared of the names of the dishes (which you most likely never cooked), don't worry, there are recipes for all the dishes that appear in the Japanese diet.
Let's save the results
You must abandon the diet, gradually increasing the number of calories to a level where you could keep your weight unchanged. Just add 100 calories to your diet for 14 days. At the same time, the weight must be checked. If the scale continues to show weight loss, add another 100 calories in the next 2 weeks and check the scale again. Once the weight stabilizes, you determine for yourself the number of calories needed to maintain a steady weight.
100 calories are:
- pork, beef - 80 g;
- 1 boiled chicken breast;
- 150 g of fish;
- one egg or 2 yolks or 5-6 proteins;
- a glass of milk;
- yogurt - 125 g;
- a glass of kefir;
- a small slice of bread;
- beans - 25 g (3-4 tablespoons);
- fresh cabbage - 1 kg;
- fresh cucumber - 750 g;
- 3-4 large carrots;
- a large potato tuber;
- 590 g of tomatoes;
- 625 g of sauerkraut;
- banana - less than 1 pc. ;
- apricots - 210 g;
- fresh strawberries - 325 g;
- 1 large apple;
- 1 large orange;
- 2 kiwis;
- peaches - 250 g;
- 4 mandarins;
- plum - 200 g;
- 1 grapefruit;
- watermelon - 285 g;
- 1 large pear;
- melon - 190 g;
- 15-20 large berries;
- any nuts (2 tablespoons) - 15 g;
- noodles - a portion the size of a palm;
- muesli, oatmeal - 1/3 cup;
- porridge on the water - 5-6 tbsp. L. per serving.
We hope you are successful! Good luck!