Let's say right away. Most of the "Japanese" diets on the web have nothing to do with Asian cuisine or the diet that will be discussed below.. Usually these pseudo-Japanese dietsthey suggest you eat portions the size of a bird's boiled cabbage, a few eggs and 100 grams of meat or fish a day, reduce the number of meals to three and live in this regime for up to 2 weeks. No! Such a meager diet is not suitable for an active person.
Why is the Japanese theme and everything that hair under it so popular?
The land of the rising sun will always be attractive and incomprehensible to a European. Perhaps this comes from the fact that Japan has long been a closed country to 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 wild detachment; they value life even in the slightest, but historically elevated suicide to the rank of an honorary ritual. The islanders gave the world the best beautiful engravings and Pokemon. In addition, they are thin and live long. Why?
You can talk about genetics and physiology or answer like this: we are what we eat.
The article is based on the book The Japanese Diet by Elisa Tanaka.
Traditional components of Japanese cuisine
I lay down in the shade
My rice is pressing 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. Japanese people eat different varieties of rice, but prefer to eat brown rice made with sesame oil.
Fish and seafood
Fish dishes are second in 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 necessary for humans. However, the Japanese do not eat smoked or salted fish - only fresh sea or fresh water. The fats contained in fish are soluble and will not be deposited on your thighs with disgusting cellulite, but will give the body complete polyunsaturated fatty acids.
Seaweed
Seaweed (also known as 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. Also, 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 shoots
Valuable sources of nutrients, as the sprouts are consumed in "living" form - that is, their benefits are not killed by heat treatment. In addition, sprouted grain is more useful than "sleeping" grain, because it activates all life processes.
Advice: sprouts can be purchased in any large hypermarket or you can germinate the beans on your window yourself. Take 2 tablespoons of seeds or grains, place them in a bowl and fill with water at room temperature so that the liquid level is 6 cm above the surface of the grains. Leave for 7-12 hours, covering the dish with gauze. Then drain the water and rinse the beans thoroughly. Sprouts should be stored in the dark and can be consumed with salads, soups and as a substitute for greens for second courses. Just don't make large stocks for future use.
Fruits and berries
Instead of our traditional pastries and confectionery, Asians eat fruit as a dessert. At the same time it is important to eat fruits and berries in season, that is, do not have strawberries in winter.
Spices and condiments
Curry, black, red and hot red pepper, anise, turmeric, garlic, horseradish, dill, ginger (fresh and pickled), basil, mustard seeds, coriander, cinnamon are usually added to many dishes. But the bay leaf, on the contrary, is not used. Salt is also not respected, instead using dry seaweed powder (as already mentioned), soy sauce or sesame oil.
Green tea
Tea is believed to have many healing properties: it strengthens teeth, soothes the soul, cures heart disease, neutralizes toxins and helps with longevity. The basic principle of Japanese tea drinking is: "Drink - share, fill - drink". The second cup of tea is considered the most valuable (especially if you brew tea in the cup itself).
Advice: to make the tea fragrant and most useful, first rinse the kettle with boiling water and close the lid to warm it up. Then rinse the tea leaves in warm water and put them in a teapot in the amount of 1-2 tsp per cup of tea, fill the tea leaves with water not hotter than 80 ° C. First, pour water into one third of the teapotand let it soak for 3-5 minutes. Then add to half and leave again, but for 1 minute. Then add as much water as needed to drink tea, and let it boil for a minute. The tea is ready.
tofu (bean curd)
It is bean curd that provides Asian vegetarians with complete protein: 240 g of tofu contains as much protein as two chicken eggs. 100 g of tofu is 20% richer in calcium than 100 g of cow's milk. Soy protein is 95% absorbed, rich in lysine, calcium, iron, vitamins B, E and K. Tofuto is an excellent dietary product and despite its high nutritional value, bean curd is very low in calories. There is somecarbohydratesand cholesterol-free. Unlike meat, which is sour, tofu is alkaline. And nutritionists say that an alkaline environment is more beneficial than an acidic environment and advise eating at least 25 grams of soy protein a day.
Benefits of the Japanese diet
Many people cannot tolerate a diet simply because diets are very restrictive in taste, sometimes too restrictive of what we eat. The enjoyment of the taste of food is that joy which cannot be abandoned for a long time and without harming the well-being or mood. The real Japanese diet consists of delicious dishes made from products that are healthy for the body and are low in calories.
Disadvantages of the Japanese diet
The diet suggests that you need to master some recipes of Asian dishes, and also requires certain adaptations. This diet is technically more complex than many others, in which you simply eat a few foods and eat for a while or until you get sick of them.
Learning Japanese cooking techniques can be seen as another skill in your arsenal, like the ability to sit on a rope - this can be surprising, you can be proud of that.
So, you will need kitchen utensils:
- Wok or wok for quick frying or stewing;
- Non-stick pans;
- Double boiler (instead of a double boiler, you can put a metal colander in the pan);
- Food processor, mixer;
- Wooden utensils made of beech, cherry or maple for stirring cooked food: wood does not absorb odors and lasts a long time;
- Wooden skewers or skewers.
You will need it for cooking:
- Different varieties of rice;
- Noodles;
- mushrooms;
- Spices and herbs;
- Sauces: soy, teriyaki, fish, oysters.
Japanese food should not be a big problem for you, now you can buy them in any hypermarket or easily replace them with 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, as such dishes are low in calories and are good for digestion. And the vegetable dietary fiber in the composition of vegetables will give your stomach the necessary satiety, so you will not experience painful bouts of hunger.
The number of calories in the menushown without the addition of sugar or cream to the beverages. So be sure to add 16 kcal per 1 hour to your daily caloric intake. sugar and 36 kcal per tablespoon of cream (if you use them). In other words - sweetened coffee - reduces the volume of the main portion of food. The use of soy is recommended instead of cow's milk.
The optimal number of calories consumed per day should be in the range of 1200-1400 kcal (for women). It is this number of calories is enough for the life of the body at rest, before meals and at medium ambient temperatures. On the one hand, reducing calories to 1200-1400 does not cause pathological changes in metabolism, on the other hand, allows you to live your day to the fullest (without feeling down), and fitness classes will be supplied with energy by burning your own fat reserves. .
The danger of diets that reduce calories below 1200:
- With fast weight loss, you will also quickly gain weight or even more;
- An exhausted diet will negatively affect the condition of the skin, hair and nails and will lead to loss of muscle mass;
- The more muscle you lose, the more your metabolism will slow down, which will make it harder to lose or maintain weight.
The basic rules of the Japanese diet
- Do not try to artificially speed up the weight loss process, reducing the number of calories (we wrote about the consequences above). You need to lose no more than 1 kg per week.
- Stay in the range of 1200-1400 calories a day. Do not forget to supplement with vitamins and minerals.
- Maintain energy balancebetween received and consumed energy. We get calories from food, we spend with the help of fitness. Disturbance of this balance, unfortunately, leads to overweight.
- The key to losing weight in the Japanese diet is a variety of foodsand small portions, the transition from fatty meat dishes to a healthy diet based on fruits, vegetables and seafood.
Asian nutritionists have developed a pyramid for healthy eating that can be used as a guide in planning your diet and the ratio of certain foods in it.
Tips for effective weight loss in the Japanese diet
- Monitor your physical activity and diet (calorie count). This makes it easier to see progress;
- Strictly follow the chosen meal plan and portion sizes;
- Don't think of food as "good" or "bad", enjoy the process of eating;
- If you have indulged in high-calorie foods on any of the days, be sure to reduce the calorie content of your diet the next day;
- Do aerobic exercise.
Initially, you may lose more than the recommended one pound per week. This is due to the loss of fluids in the body. Then weight loss will slow down, but do not despair - this is a completely normal healthy weight loss process.
Sample menu for Japanese diet for 14 days (table)
day | Menu for the day | |||
Breakfast | Lunch | Light breakfast | Lunch dinner) | |
one |
|
|
Apple. Calories: 80. |
|
Total daily calorie intake1428 kcal | ||||
2 |
|
|
1 cup of coffee without sugar. Calories: 5. |
|
Total daily calorie intake1386 kcal | ||||
3 |
|
|
1 cup 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 |
|
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1 cup soy milk. Calories: 150. |
|
Total daily calorie intake1392 kcal | ||||
eight |
|
|
1 cup 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 bunch cherries. 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 dishes (which you probably never cooked) - then do not worry, there are recipes for all the dishes that appear in the Japanese diet.
We keep the results
You need to leave the diet, gradually increasing the number of calories to a level where you can keep your weight unchanged. Just add 100 calories to your diet in 14 days. At the same time, the weight must be controlled. If the scales continue to show weight loss, add another 100 calories over the next 2 weeks and check the scales again. Once the weight stabilizes, you determine the number of calories needed to maintain a constant 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 cup 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;
- one large potato tuber;
- 590 g tomatoes;
- 625 g 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 tangerines;
- plum - 200 g;
- 1 grapefruit;
- melon - 285 g;
- 1 large pear;
- melon - 190 g;
- 15-20 large grapes;
- all kinds of nuts (2 tablespoons) - 15 g;
- noodles - a portion the size of a palm;
- muesli, oatmeal - 1/3 cup;
- porridge of water - 5-6 tbsp. l. per serving.
We hope you succeed! Good luck!