Japanese people eat rice regularly but do not get fat: 5 habits to learn
Japanese families usually eat 2-3 meals a day but the obesity rate is very low compared to developed countries.
An American expatriate lived with a Japanese family for a year. He learned about the eating habits and lifestyle that help Japanese people maintain a healthy weight, avoiding the obesity epidemic that affects more than 30% of the American population. Here is what he shared onWorld Day:
Eat rice 3 meals a day but in moderation
My host family eats rice three times a day, but in reasonable amounts. A bowl of Japanese rice contains about 140g of rice, which is about 200 calories. Rice dishes like onigiri (rice balls) also do not exceed 175 calories each.
Eat miso soup, clear broth
Most days, we have miso soup or clear broth. One study found that consuming a clear broth like miso at the beginning of a meal can reduce total calorie intake by 20%. This habit alone means you tend to eat 20% fewer calories at 2-3 meals, 7 days a week. That’s valuable.
No snacking
During our time in Japan, we never saw anyone snacking between meals. Snacking was virtually non-existent. Eating while walking or in public was taboo. Yet in the United States, 20% of the household food budget was spent on snacks. Soft drinks alone accounted for 7 to 9% of the American food budget.
Walking, sitting on the floor
Japanese people walk more than Americans. That's a big factor. Where I live, everyone walks or rides a bike. Even sitting on a tatami mat uses more muscles than sitting on a couch. In the traditional house where I live, there are no chairs or sofas to sit on.
Don't waste food
In Japan, people learn from a very young age to be grateful for food and not to waste it. They never leave a grain of rice in their bowl, not even the smallest crumb is wasted. It is considered very bad manners to ask for another bowl of rice and not finish it.
As a result, despite their Westernized diet, the Japanese still have the slimmest bodies among developed countries. Only 3.6% of the Japanese population is obese (BMI>30) compared to 32% of Americans. Clearly, rice is not the culprit behind obesity./.
