Let's say right now. Most of the "Japanese" diets on the Internet have nothing to do with Asian cuisine or the diet that will be discussed below.. Typically, this pseudo-Japanese dietsThey recommend eating "bird-sized" boiled cabbage, a few eggs and 100 grams of meat or fish per day, reducing the number of meals to three and living in this mode for up to 2 weeks. Not! Such a meager diet is not suitable for an actively working person.
Why is the Japanese theme and everything under it so popular?
The Land of the Rising Sun will always be attractive and incomprehensible to a European. Perhaps this is due to the fact that Japan for a long time was a closed state for Western civilization. What are they, the Japanese, in our traditional view? They are technological but believe in spirits; conservative, but invented the "Ganguro" style; restrained, but capable of ferocious detachment; It appreciates life in the smallest stalk, but historically elevates suicide to the level of an honorable ritual. The islanders gave the world the most beautiful wonderful engravings and Pokémon. Also, they are thin and live long. Why? Why?
You can talk about genetics and physiology or answer: We are what we eat..
The article is based on Elisa Tanaka's book The Japanese Diet.
Traditional components of Japanese cuisine
I lay in the shade
My rice pushes for me
mountain stream.
Rice
Rice for the Japanese is "the head of everything", like bread for us. It is a healthy source of carbohydrates.gluten free. The inhabitants 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 in terms of volume in the daily diet of residents of the Land of the Rising Sun. The protein structure of fish meat is complete, easily digestible and contains essential amino acids necessary for a human being. However, the Japanese do not eat smoked or salted fish - only fresh sea or fresh water. The fat contained in the fish is meltable and does not accumulate on your thighs with bad cellulite, but gives the body full-fledged polyunsaturated fatty acids.
seaweed
Seaweed (aka seaweed, brown seaweed) is widely used in Japanese cuisine: it is added to rice, fish dishes or soy dishes. Laminaria, rich in iodine, minerals and macronutrients, is a good prevention of thyroid diseases, atherosclerosis and heart attack. Also, the inhabitants of the Japanese islands use dry seaweed instead of ordinary table salt.
Vegetables and legumes
True Japanese cuisine is impossible without vegetables. This is of course all kinds of cabbage, radishes, garlic, scallions, cucumbers and tomatoes, eggplant, carrots, peppers, legumes, asparagus, spinach, celery and all kinds of lettuce.
sprouts and shoots
Valuable sources of nutrients, as the sprouts are eaten in a "live" form - that is, their benefits are not killed by heat treatment. In addition, sprouted grain is more useful than "sleeping" grain, because in it all life processes are activated.
Recommendation: sprouts can be bought at any large hypermarket, or you can sprout the grain yourself in your window. Take 2 tablespoons of seeds or grains, put them in a container and fill with room temperature water so that the liquid level is 6 cm above the surface of the grains. Cover the container with gauze and leave for 7-12 hours. Then drain the water and wash the beans thoroughly. Sprouts should be kept in the dark and can be eaten as a substitute for greens for salads, soups and second courses. Just don't make large stocks for future use.
Fruits and berries
Asians eat fruit for dessert instead of traditional pastries and fudge for us. It is also important to eat fruits and berries in season, that is, not to eat strawberries in winter.
Spices and seasonings
Curry, black, red and paprika, anise, turmeric, garlic, horseradish, dill, ginger (fresh and pickled), basil, mustard seeds, coriander, cinnamon are commonly added to many dishes. However, bay leaf is not used on the contrary. Salt is also not held in high esteem, instead using dry algae powder (as we mentioned earlier), soy sauce or sesame oil.
Green tea
Tea is believed to have many medicinal properties: it strengthens the teeth, calms the soul, treats heart disease, neutralizes poisons and helps to increase longevity. The basic principle of drinking Japanese tea is: "Drank - share, refilled - drink. "The second cup of tea is considered the most valuable (especially if you brew the tea in the cup).
Recommendation: In order for the tea to be fragrant and as useful as possible, first rinse the teapot with boiling water and close the lid and let it warm up. Then rinse the tea leaves in warm water and put them in the teapot at the rate of 1-2 teaspoons. For a cup of tea, fill the tea leaves with water no hotter than 80 °C. First, pour water into one-third of the teapot and let it brew for 3-5 minutes. Then fill it halfway and leave again, but for 1 minute. Then add as much water as you need to drink the tea and let it brew for a minute. Tea is ready.
Tofu (bean curd)
It is tofu that provides Asian vegetarians with a complete protein: 240 g of tofu contains as much protein as two chicken eggs. 100 g of tofu contains 20% more calcium than 100 g of cow's milk. Soy protein is 95% digestible, rich in lysine, calcium, iron, vitamins B, E and K. Tofu is an excellent dietary product, and for all its high nutritional value, tofu is very low in calories. There are fewcarbohydratesand no cholesterol. Unlike meat, which is acidic, tofu is alkaline. And nutritionists say an alkaline environment is more beneficial than an acidic one and recommend eating at least 25 grams of soy protein per day.
Benefits of the Japanese Diet
Many people cannot tolerate a diet regimen because diets are too restrictive in taste, sometimes overly restrictive in what we eat. The pleasure of the taste of food is the joy that cannot be abandoned for a long time and without harming well-being or mood. The real Japanese diet consists of delicious meals made from products that are healthy for the body and low in calories.
Cons of the Japanese Diet
The diet assumes that you have to master some Asian recipes and also require certain adaptations. This diet is technically more complex than the others, you just take a few foods and eat them for a while or until you get tired of them.
Studying Japanese cooking techniques as the ability to sit on a twine can be considered another skill in your arsenal - it may be surprising, be proud of it.
So, from the kitchen inventory you will need:
- Wok or wok for quick frying or poaching;
- pans with non-stick coating;
- Double boiler (instead of the double boiler, you can place a metal colander in the pan);
- Food processor, mixer;
- Wooden containers for mixing cooked food, made of beech, cherry or maple: wood does not absorb odors and will last a long time;
- Wooden skewers or skewers.
For cooking you will need:
- Various types of rice;
- Noodle;
- Mushrooms;
- Spices and herbs;
- Sauces: soy, teriyaki, fish, oyster.
Japanese food products 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 because these types of meals 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 bouts of unbearable hunger.
Number of calories on the menuIndicated without adding sugar or cream to beverages. Therefore, do not forget to add 1 teaspoon of 16 kcal to your daily calorie intake. 36 kcal per tablespoon of sugar and cream (if using). In other words - coffee with sugar - reduce the volume of the main course serving. It is recommended to use soy instead of cow's milk.
The optimal amount of calories consumed per day should be in the range of 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 average ambient temperature. Reducing calories to 1200-1400 will not cause pathological changes in metabolism, on the one hand, and on the other hand, it will allow you to spend your day fully (not feel spoiled), while fitness classes will burn your body and gain energy. own fat reserves.
The Danger of Diets That Cut Calories Under 1200:
- With rapid weight loss, you quickly gain the weight you lost and even more;
- A depleted diet adversely affects the condition of the skin, hair and nails and leads to loss of muscle mass;
- The more muscle you lose, the slower your metabolic rate will be, making it more difficult to lose or maintain weight.
The main 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 results above). You should not lose more than 1 kg per week.
- Stay in the 1200-1400 calorie range per day. Be sure to supplement with vitamins and minerals.
- Maintain energy balanceBetween the energy consumed and the energy consumed, we get calories from food, thanks to the fitness we spend. Violation of this balance unfortunately leads to excess weight.
- The key to losing weight in the Japanese diet is a variety of foods.and small portions, the transition from fatty meat dishes to a healthy diet based on fruits, vegetables and seafood.
Asian nutritionists have developed a healthy eating pyramid that can be used as a guide when planning your diet and the proportion of certain foods in it.
Tips for effective weight loss on the Japanese diet
- Track your physical activity and diet (calorie counting). This makes it easier to see progress;
- Strictly adhere to the chosen meal plan and portion sizes;
- Don't think of food as "good" or "bad", enjoy the process of eating;
- If on any given day you have given yourself high-calorie foods, be sure to cut the calorie content of your diet the next day;
- Do aerobic exercise.
Initially, you may lose more than the recommended kilogram per week. This is due to fluid loss in the body. Then the weight loss will slow down, but do not despair - this is a completely normal, healthy process of losing weight.
Sample Japanese diet menu for 14 days (table)
| Day | menu of the day | |||
| Breakfast | Lunch | Junk food | Lunch (dinner) | |
| a |
|
|
Apple. Calories: 80. |
|
| Total daily calorie intake1428 calories | ||||
| 2 |
|
|
1 cup of coffee without sugar. Calories: 5. |
|
| Total daily calorie intake1386 calories | ||||
| 3 |
|
|
1 glass of soy milk. Calories: 150. |
|
| Total daily calorie intake1334 calories | ||||
| four |
|
|
Calories: 30. |
|
| Total daily calorie intake1424 calories | ||||
| 5 |
|
|
1 orange (fruit salad) Calories: 141. |
|
| Total daily calorie intake1443 calories | ||||
| 6 |
|
|
|
|
| Total daily calorie intake1433 calories | ||||
| 7 |
|
|
1 glass of soy milk. Calories: 150. |
|
| Total daily calorie intake1392 calories | ||||
| eight |
|
|
1 glass of vegetable juice. Calories: about 70. |
Calories: 576. |
| Total daily calorie intake1424 calories | ||||
| 9 |
|
|
120 g fruit yoghurt. Calories: 60. |
|
| Total daily calorie intake1440 calories | ||||
| front |
|
|
10 young carrots. Calories: 38. |
|
| Total daily calorie intake1303 calories | ||||
| eleven |
|
|
|
|
| Total daily calorie intake1290 kcal | ||||
| 12 |
|
|
|
|
| Total daily calorie intake1441 calories | ||||
| 13 |
|
|
1 bowl of cherries. Calories: 31. |
|
| Total daily calorie intake1430 calories | ||||
| fourteen |
|
|
10 young carrots. Calories: 38. |
|
| Total daily calorie intake1272 calories |
If you are a little afraid of the names of dishes (you most likely have never cooked) - then do not worry, there are recipes for all the dishes that appear in the Japanese diet.
We save the results
You need to stop dieting, gradually increasing the amount of calories, bringing your weight to a level that you can maintain unchanged. Just add 100 calories to your diet for 14 days. At the same time, weight control should be done. If the scale continues to lose weight, add another 100 calories over the next 2 weeks and check the scale again. Once the weight stabilizes, you determine yourself the number of calories needed to maintain a stable weight.
100 calories:
- 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;
- one large potato tuber;
- 590 g of tomatoes;
- 625 g of sauerkraut;
- banana - less than 1 piece;
- apricot - 210 g;
- fresh strawberries - 325 g;
- 1 large apple;
- 1 large orange;
- 2 kiwis;
- peaches - 250 g;
- 4 tangerines;
- plum - 200 g;
- 1 grapefruit;
- watermelon - 285 g;
- 1 large pear;
- melon - 190 g;
- 15-20 large grapes;
- any nuts (2 tablespoons) - 15 g;
- noodles - the size of a handful;
- muesli, oatmeal - 1/3 cup;
- porridge on water - 5-6 tbsp. I. per serving.
We hope you will be successful! Good luck!