Japanese women have been holding the world record for longest living women with an average lifespan of 84.5 years. On top of that, they seem to never gain weight! So, what’s their secret?
Naomi Moriyama leads readers of her book “Japanese Women Don’t Get Old or Fat” into her mother’s kitchen and gives us an insight on the Japanese secrets for long and healthy life. Moriyama says that Japanese women don’t gain weight as their traditional diet includes foods that aid weight loss such as fish, seaweed, fruit, soy, rice, vegetables and green tea. All these foods have anti-aging properties as well, which is why Japanese women always look young.
The Japanese eat homemade cooked meals mostly consisting of grilled fish, a bowl of rice, cooked vegetables, soup, green tea and fruits. They consume about 10% of all the fish in the world, although they make up 2% of the world’s population. Moriyama also notes that parents teach their children to eat slowly and appreciate every bite – this is why the Japanese never fill their bowls to the top or serve huge portions of food.
Japanese mealsareeasy – the food is slowly cooked, usually grilled or cooked, and instead of bread, the Japanese eat rice. A usual Japanese breakfast consists of many foods and drinks, including a piece of fish, rice, tofu, seaweed, soup, young garlic, omelet and green tea, all in small portions.
Sweet desserts are a rarity in Japanese cuisine, but even when served they are also small. It’s not that they don’t like chocolate or cookies – they simply realize the consequences and adverse side-effects of sweets on our health.
“Exercise is part of the daily routine in Japan and in order to maintain a healthy lifestyle they built an entire culture of biking, walking and hiking,” Moriyama concludes in her book.