Let's say right away. Most of the "Japanese" diets online have nothing to do with Asian cuisine or the diet that will be discussed below.. Usually these are pseudoJapanese dietsthey offer to eat "bird-sized" portions of cooked cabbage a day, a couple of eggs and 100 grams of meat or fish, reduce the number of meals to three and live in this mode for as long as 2 weeks. No! Such a poor diet is not suitable for an active person.
Why is the Japanese theme and everything behind it so popular?
The country of the rising sun will always be attractive and incomprehensible to Europeans. Perhaps this is because Japan has long been a closed state to Western civilization. Who are they, the Japanese, in our traditional sense? They are technological but believe in spirits; conservative but invented the Gangur style; restrained but able to isolate wildly; value life even with a small stalk, but historically suicide has been elevated to a venerable ritual. The islanders have given the world the best amazing engravings and Pokémon. Why?
You can talk about genetics and physiology or you can answer this: we are what we eat.
The article is based on Elisa Tanaka's book "Japanese Diet".
Traditional Japanese cuisine components
I lay down in the shade
My rice makes 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. The Japanese people eat different types of rice, but prefer to eat brown rice cooked with sesame oil.
Fish and seafood
In the daily diet of the people of the rising sun, fish dishes are in second place in terms of volume. The protein structures of fish meat are complete, easily digestible, and contain essential human essential amino acids. However, the Japanese do not eat smoked or salted fish - only fresh sea or fresh water. The fat in the fish is soluble and does not settle on the thighs with trivial cellulite, but will give the body full polyunsaturated fatty acids.
Seaweed
Seaweed (also known as kelp, brown algae) is widely used in Japanese cuisine: it is added to rice, fish dishes or soy dishes. Laminaria is good for the prevention of thyroid disease, atherosclerosis and heart attack, rich in iodine, minerals and macroelements. Also, Japanese islanders use dry kelp instead of the usual table salt.
Vegetables and legumes
True Japanese cuisine is impossible without vegetables. These are, of course, all kinds of cabbage, radishes, garlic, green onions, cucumbers and tomatoes, eggplant, carrots, peppers, legumes, asparagus, spinach, celery and salads of all kinds.
Seedlings and shoots
They are valuable sources of nutrients because the seedlings are eaten "alive" - that is, their benefits are not destroyed by heat treatment. In addition, germinated grains are more useful than "sleeping" grains because they activate all life processes.
Tip: You can buy seedlings in any large supermarket or you can sprout on your own window. Take 2 tablespoons of seeds or grain, place in a bowl and pour water at room temperature so that the liquid level is 6 cm above the surface of the grain. Leave for 7-12 hours, cover the dish with gauze. Then drain the water and wash the beans well. Seedlings should be kept in the dark, they can be eaten with salads, soups, as a substitute for greens. Just don’t build up big stocks in the future.
Fruits and berries
Instead of us traditional pastries and confectionery, Asians eat fruit as a dessert. At the same time it is important to eat fruits and berries during the season, that is, not to eat strawberries in winter.
Spices and condiments
Curry, black, red and cayenne 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, by contrast, is not used. Salt is also not highly valued, instead it uses dry kelp 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 poisons and helps to achieve longevity. The basic principle of drinking Japanese tea is as follows: "Drinked - promotions, filled - good. " The second cup of tea is considered the most valuable (especially if you boil the tea in the cup itself).
Tip: To make the tea fragrant and as useful as possible, first rinse the teapot with boiling water and close the lid to warm it up. Then rinse the tea leaves with warm water and add 1-2 teaspoons to the teapot. for a cup of tea, pour the tea leaves into water not hotter than 80 ° C. First add water to one third of the teapot and leave to stand for 3-5 minutes. Then fill to half and leave again for 1 minute. Then add as much water as you need to drink the tea and let it boil for one minute. The tea is ready.
Tofu (bean curd)
It is the bean curd 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 because of its high nutritional value, bean curd is very low in calories. Has littlecarbohydratesand cholesterol-free. Unlike meat, which is acidic, tofu is alkaline. And nutritionists say an alkaline environment is more beneficial than an acidic one and advises eating at least 25 grams of soy protein daily.
Benefits of the Japanese diet
Many people cannot tolerate dieting just because diets severely limit taste, sometimes we restrict what we eat too much. Enjoying the taste of food is that joy that cannot be neglected for long and without damaging your well-being or mood. The real Japanese diet consists of delicious dishes made from healthy and low-calorie products.
Disadvantages of the Japanese diet
The diet assumes that you have learned some recipes for Asian dishes and also requires some customization. This diet is technically more complicated than many others when you just eat a couple of foods and eat them for a while or until you get sick of them.
Studying Japanese cooking techniques can be seen as another skill in your arsenal, like the ability to sit on twine - it can be surprising, you can be proud of that.
So, from the kitchen inventory you will need:
- Wok or wok for quick frying or stewing;
- Non-stick pans;
- Double boiler (instead of a double boiler, you can insert a metal spoon into the pan);
- Food processor, mixer;
- Wooden utensils made of beech, cherry or maple for mixing cooked food: wood does not absorb odors and lasts a long time;
- Wooden spools or spools.
You will need it for cooking:
- Rice of various varieties;
- Pasta;
- Mushrooms;
- Spices and herbs;
- Sauces: soy, teriyaki, fish, oysters.
Japanese foods shouldn’t be a big deal for you, you can now buy them at any supermarket 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 slimming strategy because such dishes are low in calories and good for digestion. And the dietary fiber in vegetables will give your stomach the satiety it needs, so you won’t feel unbearable hunger attacks.
Number of calories in the menuspecified without the addition of sugar or cream to beverages. So don’t forget to include 16 teaspoons of 1 teaspoon in 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. It is recommended to use soy instead of cow's milk.
The optimal number of calories consumed per day should be 1200-1400 kcal (for women). This is the number of calories enough for the body to live at rest, before a meal and at moderate ambient temperatures. On the one hand, reducing calories to 1200-1400 does not cause changes in pathological metabolism, on the other hand, it allows you to live your day to the fullest (without feeling spoiled), and fitness classes will provide energy by burning your own. your fat stores.
The dangers of diets that reduce calories to 1, 200:
- Losing weight fast will also help you gain pounds or even more quickly;
- A depleted diet will negatively affect the condition of the skin, hair and nails, reduce muscle mass;
- The more muscle you lose, the more your metabolism will slow down, making it harder to lose or maintain weight.
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 should lose no more than 1 kg per week.
- Stick to 1200-1400 calories a day. Be sure to supplement with vitamins and minerals.
- Maintain energy balancebetween energy received and consumed. We get calories from food and spend it with the help of fitness. Violation of this balance unfortunately leads to overweight.
- The key to losing weight in the Japanese diet is a variety of foodsand in small portions, the transition from fatty meat dishes to a healthy diet based on fruits, vegetables and seafood.
Asian nutritionists have created a healthy eating pyramid that can guide you in planning your diet and the ratio of certain foods in it.
Tips on how to effectively lose weight by following a Japanese diet
- Track your physical activity and diet (number of calories). This makes it easier to see progress;
- Strictly follow your chosen meal plan and portion sizes;
- Don’t think of food as "good" or "bad, " enjoy the eating process;
- If you allowed yourself to eat high-calorie foods one day, be sure to reduce the calories in your diet the next day;
- Do aerobic exercise.
You can initially lose more than the recommended one kilogram per week. This is due to the loss of fluids in the body. Then weight loss will slow down, but don’t despair - it’s a perfectly normal healthy weight loss process.
Example of a Japanese diet menu for 14 days (table)
| Day | Daily menu | |||
| Breakfast | Lunch | Snack | Lunch Dinner) | |
| one |
|
|
Apple. Calories: 80. |
|
| Total daily calories1428 kcal | ||||
| 2 |
|
|
1 cup coffee without sugar. Calories: 5. |
|
| Total daily calories1386 kcal | ||||
| 3 |
|
|
1 glass of soy milk. Calories: 150. |
|
| Total daily calories1334 kcal | ||||
| four |
|
|
Calories: 30. |
|
| Total daily calories1424 kcal | ||||
| 5 |
|
|
1 orange (fruit salad) Calories: 141. |
|
| Total daily calories1443 kcal | ||||
| 6 |
|
|
|
|
| Total daily calories1433 kcal | ||||
| 7 |
|
|
1 glass of soy milk. Calories: 150. |
|
| Total daily calories1392 kcal | ||||
| eight |
|
|
1 glass of vegetable juice. Calories: about 70. |
Calories: 576. |
| Total daily calories1424 kcal | ||||
| 9 |
|
|
120 g of fruit yogurt. Calories: 60. |
|
| Total daily calories1440 kcal | ||||
| ten |
|
|
10 young carrots. Calories: 38. |
|
| Total daily calories1303 kcal | ||||
| eleven |
|
|
|
|
| Total daily calories1290 kcal | ||||
| 12 |
|
|
|
|
| Total daily calories1441 kcal | ||||
| 13 |
|
|
1 bowl of cherries. Calories: 31. |
|
| Total daily calories1430 kcal | ||||
| fourteen |
|
|
10 young carrots. Calories: 38. |
|
| Total daily calories1272 kcal |
If you’re a little intimidated by the names of the dishes (which you’ll probably never make) - don’t worry, there are recipes for all the dishes in the Japanese diet.
We save the results
You need to give up the diet, gradually increasing the number of calories to a level that allows you to keep your weight unchanged. Just add 100 calories to your diet for 14 days. Weight needs to be controlled at the same time. If the scales continue to show weight loss, add another 100 calories over the next 2 weeks and double check the scales. Once the weight has stabilized, you set the number of calories needed to maintain a constant weight.
The 100 calories are:
- pork, beef - 80 g;
- 1 boiled chicken breast;
- 150 g of fish;
- one egg or 2 yolks, or 5-6 proteins;
- 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 cucumbers - 750 g;
- 3-4 large carrots;
- one 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 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;
- pasta - a palm-sized portion;
- muesli, oatmeal - 1/3 cup;
- porridge on the water - 5-6 tbsp. l. per serving.
We hope you succeed! Good luck!