The Japanese diet |
||||||||
| ||||||||
|
Concording to WHO, Japan is one of the slimmest nations in the industrialized world. With 34 percent of men and 25 percent of women classified as fat, they seem to be winning the battle of the bulge. The Japanese predominantly feast on rice, noodles, soy, fish, vegetables, fruit and tea. The traditional Japanese diet is low in animal fat and portion sizes are smaller. In his paper Evidence-based Nutrition, Dr Dimitrios Trichopoulos from Harvard School of Public Health highlights that the Japanese enjoy low rates of heart disease despite high prevalence of smoking and hypertension. Mortality rates for cancer of the colon, breast and prostate are very low, while stomach cancer rates are high. Trichopolous indicates that several foods in the increase or decrease of risk of various cancers. The strongest evidence supports the general protective role of fruits and vegetables and the detrimental role of salt intake on the risk of stomach cancer (Japanese eat a lot of salty foods).
 Not only are the Japanese slim and healthy compared to the rest of the world, they live longer. A 2005 WHO report shows Japanese women have the hightest life expectancy in the world - 85 years. Right behind them are French and Italian women an 84 years while Australian women are on 83 years. An argument that it’s just good genes that’s responsible for Japan’s good health is not backed by science. As the Japanese abandon their traditional ways of eating and lifestyle and adopt more westernized eating habits, the healthiness statistics seem to diminish. Studies have also shown that Japanese living in the US and eating and American rather than a Japanese diet show the same proportion of overweight, obesity and chronic disease.
| ||||||||
| Last Updated ( Wednesday, 05 March 2008 ) | ||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||
Like the French, Japanese are natural exercisers. According to Japanese author Naomi Moriyama, in her book , Japanese Women Don’t Get Old or Fat, high levels of incidental activity also account for the Japanese living so long and healthy. Moriyama writes how millions of people in Japan get around the neighborhood with old-fashioned bicycles. Japanese also love to walk and enjoy recreational sports like golf, soccer, baseball, tennis and marital arts. In the workplace, many Japanese factories and companies encourage employees to begin the day with exercise.