Japanese Cuisine

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How is it that the Japenese diet--which is very high in PUFA and fermented soy foods--can produce a nation of slim, healthy, productive and creative people?

I feel there is a lot to learn from their cuisine and dietary habits. Could it be the high iodine, copper and manganese content of their foods that contribute towards overall health?
 

paymanz

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what are their typical diet look like?i think its high carb low fat diet. low iron and higher manganese than average western diet.

high pufa? from fish?
 

Tenacity

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Their diet is not high in PUFA according to one study - about as high as the British, at 6%. Still quite high in Peat terms, but still. They also consume more omega 3 in that 6%. Japanese men also drink a lot of alcohol. I'll dig the study up later, it's interesting.

EDIT: Here it is:
 

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japanesedude

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We do eat rice,soy foods and miso soup.but it depends on each family.
for example,old japanese people likes grilled fish,natto and miso soup a pretty much traditional japanese foods.
but today's japanese people eats various kind of foods. (I ate curry today and actually Curry is very popular food for dinner in japan)
one thing that Im sure is that We Japanese still not getting enough Calcium and Protein from foods compared to Westerncountries.
 

peter_gunz

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We do eat rice,soy foods and miso soup.but it depends on each family.
for example,old japanese people likes grilled fish,natto and miso soup a pretty much traditional japanese foods.
but today's japanese people eats various kind of foods. (I ate curry today and actually Curry is very popular food for dinner in japan)
one thing that Im sure is that We Japanese still not getting enough Calcium and Protein from foods compared to Westerncountries.

I lived in Japan for 3 years. This is very true.
When I was in college over there and taught myself to read nutrition labels, I realized that Japanese eat mostly carbs, a moderate amount of fat, and low protein. In fact, it was really difficult to get protein that wasn't surrounded by fat (I used to natural bodybuild as a hobby). Even at the store, most boneless chicken breast is sold with the skin.

What I did notice is that younger people consume more dairy than older people and they're also taller and thicker than the older generation. I agree that protein and calcium are pretty low.
 

raypeatclips

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I was reading a piece that says the culture of Japan is the reason why they're all so slim, while I feel like the opposite is true in our media. (Not saying one is right or wrong either way, just trying to provide a new angle on the topic)

"When asked to respond to a number of statements to reflect their experiences and opinions, 85 percent agreed that Japanese media tends to promote the idea that “skinny is healthy”, and that heavier/curvier women are rarely seen. When they are, it is normally in a comedic or derogatory context."

"“It disturbs me that overweight Japanese TV personalities are often made fun of and sometimes quite cruelly mocked for their weight. Just last night I watched a TV show where an overweight tarento (TV personality) had the chance to teach a kindergarten class. The kids made fun of her weight, pulled her skirt down and even punched her in the stomach, all in the name of ‘comedy,’ ” said a European woman in her 30s."

Body image and the foreign female in Japan: survey shows frustration with one-size-fits-all thinking | The Japan Times
 

PandaPower

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A very important factor you missed that the portion is so small. All the dishes are as small as a ashtray size....
I can't believe they can feel full after eating
 

x-ray peat

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One issue I noticed is that younger Japanese men today look very effeminate. It's a real cultural issue over there and in much of Asia. Im not sure what they are eating now exactly but they are doing something different than their parents did.
 
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Waynish

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They seem to snack more than westerners. They seem to practice sequential eating. They eat a lot of nutrient dense foods (raw fish). Different culture & genetics.
People in Mexico seem like sloths in comparison (was just there so it is on my mind). Mexicans, for example, look so puffy and hypothyroid in Mexico - but asians seem to be better at maintaining their sugar metabolism. Don't underestimate the power of even culture alone to decrease the stress that leads to disease. Just the fact that they're fairly smart & industrious leads to basic knowledge of what constitutes a "good restaurant" vs a "bad restaurant." Going to great sushi restaurants is a blessing. The satisfaction from having good sushi can't be completely neutral health-wise, can it? People often talk about "modern food tricking us into tasting good," but I think this is overplayed - and I think most Peatarians would too. The metabolism is such that cravings are reasonably timed and often in the direction of true needs.
 

japanesedude

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I lived in Japan for 3 years. This is very true.
When I was in college over there and taught myself to read nutrition labels, I realized that Japanese eat mostly carbs, a moderate amount of fat, and low protein. In fact, it was really difficult to get protein that wasn't surrounded by fat (I used to natural bodybuild as a hobby). Even at the store, most boneless chicken breast is sold with the skin.

What I did notice is that younger people consume more dairy than older people and they're also taller and thicker than the older generation. I agree that protein and calcium are pretty low.

Yes. We are simply not eating enough meat and Dairy products and I think its because both are expesinve. Fish and Soyfoods are cheaper.
but it is also true that We are slowly getting bigger and taller than we used to be.

I was reading a piece that says the culture of Japan is the reason why they're all so slim, while I feel like the opposite is true in our media. (Not saying one is right or wrong either way, just trying to provide a new angle on the topic)

"When asked to respond to a number of statements to reflect their experiences and opinions, 85 percent agreed that Japanese media tends to promote the idea that “skinny is healthy”, and that heavier/curvier women are rarely seen. When they are, it is normally in a comedic or derogatory context."

"“It disturbs me that overweight Japanese TV personalities are often made fun of and sometimes quite cruelly mocked for their weight. Just last night I watched a TV show where an overweight tarento (TV personality) had the chance to teach a kindergarten class. The kids made fun of her weight, pulled her skirt down and even punched her in the stomach, all in the name of ‘comedy,’ ” said a European woman in her 30s."

Body image and the foreign female in Japan: survey shows frustration with one-size-fits-all thinking | The Japan Times

There are tons of 'Diet' Tv shows in japan.
the morality in Japanese comedy scenes and tv shows are so terrible.
Its like they are making fun of anybody and I hate it.


Don't japanese have frequent occurrence of diabetes?
Diabates are common in japan.


One issue I noticed is that younger Japanese men today look very effeminate. It's a real cultural issue over there and in much of Asia. Im not sure what they are eating now exactly but they are doing something different than their parents did.

Yes.
I guess thats because of our food culture. We eat soyfoods and rice everyday and both are 5alpha reductase inhibitor.
This explains why We can't grow full beard and why is young japanese guy looks like a girl.
 

Elephanto

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One issue I noticed is that younger Japanese men today look very effeminate. It's a real cultural issue over there and in much of Asia. Im not sure what they are eating now exactly but they are doing something different than their parents did.

This is not only in Asia.

Western men's sperm counts plunge 60% in 40 years due to 'modern life'

You're Not The Man Your Father Was
Testosterone declined by 17% between 1987 and 2004 in 60 years old men.
In a 2016 study, the average 20- to 34-year-old man could apply 98 pounds of force with a right-handed grip, down from 117 pounds by a man of the same age in 1985.
A separate survey asked men to rate themselves on a scale of “completely masculine” to “completely feminine.” Only 30% of 18- to 29-year-olds chose “completely masculine.”

We shouldn't need a study to know that though, it's easily observable. Most young men and adolescents I see fit the "numale" archetype. I also see a lot of "autistic" behaviours especially in current adolescents that doesn't match the rates for autism/asperger so even the "normal" kids are a bit autistic. A good typical example is the Buzzfeed guys who did a testosterone levels test and found they had hypogonadal (80+ years old) levels. That's basically how 60% of millenials look, and the younger ones sometimes look even less androgenic.

There's probably a lot of causes to blame, but I like to see plastic as the Ancient Rome's Lead poisoning version of the West's decline. There's also this quote that speaks for itself, "Hard times create strong men. Strong men create good times. Good times create weak men. And, weak men create hard times." Lack of physical activity (I observe that being a manual laborer is super protective against testosterone decline), soy, higher fat intake that is predominantly unsaturated, porn, blue lights and emfs raising serotonin, maybe vaccines. Culture too but it's as much a symptom of hormonal levels.

ex6yqnxpcmZEHIRL7N6ncFKAX2_5oFHQVHzu12nCaAg.jpg
 

kayumochi

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I lived and worked in Japan almost 20 years and I don't so don't buy into all the romanticizing of their food, health, and culture. What they do have going for them is that they have a solid food culture to return to at the end of the day and they tend not to consume more calories than their bodies require.

The most disturbing feature of 21st Japanese cooking is the liberal use of "salad oil" which is, by and large, canola ...
 
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Lejeboca

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I lived and worked in Japan almost 20 years and I don't so don't buy into all the romanticizing of their food, health, and culture. What they do have going for them is that they have a solid food culture to return to at the end of the day and they tend not to consume more calories than their bodies require.

The most disturbing feature of 21st Japanese cooking is the liberal use of "salad oil" which is, by and large, canola ...


+1.

I visited Japan recently, albeit briefly, after two previous longer stays a few years back, and I literally didn't find anything "peaty" to eat this time, except for eggs (next one on the list was rice, of course). I also noticed their using more "salad oils", but I assumed it was a soybean oil. (I don't speak or read Japanese much).
 

kayumochi

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+1.

I visited Japan recently, albeit briefly, after two previous longer stays a few years back, and I literally didn't find anything "peaty" to eat this time, except for eggs (next one on the list was rice, of course). I also noticed their using more "salad oils", but I assumed it was a soybean oil. (I don't speak or read Japanese much).

A number of oils are labeled "salad oil" and from what I have noticed rapeseed is the most common. Ask most any Japanese person what salad oil is and you will get a blank stare. However, the Japanese do use the term "canola" as well. Possibly salad oil is processed differently. My wife is Japanese and think both salad oil and Canola are "good for you."
 

Elephanto

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I lived and worked in Japan almost 20 years and I don't so don't buy into all the romanticizing of their food, health, and culture. What they do have going for them is that they have a solid food culture to return to at the end of the day and they tend not to consume more calories than their bodies require.

The most disturbing feature of 21st Japanese cooking is the liberal use of "salad oil" which is, by and large, canola ...

Canola Oil actually decreases testosterone more than soybean oil despite being significantly lower in O6.
Testosterone-lowering activity of canola and hydrogenated soybean oil in the stroke-prone spontaneously hypertensive rat. - PubMed - NCBI
The testosterone levels in the serum and the testes were found to be significantly lower in the canola oil group than in the soybean oil group

. My wife is Japanese and think both salad oil and Canola are "good for you."
You should show her this :
Alzheimer (AD) Caused By Accumulation Of Oleic Acid
(the main fatty acid in Canola)
 

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