With a wise and healthy culture, Japanese people stand out among other peoples because of their optimum health. The resulting ignorance is: how did they get to be like this? Is it genetics or an acquired habit?

Besides having a healthy routine, The physiognomic feature of the people of the Land of the Rising Sun is that most of them have a slender physique. In fact, according to data from the Japanese Ministry of Health and Nutrition, Japan is one of the countries in the world with the lowest obesity rate, which is only 3.5% compared to other countries such as Germany, France and Italy which have rates between 21% and 22%; United Kingdom, 26%; and the United States, 33.6%.

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However, it is important to note that the traditions and culture of the Japanese state, as well as the laws passed to combat overweight, have greatly helped its citizens to maintain good physical shape.

Before in 2005 when the ‘Shuku Iku’ law came into effect, aimed at children’s education, aiming to create a social culture around food. This law focuses on diet, the daily diet of Japanese children and their education: schools are required to offer healthy meals to school-age children. These values ​​are instilled from a young age and thus they reach adulthood with a greater awareness of what is healthy for the body.

“Okinawa – a Japanese prefecture that includes more than 150 islands in Japan’s maritime zone – is a clear example. It is considered a blue zone – one of the places in the world where people over 100 years of age live the longest – because of the longevity and the excellent cognitive and health condition of its residents. It has a particular climate, natural resources and a different mentality that recognizes the importance of nutrition, as well as its impact on health”, says Mariana Patrón Farias, nutrition graduate and director of Nutrition Programs for Companies (Nutrim), a specialist consultant in healthy eating programs.

for specialists, the reason for this phenomenon is due to multicausal factors “You have to look at the Japanese in their social, biological, ecological and cultural setting because we are all integral beings and it has to be the right view to understand how they stayed that way.”

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Way of life, the key

Japanese customs vary widely and include everything from eating habits to various types of physical exercise and hot baths. Among others are:

1. Eat mindfully

The Japanese eat easily digestible food. They usually don’t eat too many industrial or chemical products. They prioritize natural and even raw foods during the hot summer months. Among the most voted are rice, fish, shellfish, vegetables, and hot vegetables and infusions.

Since birth, the Japanese have followed a healthy diet characterized by low calories and low fat, in which plants and traditional medicinal herbs such as turmeric predominate, and give the main role to foods of plant origin.

Refined sugar or ultra-processed trans fats have no place in your diet. “If we compare that to our Western options, where beef and animal fats predominate (cheese, butter, cream, pastries, etc.) and where there is an increased consumption of ultra-processed foods with added sugar and extra salt and all kinds of processed. additives … of course, the Japanese get more nutrients from their food, and this contributes to the preservation of health and well-being for many, many more years”, explains Patrón Farias.

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2. Hara Hachi Ma’am method

Hara hachi bu is a Confucian teaching that instructs people to eat until they are 80 percent full or when one feels full. This way, they feel satisfied and don’t have to overeat as happens in other countries where culturally they eat until they “can’t take it anymore”.

“I believe that more than just a form of dieting, it’s about the frugality and respect we Japanese have for food to eat what’s necessary and the consideration we have with others so as not to fill ourselves up when others may be going through the same thing.” bad. time”, explains Mónica Hashimoto , graduate of journalism and communications and former editor of a magazine for the dissemination of Japanese culture in Argentina called Alternativa Nikkei.

3. They don’t go to the gym

The Japanese are not used to the extreme exercise routines that are more common in the West. They practice moderate or low intensity physical activity such as daily walking, yoga, or stretching.

However, Hashimoto shows that physical exercise is instilled in them from a young age by sporting competitions called “undokai” and “taiso” – gentle, relaxing exercises that seek a wider range of motion – which are performed every morning at school and at school. workplace.

“They also use bicycles a lot for transportation, especially by mothers to shop or take their children to school. In general, they are not gym fans,” said Hashimoto.

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4. Macrobiotics

George Ohsawa, a Japanese philosopher, created macrobiotics – a philosophy of life based on diet, exercise, meditation, and yin and yang energies. It is based on eating, living in harmony and seeking balance in the body.

to fulfill thisfood consumed preferably with organic and seasonal products. It is divided into whole grains, such as rice, wheat, barley, buckwheat or quinoa (between 40 and 60%), fruits and vegetables (between 20 and 30%) and animal products and their derivatives (between 10 and 25%) .

5. Take a hot shower

this activity helps the body burn calories and increase the metabolic rate, according to a study published in 2017. “They are called ‘furo’ and yes, it is the most common way to cleanse oneself in Japan. It is not done for a specific purpose, but provides known benefits, ranging from relaxation, skin hydration and detoxification,” said Hashimoto.

Returning to food, he comments: “It has a lot to do with genetic heritage and living standards that allow us to eat healthily and enjoy the benefits of seasonal foods and more nutritious dishes.”

VICTORIA VERA ZICCARDI

THE NATION (ARGENTINA) – GDA