The Japanese do little exercise but still live long and stay in shape, what's the secret?

The Japanese people who exercise little but have the longest life expectancy in the world, healthy and fit bodies, what's their secret?

The Japanese do little exercise but still live long and stay in shape, what's the secret?

According to the latest global life expectancy statistics released by the Japanese Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare, Japan has become the country with the longest life expectancy in the world, with the average female life expectancy at 87 .26 years old and 81.09 years old for men. 

According to many people, to live a long life depends on two factors: diet and exercise. But the fact is that Japanese people do not like sports and often do not have this habit. According to the medical journal The Lancet, which surveyed the world's least active countries, Japan ranked 11th with more than 60% of its people doing below average physical activity. 

So why don't Japanese people like sports but not only live longer but also stay in shape? In fact, their secret is simple, one of which lies: Unique Japanese daily routine – eating. Let's take a look at the Japanese ways of eating.

1. Low calorie and low fat

The food that the Japanese eat is mainly light and low-calorie food, with little use of spices and with a minimum of fat. The processing is relatively simple, mainly steamed, boiled or eaten raw, which not only retains the most nutritional content but also the taste of the dish. The body will also absorb very little fat.

Shijo Takahiko, fourth generation descendant of Japanese Shijo-ryu, said in 'Japanese Culinary Practice': 'Japanese cuisine has a principle that its deliciousness cannot mask the original taste. of the ingredients.'

Although the Japanese also love to eat fried food, such as the familiar 'tempura', (Tempura is a dish of seafood, vegetables, and tubers breaded in flour and deep fried in oil), the crust is not too thick and the surface does not have much oil. They use special absorbent paper to absorb all the oil on the dish. This frying method is very different from fried dishes in Vietnam.

In Vietnam, fried foods and street foods are mostly fried with a thick layer of flour, submerged in a pan of hot oil, they look very attractive and eye-catching, but in fact, the amount of oil on it is extremely large. .

Japanese meals with a variety of ingredients, low calories and divided in small bowls to strictly control the amount of food put into the body.

2. Meals with a variety of ingredients

The Japanese attach great importance to 3 meals a day, the main food is fish and vegetables, they focus on the variety and freshness of ingredients. Japanese women often like to buy a lot of fish, vegetables, fruits, etc. For red meat, candy, cookies and other high-calorie processed foods, they usually buy less.

'Eat 30 kinds of ingredients a day' is the recommendation of the Japanese Ministry of Health made in the 'Guide to a healthy diet' in 1985. Since then, the concept of '30 kinds of ingredients' has been adopted. are widely available in Japan. The essential menu in every meal in Japan includes: Steamed fish, sashimi or grilled fish served with cold tofu, boiled vegetables, etc., soy sauce is also used regularly, in addition they also eat a combination of rice and miso soup, pickles and side dishes. 

Besides, Japan is a country surrounded by a series of interconnected seas, the East and the South is the Pacific Ocean, the Northwest is the Sea of ​​Japan, the West is the East Sea, so seaweed is The ingredients are extremely abundant and abundant, in addition, there are perilla and nori (also known as dried seaweed). These foods are rich in nutrients, high in protein but very low in fat.

3. Small dishes, only eat up to 8 servings

Although the Japanese eat a variety of foods, the quantity of each dish is very small. A traditional multi-course dinner (Kaiseki) is presented on small plates. Even the pickles or sauces are divided into portions, one small bowl for each person.

They strictly control the amount of food put into the body, chew slowly when eating and pay attention to limit 'eating only to 8 servings', which is not only beneficial for the digestion and absorption of the stomach but also feeling full for a long time. It will not put too much pressure on the stomach, but still ensure enough nutrition and energy for the body every day.

4. Pay special attention to breakfast and rarely eat at restaurants

In Japanese culture, breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Breakfast can be compared to not simply a meal, but as a delicate work of art by Japanese women. (Photo: Nishihama/Shutterstock)

In Japanese culture, breakfast is the most important meal of the day, also the least weight gain meal, so the Japanese always prepare an extremely rich and meticulous breakfast. Breakfast can be compared to not simply a meal, but as a delicate work of art by Japanese women. Whether their children go out or go to school, they want them to finish their breakfast at home. Many people bring lunch boxes at noon and limit eating outside.

Students and office workers choose public nutritious lunches provided by the Japanese government, these lunches are carefully designed by professional nutritionists, with extremely high quality.

5. Habit of walking and cycling

Students walking to and from school by themselves is also a healthy habit from an early age in Japan.

In a country with the highest population density in the world, Japanese shops, schools, etc. cover all areas. Just cycling within 5 to 10 minutes, you will find supermarkets, kindergartens, schools . serving the needs of the family.

Bicycles and walking are two popular forms of transportation in Japan, they consider it an economical and convenient means of transportation, even if it takes longer. Another part is that because the cost of taxis is very high, some people are afraid to use them. For example, if it takes 8 minutes by car and half an hour to walk to a place, many Japanese will choose to walk. Children in Japan basically walk to school.

Japanese office workers spend a lot of time walking each day, and with the development of public transportation, they spend an average of 1 or 2 hours walking, tram and bicycle every day. A survey has found that the longer the average commute in Japan, the lower the likelihood of people suffering from disc diseases, the reason is that in order to balance on a swaying tram, the body also exercise the body and accelerate the process of calorie consumption. Or when cycling, the ligaments become more flexible, the skeletal muscles are soft, thereby limiting calcium deposition, and at the same time less calcification. As a result, the nerve roots are not compressed, and the pain is significantly reduced. In addition, cycling also helps speed up the process of burning calories in the body.  

In addition, Japan has many hills and some roads have steep terrain. Therefore, for the Japanese, going to work is not simply walking but climbing up and down, this is also a very good type of exercise.

In Vietnam, this type of traffic has not been paid much attention by people, most of the traffic on the road is motorbikes, buses and cars. According to a study from the World Institute of Nutrition, on average, each Vietnamese person only walks 3,600 steps/day, while office workers only have about 600 steps/day. It can be seen that the laziness of walking for the majority of people will cause difficulties in building a walking culture across the country and affect the maintenance of a healthy body.

Thus, the unique Japanese daily eating habits, which use low calories, fresh and varied ingredients, eat only up to 8 servings, plus walking without having to depend on a car, are simple and miraculous Japanese secret to longevity.