Why are Japanese so slim?

-----Actually my mother in law is doing all the work :) And I am not American.------

How fortunate, you're so lucky.
Isn't it great to have traditional meal? That's how my grandmother used to fix breakfast every morning until she started to get older and tired at times. After that modern method kicked in with my mother and aunts.
Oh, sorry I though you mentioned you're an American before. You must be British then?

First of all, not all Japanese woment are fit. But the simple answer is lifestyle.
While in the US/UK you will hear arguments for genetics causing obesity, look at the food they eat! Do note, however Japanese women are starting to get bigger, thanks to McDonald's, etc. and a lack of regular exercise.
You wanna get fit? Eat right and work out. Join a club aand learn tennis, swim, or walk. You are in the perfect country to start something new.
Or, you could always take the end of a spoon and insert in mouth after eating. Warning: This can cause serious health issues in the future.
In my book, having a little back (like J-Lo) and a LITTLE bit of a pot belly (not like so many women in the UK) is a good thing...

Woooo..what's wrong with McDonald's? I love McDonalds.
They have salads, fruits salad, I love their chicken sandwich and yogult parfait etc. If you eat whole fries yea that's fat, one or two stick maybe OK if you're not over weight and don't eat it everyday.
Now what I miss is that Teriyaki Chiken Bowl at Jack in the Box. It came with rice. They stopped making it.
But there's nothing like traditional Japanese meal consists of virtually no fat.
Why there isn't fast food like that?
I get ready made sushi from Trader Joes but it's not that good, rice is sweet and too sticky. They must be using that sticky mochi rice or something to make sushi.ug

---------Also whole grain is suppose to keep you full for a longer time, because it gives out energy slower. So I just think that just because Japanese diet on the whole is healthy, doesn't mean everything Japanese is perfect for your body.--------

As you stated not only whole grain doesn't burn fast enough it doesn't burn fast enough for some people therefore it gets reserved in body as fat and can cause weight gain. So not eating so much of it is a key. If I want to eat brown rice, I mix it with white rice and cook it together.

To my knowledge Japanese have a perfect combination of foods and worked fine for over thousand years.
Don't Scandinabians eat white hard bread like they do in Euro nations ? Never seen anybody eating whole grain there. Infact we couldn't find anything whole grain in Switzerland.

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As you stated not only whole grain doesn't burn fast enough it doesn't burn fast enough for some people therefore it gets reserved in body as fat and can cause weight gain.
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Hmm, I haven't heard about that theory. Maybe that's true, but at least where I'm from there seems to be a consensus about whole grain beeing good for losing weight. I can't really remember the explanation that well, but I think they are saying that body can turn for example white bread or rice to that sort of form that body uses as energy so fast, that your body can't consume it all at once and turns it into fat. Something like that, sorry that I can't explain it better.

Anyway, the scientist seem to come up with new different theories about what's good for you all the time, so I'm not saying that whole grain is definately the best, and that Japanese people should all start eating genmai. But also, I doubt that there is such thing as a PERFECT combination of foods. I think there must be several good ones.

About Scandinavians eating white bread: yes, we eat that stuff too. But at least in my country whole grain, rye bread and oat bread seem to be more popular.

Check out this site on the health benifits of eating whole grains...
http://www.wholegrain.umn.edu/health/index.cfm

Come on guys, a perfect diet is a well ballanced one. Get enough vegis, fruits, starch, sugars.... never take more than what is necessary...

Burp, yep, that's true.

cc, I'm sorry you took offence to my post. I actually work in Tokyo as an exercise instructor and lifestyle advisor and part of my job is to give advice on nutrition and diet, so probably I come across more people who are constipated than people with other jobs, as it is not the kind of thing you usually go around telling everyone! I have had many, many clients and acquaintances tell me that they had not been to the toilet properly for two days or more, including two who were taken to the hospital after not having a bowel movement for 6 days- a dangerous situation. Back in my home country I didn't often come across stories like these- I'm not entirely sure of the reason.

I agree with you that rice is not the sole cause, of course it isn't, and white bread can do the same thing, it is merely one of many factors, as you said, lack of exercise, stress etc, but it is nevertheless a factor.

As for the reason whole grains are thought to be less fattening than white flour, rice etc, that is most likely to do with their glycemic index (GI) which relates to the speed at which sugars are released into the bloodstream by the digestive system after that food is eaten. High GI foods are sweets, white bread, fruit juice etc. Many nutritionists these days recommend a diet that is high in low-GI foods, eg. whole grains, for both weight loss and general health, including diabetes prevention.

Apart from the white rice, most traditional Japanese food is low GI and therefore very healthy, you are quite right.
Macrobiotic food is based on Japanese cuisine, and includes plenty of brown rice.

--------I actually work in Tokyo as an exercise instructor and lifestyle advisor and part of my job is to give advice on nutrition and diet, so probably I come---------

Well, you forgot most important thing, water. If you are a exercise instructor I'm sure you must be aware of how important it is to consume water during and after exercises and consume water on daily bases which help keep digestive system and body in flow. Without water, fibers aren't going to help much would it? it will set on top of already contipated bile.
I would think water is very important for obese or any people to keep their body regulated.
Pain medications can cause constipation as well.
It's not because of white rice.
With lack of water, you get funzumari.


Here in USA they have product called 'Citrucel' (only natural fiber supplement that doesn't give you gas) can be added daily in drinks or juices and is very effective way to keep regular.
In Japan they have stuff like that and I don't see why people you mention don't take care of themselves that way.
I suspect their main reason is they don't drink enough water.

I too have met many people, esp Japanese women who were constipated (funzumari). I have spoken with a few western female friends on the topic, but they seem to be quite regular.

I suppose my thinking was initially wrong, but I always saw constipation as trying to push out fun the size of Funzilla, ah the pain...

and not going to the bath for a couple of days as just not being regular.

Glad to know they are one and the same. My batting average is 1.5fpd. (This measurement is in Fun per day - sorry, no metric conversion)

Another thing is I bet some of your friends aren't eating enough vegetables.
Fiber isn't the total answer unless the people develope healthy eating habits that includes hydration and eating fresh produce.

Vegetables(fresh produces) and water, you lack those two and you'll have funzumari big time no matter how good your other foods are.

Japanese in general soak their body in hot bath so their circulation is pretty healthy. That combine with plenty of hydration and eat vegetables with meals should keep them regular.

There's old saying in Japan 'don't drink too much water or tea because you may not find a toilet to go to' that can be a reason for a lot of people not drinking water as they should. Of course you don't want to drink a gallon before important meeting. You have to time it.

I think we are in agreement then- eating more veges, drinking more water and exercising more would help not only all the Japanese people with funzumari, but all the westerners with weight problems as well! Problem solved.

PimpDaddyG, I like your fpd standard idea. You should really be aiming for 2.5 fpd though- up that fibre and liquid intake! (beer doesn't count) ;-)

--------exercising more would help not only all the Japanese people with funzumari, but all the westerners with weight problems as well! -----------

You also have to keep in mind some people cannot exercise because of handicap. There are many individual cases and you have to treat each one differently, not in mass.

Reuters reports this week that a Hokkaido University professor has shown (in animal subjects only, so far) an anti-obesity benefit to consumption of brown seaweed, or wakame.

Homeopath doctors here in the states are already big on that, they call it Modifilan, brown seaweed extract but it all comes down to your thyroid whether if it's functioning normally or not.

The finding relates directly to Japanese slimness and it is new information, dated 11 Sep 2006.

'Anti-obesity Compound Found In Brown Seaweed

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Studies in animals suggest that brown seaweed, also known as wakame -- commonly used to flavor Asian soups and salads, contains a compound that promotes weight loss. The compound, called fucoxanthin, also has anti-diabetes effects.

Dr. Kazuo Miyashita from Hokkaido University reported seeing significant reductions in fat tissue in rats and obese mice fed the edible seaweed carotenoid fucoxanthin.

"The mechanism for this effect is a new one," Dr. Miyashita points out in a statement.

Prior studies by Miyashita's group have shown that fucoxanthin also helps promote the death of human prostate cancer cells in culture.

This finding, coupled with the team's current findings, suggest that this multi-tasking compound holds promise as a preventive agent for a variety of diseases.'


There's more:
http://today.reuters.com/news/articlenews.aspx?type=healthNews&storyID=2006-09-11T200317Z_01_COL172178_RTRUKOC_0_US-BROWN-SEAWEED.xml

so that means it could prevent pancreatatis.
Fantastic. Hope it works for people.

Okay cc, exercise would help at least 95% of people with weight problems. Have you come across the expression "splitting hairs" before? ;-)

Basia, a person with knee surgey cannot exercise like normal unbroken person.
Counting the calories is most important, even if you exercise. Don't forget older people have harder time burning off stored fat even if they start exercising. Count the calories and eat none starch vegetables (vegetables are carbo) and lower your starch intake such as from bread, etc will help.

Its mainly about self-control, me honestly thinks.

When I was younger, I was seriously overweight, because I didn't understand the concept of being healthy.

When I finally realised it, I lost weight fairly easily and although there are fluctuations, especially during the colder months, I'm still around 40 pounds below what my peak was.

If people want to be slimmer, you just got to eat less.

If you can't control yourself, then obviously, you then look more into what you actually eat, and like cc said, less starchy food if possible...

The other thing is, I found that if I ate light meals all the time - after a while, the body actually adjusts to it and you could still gain weight from it.

So I tend to eat normal size meals for a few days, but once in a while I'll eat less for just one day - seems to work more wonders in the long run, than fighting the urge to wanting to eat more because you're constantly under consuming food/energy. Won't be as easily fatigued as well, since its only 1 day for every couple of days that you eat less! rather than doing it everyday.