The Japanese Diet and the Effects on Health

It is hard to pinpoint the exact reason why some cultures are less obese than others. I looked at it through the lens of diet, which is only part of the picture. Obviously, other things such as exercise, education and general attitudes towards weight can have an effect on health. It is apparent Japanese people exercise a lot because, for the most part, the general population has to walk everywhere and rely on public transportation. There are many foods that are nutritional, filling, and cheap that are easily accessible. Perhaps embracing more Asia foods could help America fight its obesity problems. Throughout my Magellan Project I learned that I can survive and even thrive in a foreign environment. I am very capable of traveling on my own even when I do not know the language very well. It is a very brave thing to travel on one's own for the first time in a brand new setting. Going to Japan has truly broadened my perspective on eastern cultures. It was a very valuable experience,...

I had an opportunity to talk to a Japanese woman around the 30-40 age group and she provided some insight into what the typical Tokyo diet is. She says that most people cook bento boxes or buy bento boxes. She said beer commonly drank by adults after work. She said if someone was interested in losing weight they would often eat oden. Oden is a dish with very few calories. It typically features gelatinous fish paste, eggs, tofu, and sometimes potatoes in a fish broth. The gelatinous fish paste has a very low amount of calories, but it is filling, so it can help with weight loss. The oden below contains mostly the gelatinous fish paste.

Throughout Japan, I noticed that there were many foreign and western establishments. It is hard to go down any street in Tokyo and not find a bakery or an Italian restaurant. The bakery is a mix of French pastries and Japanese desserts. The Italian restaurants have many spaghetti dishes and alfredo always served with seafood toppings. Another popular dessert is crepes eaten by many people, especially during the summer times. Cotton candy is a very popular snack. I witnessed a child get cotton candy that was bigger than her head! It is hard to walk down a street in Tokyo and not see a sign for pizza and beer. The pizzas much like the pasta have seafood added to it especially shrimp. There are tacos sold in some areas. The tacos are soft shell and usually beef or fish. There are burger joints around Tokyo as well. Baskin Robbins are common and very popular. A few more American restaurants I saw included McDonald's, Burger King, Wendy's, TGI Fridays, and KFC. Korean restaurants ar...

Tokyo and other towns in the Kanto region have their own shared signature dishes. Tokyo's include edo-style sushi, tempura, ramen, and unaju (freshwater eel). Unlike Kyoto these dishes are not as healthy, but that doesn't mean that these are the only dishes eaten by people in Kanto. Edo-style sushi is the same type of sushi served around the world. It is typically what people think of when sushi is mentioned. The Tsukiji fish market offers some of the freshest and highest quality of fish often used by more expensive restaurants or for exquisite meals. The typical foods in sushi include fish, seaweed, daikon radishes, eel, and avocado. All of these foods are considered healthy. Tempura is a light batter used to typically fry shrimp and vegetables. This is not considered to be healthy, but in moderation, it can be a part of a healthy diet. The dish below is soba, but it comes with a side of shrimp tempura. Ramen is a pasta in pork broth with a slice of pork, a hardb...

As anyone knows one of the cheapest diets is the Instant Ramen everyday diet. In Japan, most stores sell very cheap (less than a dollar) cups and bowls of instant ramen and soups. It is an affordable option for everyone. In Japan, better ingredients are added to their cheap instant foods. Ramen can include vegetables, spices, various meats, and/or tofu. This helps make it a more well-balanced meal. There is still a high amount of salt in it, but it is considerably better than its American counterparts. Look at the ramen I purchased below. It features pork strips, scallions, and narutomaki (the white pieces with the pink swirl in it). Narutomaki is a fish cake. This meal is far more impressive than the over-salted broth and noodles in the American version. Soups that can be purchased can include muscles, miso, oden, and many other soups. These soups contain relatively fresh vegetables and meats. Overall, Japan offers some shockingly healthy foods for people who have little money. Th...

There are many American restaurant chains that have made their way to Japan. One of the most famously unhealthy of these establishments is McDonald's. I found them to be quite popular among the Japanese. It seemed just like Americans, Japanese people ordered value meals. I learned that there were some key differences between Japan's and America's McDonald's. One of the biggest differences came from the drinks. I ordered a medium sweet tea and got a cup smaller than the American size. But probably the most shocking of all was the fact that my sweet tea was unsweetened and I was given a small packet of corn syrup to sweeten my tea! Obviously, it is much healthier to drink unsweetened tea. My curiosity got the best of me, so I added the corn syrup after a few sips of the untainted tea. With the corn syrup, it tasted exactly like the sweet tea I was most familiar with, but I was a little disgusted by looking at the packet. Another noteworthy aspect was the chicken nuggets...

Kyoto's next-door neighbor, Osaka, is considered Japan's kitchen. Osaka offers a wide variety of street foods especially in Dotonbori the heart of Osaka's street food. Osaka does share some regional foods with Kyoto, but Osaka has some signature dishes associated with the city. Osaka is famous for its takoyaki. Takoyaki is octopus put into a deep-fried batter and covered in sauces including mayo and a takoyaki sauce that tastes similar to Worchestershire sauce. It is usually eaten as a snack. Takoyaki is so popular in Osaka that little plushies are made of it. Another street food is yakitori, which is chicken fried on a stick. There are a variety of types of yakitori including chicken skin, thigh, breast, and heart. The picture below shows a stick with the chicken thigh and a stick with the chicken skin. There are special restaurants throughout Osaka called yakiniku where the customer chooses various raw meats and cooks them over an indoor charcoal grill. Dango is...