The Japanese diet emphasizes food that appeals to the eye as well as the taste. It also is nutritious, except for its reliance on high-carbohydrate white rice and noodles. Fish rich in omega-3 fatty acids make up a major portion of the diet, as do soy products, fresh fruits, and vegetables and sea vegetables seasoned moderately with healthy oils.
Fish
Fish is one of the pillars of the Japanese diet, especially tuna, salmon and mackerel, rich in omega-3s, essential fatty acids the body cannot manufacture. These fatty acids build brain cells, nourish the immune and cardiovascular systems, lower blood pressure and reduce the risk of blood clotting. Fish and seafood are often eaten raw in sushi and sashimi, avoiding the necessity of adding unhealthy fats in cooking. However, raw food poses a risk of pathogens and contaminants, such as heavy metals found in larger predatory fish such as swordfish and tuna.
Healthy Oils
Most fat in the Japanese diet besides the omega-3s is made up of healthy polyunsaturated fats, such as those found in sesame oil, safflower oil and soybean oil. These are rich in omega-6 fatty acids that maintain bone health, regulate metabolism and promote hair and skin growth. Saturated fats are consumed only in small quantities, because the Japanese diet includes very little red meat.
Soy
Soy products such as miso, soy sauce, tempeh, natto, edamame and tofu are integral parts of the Japanese diet. Soy contains flavonoids, plant compounds with powerful anti-oxidant properties. Research suggests that soy has anti-cancer effects, according to the University of Michigan Health System. Although soy isoflavones are suspected of reducing thyroid function, no scientific evidence proves this, and soy may even increase thyroid functioning.
Fruits, Vegetables and Sea Vegetables
The Japanese diet is rich in anti-oxidants from fresh fruits. Fruits in season are highly prized rather than frozen or canned fruits, and include strawberries in spring, peaches and watermelon in summer, persimmons, pears and grapes in autumn and tangerines in winter. Vegetables in the Japanese diet include bamboo shoots in spring, Japanese cucumbers in summer, shiitake mushrooms in fall, and daikon radish -- rich in vitamin C, beta-carotene, calcium and iron -- spinach and Japanese leeks in winter. Sea vegetables such as nori, kombu, wakame, arame and hijiki appear often on Japanese menus. Up to 25 percent of Japanese food dishes contain some variety of high-fiber seaweed.
Large Amounts of Rice and Noodles
One disadvantage of the Japanese diet is its reliance on large quantities of high-carbohydrate foods, such as noodles and rice. Because noodles and white rice are made from refined wheat flour, these simple carbohydrates can spike sugar levels in the blood. When dishes of steamed brown rice or whole-grain noodles are used as substitutes, these complex carbohydrates do not cause sugar spikes, and offer minerals and vitamins not present in white rice.
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