The obesity rate for Japanese men and women was less than 4 percent in 2000, according to the International Obesity Task Force. Historically, the Japanese eat healthier than westerners, and have lower cardiovascular disease rates and longer life expectancy. The traditional Japanese diet provides a high degree of health benefits, with only a few negative health effects.
Vegetables
Choosing vegetables in Japanese cuisine is generally a positive nutritional choice. The Japanese diet is anchored by vegetable ingredients, including green beans, eggplant, carrots, spinach, mushrooms, seaweed and sweet potatoes. Appropriate for all meals, steamed, sauted and grilled vegetables high in antioxidants and fiber are an important staple. Also important are low-fat and high-protein soy foods, including tofu, soybeans, miso, soy sauce and edamame. The caveats in this food category involve deep-fried tempura vegetables that provide fat and refined flour that compromise the nutritional quality of the vegetables.
Sodium
Sodium is one of the few pitfalls in Japanese cuisine. At 1,000 mg per tablespoon, soy sauce alone easily provides almost an an entire 2,400 mg upper daily intake of sodium in a single meal. Use low-sodium soy sauce, which provides about half that amount. Salty pickled vegetables are also popular in Japanese cuisine. Avoid these foods to maintain a healthy cardiovascular system because high-sodium foods increase blood pressure.
Rice, Fish and Sushi
You can't go wrong choosing rice, fish and sushi, which are Japanese mainstays. Rice is served at almost every meal in Japan and the country's ample coastline provides a variety of fish choices for raw sashimi and sushi. Consuming many fish species, such as salmon and herring, provides your diet with omega-3 fatty acids, healthy fats that support cardiovascular and brain health. Sushi developed over centuries based on the concept that appreciating the flavor of fresh fish requires eating it raw, while after a day or two cooking the fish disguises any degradation in flavor. Monitor your tuna, or ahi, intake because it contains high mercury levels. Other ubiquitous fish types include herring, anchovies, mackerel, shrimp and salmon. Avoid high-fat fried tempura sushi to keep calories low.
Cultural Influences
Avoid the convenience foods that have infiltrated the diet because time has become a commodity in urban Japan where the fast-paced lifestyle is similar to the United States. Fast food, beef and to a lesser degree dairy products and convenience foods that contain abundant sodium are becoming increasingly common, but traditional cuisine continues to anchor the Japanese diet, according to the Cambridge World History of Food. Savor food and green tea slowly because appreciating food is a Japanese principle integral to health. Buddhism, the primary spiritual practice in Japan, influences the appreciative aspect of Japanese food. Participate in a tea ceremony or eat colorful foods in several courses typical of the Japanese style for a healthier eating experience.
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