14 Days of Japanese Diet: A Dietitian's Menu and Opinion

The Japanese are slender, live a long life, have a beautiful face, have a good memory, and are full of energy until old age. So is the Japanese diet the secret to healthy longevity? All is not so good: we solve it together.

Japanese dietary history

Lose 7-8 kg in 14 days: This is what the Japanese diet promises. Honestly, this has a very indirect relationship with Japanese cuisine and the food system. However, its observance requires the warrior's iron will.

No traditional Japanese seafood in the diet, just fish. It includes plenty of unsweetened coffee, which is not a very popular way to serve the drink in Japan. It is recommended to cook food not only without salt, but also without seasoning, which is generally unheard of for Japanese people.

The traditional Japanese food system does have many advantages:

• A diet based on grains and vegetables, along with small amounts of soy and animal products, reduces the likelihood of dying from a heart attack or stroke, according to one study.
• Japan's obesity index is the lowest in the world.
• Okinawa, located in southern Japan, has the largest population of people over 100 years old in the world.
• Japanese foods, especially those typical of Okinawa, are rich in antioxidants and flavonoids from different colored vegetables and fruits as well as phytoestrogens, which help prevent the development of hormone-dependent cancers such as breast cancer.
• Japanese rituals related to the presentation and aesthetics of food and drink presentation are as beneficial for physical and mental health as another Mediterranean-related habit of healthy eating - eating fresh, sharing meals with family, eating more fruit and fish, allowing joy, and enjoying good food.

But the traditional Japanese diet has the same relationship as the two-week weight loss diet known as the "Japanese diet, " like a roller coaster in America.

Principles of Japanese Diet

The Japanese diet is very strict and no deviations are allowed. The main principle of its action is to gradually adjust attitudes towards general nutrition and reduce the total calories of the diet. Light protein becomes the base of the menu, and carbs are reduced. Fiber in fruits and vegetables helps keep you full.

This diet is claimed to help rebuild and normalize digestion and metabolism, but there is no scientific evidence for this. However, giving up sugar, salt, baked goods and alcohol does change the body and brain. But the important thing is that the refusal is long-term and 14 days is not enough. The portion size reduction did return a mostly stretched stomach back to normal. But it doesn't reduce: this elastic organ cannot contract below physiological levels.

Japanese diet only allows three meals, 4. 5-5 hours before bedtime, the last meal should be arranged. Snacks are unacceptable, and it can be a tough test: Physiologically, a person feels hungry every 3-4 hours, and small, small meals provide more energy than three meals a day.

During the day, according to the Japanese diet, you need to drink at least two liters of water. Vegetable oils should be kept to a minimum. A cup of green tea is the only indulgence for hunger.

Nutritionists warn: It's best to prepare any diet ahead of time, and it should start off smoothly to minimize the inevitable stress. For 2-5 days, eat as little as possible. You can even buy Japanese chopsticks to eat more slowly and more thoughtfully. Drink as much water as possible, sleep more, and be less nervous.

Fasting list in the Japanese diet

1. Salt, as it slows the removal of fluids from the body and raises blood pressure.
2. Sugar, as it is a source of simple carbohydrates, which are quickly deposited in the body as excess weight.
3. Alcohol in any form and amount, as it slows metabolism and prevents toxins from being flushed out of the body.
4. Bread made from wheat flour.
5. Semi-finished products, fast food, any desserts and fatty dairy products.

Foods Allowed in the Japanese Diet

The nutritional basis of the Japanese diet is vegetables and fruits (except sweet bananas, figs, grapes), cheese, kefir, fish and meat, eggs. Meat and fish can be fried in vegetable oil. You can choose from sunflowers, olives, corn, sesame oil - varieties that help endure the strict restrictions.

Protein is a major nutrient of the diet, and this is the same pros and cons of the Japanese diet versus other high-protein diets such as the ketogenic and paleo diets. Fiber is the second most important nutrient for satiety. It is found in grains, vegetables and fruits.

All desserts are prohibited in the Japanese diet. The sweetest food in the diet is fruit.

can	it's forbidden
vegetable fruit lean meat and fish Low-fat dairy: cottage cheese, Greek yogurt, kefir, hard cheeses vegetable oil Egg Unsweetened black, green tea and coffee	Potatoes, corn, beets, and other starchy vegetables Bananas, figs, grapes Fatty beef and pork, salmon and other fatty fish sauces, ketchup, mustard, spices, cream cheese Butter, animal fat, sugar and salt Canned food, convenience food, fast food, desserts, sweets, bread and pastries Alcohol, sweetened lemonades, and carbonated beverages

Sample menu for 14 days

breakfast.Almost all 14-day Japanese breakfast diets should consist of just one cup of unsweetened black coffee. Cookies can sometimes be supplemented or replaced with green tea. Organic coffee is a staple of the Japanese diet because it contains beneficial natural antioxidants.

dinner.For lunch, you can eat lean fish, chicken, or meat and vegetables. You can make a salad with fresh veggies, sauté the veggies with your main course, or eat a salad with grated carrots, shredded cabbage, cucumbers. There is no calorie limit, but you need a small portion.

dinnerIt is the most varied part of the Japanese diet. You can eat fruit, boiled eggs, kefir, hard cheese. The Japanese diet allows you to eat fish or meat and vegetables for dinner and lunch if desired, but the portions should be smaller.

first day	black coffee. 2 hard boiled eggs, coleslaw with vegetable oil. Fried or boiled fish, tomato salad.
the next day	Black coffee and cookies. Boiled fish, vegetable salad. Boil beef and a cup of kefir.
day three	Green tea is sugar free. One serving of boiled or fried fish and a glass of carrot juice. 200g of any fruit, except grapes and bananas.
fourth day	black coffee. 500 g unsalted boiled chicken with fresh cabbage and carrot salad. Fresh carrots and 2 hard boiled eggs.
fifth day	Black coffee and a portion of skim cheese. Stewed veal 200g, grated carrot salad with butter. A glass of kefir.
Day 6	black coffee. 2 hard boiled eggs, coleslaw with vegetable oil. Fried or boiled fish tomato salad.
the seventh day	black coffee. Roasted Brussels Sprouts and Green Beans, Poached Fish 200g. Tomato juice, fruit.
the eighth day	black tea. 200 grams of boiled beef, 2 apples. 2 hard boiled eggs, grated carrots in vegetable oil.
ninth day	Black coffee and Greek yogurt. 200g boiled fish, fresh cabbage salad. 100 grams of boiled beef and a cup of tomato juice.
tenth day	black coffee. Vegetable fried zucchini or eggplant in unlimited quantities. 100g boiled fish and 2 hard boiled eggs.
the eleventh day	Black coffee and cookies. Portion boiled beef 100g, cabbage salad with butter. Tomato juice, apple.
The twelfth day	Drink additive-free yogurt glass, green tea. Boiled Chicken Tenderloin 200g, Peking Cabbage Salad with Butter. Stewed veal 200g, grated carrot salad with butter.
the thirteenth day	Black coffee, whole wheat flour toast. Steamed fish 200 grams, stewed zucchini. A glass of kefir.
day fourteen	Black coffee, 2 hard boiled eggs. Boiled chicken breast 300g, cabbage salad with butter. Kefir, Apple.

follower feedback

• "I've been losing weight, my height is 167 cm, my minimum weight is 56, and my postpartum maximum is 73. So, I tried many diets: Dukan, Protasov, etc. Japanese was the most effective, I threw 5-7 kg. With4 times.
• "Well, I can say of course I'm a little bit happy with the results of the diet. I've really lost weight, both in my clothes and in other people's comments. But I don't want to repeat the experience. Again, I'm sure that strictThere is nothing good about the diet. When I started eating in a more or less familiar way, the weight gradually increased.
• "This diet helped me lose weight and start changing, but I can't recommend it to anyone because any diet can stress the body and can have tragic consequences, it's better to listen to your body and change your attitude toward food. "
• "The most important and valuable effect for me is that I don't want to eat candy and all kinds of nasty things like chips, cookies, etc. , but I've always loved it! I also like that I'm starting to feel food very acutelytaste and get more pleasure out of food.
• "They say the diet was developed in a Japanese clinic and has different names from different sources. There is also an opinion that there is no Japanese diet and the name was just invented to attract attention. Indeed, among the Japanese you rarely meetTo people who eat well, we've also heard a lot about the longevity of the Japanese. Conclusion: We believe in the Japanese. "

Efficacy and Benefits of the Japanese Diet

Avoiding sugar and alcohol may be the only unique healthy idea in the Japanese diet. Even salt should not be given up entirely.

Many people pointed out that the diet does help to lose weight by restricting calories and, more importantly, changing taste preferences and liking some unhealthy foods. But it's hard to talk about changes in internal processes: no serious research has been done, only subjective feelings.

Children, pregnant women, breastfeeding women, people with gastritis and ulcers, heart disease, eating disorders and other chronic diseases are obviously not allowed to eat. It is recommended to consult a doctor before starting a diet.

The dangers of the Japanese diet

The harms are the same as other fad diets: a drastic reduction in calories can lead to physical stress and vitamin deficiencies. High protein content can increase the burden on the liver and kidneys.

In addition, nutritionists and people who are losing weight have noticed other difficulties:

• Breakfast with minimal coffee additions will not be popular with everyone. For stomach problems, this is full of bloating and heartburn. Breakfast should give you energy and a good mood throughout the day, not make you dream about lunch.
• Dry food free of salt, spices, oils and sauces. Eating this is physically difficult, and eating it unpleasantly can lead to worsening nutrient absorption.
• Food bans and restrictions. In order not to slack off, you need iron will, and weight gain after a diet is almost inevitable.
• Not suitable for exercise. Exercising on an empty stomach is not a good idea, and being in a bad mood won't help you adjust to your activity load.