The Lack of Nutrition Education

Japan Diet Academy offers certified qualifications to those who learn about diet methods and theory through our e-learning. Of course student must pass the final exam, but so far 99% of learners were successful in obtaining the qualifications. In average it takes about one week per course.

The certified qualifications are the Regular Diet Master and Senior Diet Master courses. Both are qualified by the NPO Japan Diet Study Institute.

Effective April, 2008, medical examinations on metabolic syndrome has been under insurance coverage by law in Japan. Although not talked about as much since the earthquakes, obesity is still a serious issue that the government is working on.

Despite the increases awareness of obesity, people still eat high calorie foods and do not exercise because of technological advancements, such at the PC and so on. Besides, the most important factor is that there are no lessons on proper nutrition. This is a serious situation. If there were such lessons, people would be more likely to pass up certain foods that cause excessive weight gain. The issue is that the Japanese government is responsible for protecting food companies.

If you think you do now want to gain weight and want to maintain a healthy condition, it is up to you to learn proper dieting methods and theories. The Japan Diet Academy gets you certified in diet knowledge.

Our Stomach is Not a Trash Can

It is not good manners to have left overs. However, we cannot afford to say that while we are dieting. In fact, it is better to leave food left over in order to lose weight. Just a few extra bites may cause us to consume too many calories. For example, one dumpling has about 60 Kcal and one piece of sushi has about 40-50 Kcal.

Do not eat extra food just to clear them off the table. Your stomach is not a trash can. If you feel guilty throwing food away, pack them up and store them. Be careful, these foods may become easy foods to snack on when you feel like eating something. Try storing them in the freezer so that you can plan when to use them. Unless you are confident that you can endure your cravings, throw leftovers away.

For your information, here are the calories of a few possible leftovers:

one soft boiled egg	60Kcal
one dumpling	60Kcal
one piece of sushi	40Kcal
one bite fried noodle (yakisoba)	40Kcal
1/4 Japanese Salisbury steak (hambagu)	100Kcal
1/2 Japanese croquette (korokke)	100Kcal

For more information, visit our website or feel free to contact us.

Japanese Diet vs. American Diet

Livestrong features a nice article outlining the key differences between the Japanese diet and the American diet. Some thing I want to point out is that many Japanese eat mostly white rice. For those who want to opt for a healthier meal, they should replace white rice with brown rice, pearl barley, or mix different grains into their white rice, also known as zakkokumai or kokumotsu gohan.

Another thing I want to mention is that after World War II, most Japanese are strictly taught not to waste food. It is considered good manners to completely finish your meal and not leave anything to be wasted. So, when the article mentions that Japanese tend to “stop eating before they’re full” this is not necessarily true. It is true, however, that portion sizes are much smaller in Japan than in the US, so it is much easier to finish a meal set.

One factor the article does not take into account is that the Japanese drink a lot of green tea. Green tea contains polyphenols, which helps in the breakdown of fat. Wine, especially red wine, also contains a lot of polyphenols and is a theory behind the French Paradox. There are other fruits and vegetables that contain polyphenols.