5 reasons that help the Japanese to have the lowest rate of obesity in the world
The problem of obesity continues to be more and more consistent in developed countries and also affects the younger age groups.
Many countries have moved to counteract the trend. For example, Dubai pays people to lose weight, New Zealand prevents immigrants from obtaining a visa if they are overweight, while China promotes acupuncture as a technique to lose weight.
There is a place where, however, obesity seems to be a very distant problem: Japan. Only 3.5% of the population suffers from obesity, compared to 30% of the population in the United States.
Why in Japan are all (at least the vast majority) lean and healthy? The reasons are not just related to food and physical activity ...
via bbcgoodfood.com
The choices of food are of higher quality.
Often we justify our bad eating habits with the lack of time: always being in a hurry, between a commitment and the other, consequently, we often find ourselves eating canned, precooked or fast food.
In Japan, the work rhythms are not very different from the western ones and people work for many hours a day and find themselves having to eat out. However, in Japan, food choices are still better and healthier.
The Japanese diet obviously sees rice as the main food, but in Japan, they also eat many vegetables cooked mainly with steam, meat, fish, and tea without sugar. The intake of carbonated and sweet drinks is very limited.
The portions are smaller.
Apparently, there are many tourists who have perceived the decision to reduce portions (especially fast food) as a scam. In fact, outside Ramen noodles, whose portions are almost always abundant, food and drinks are served in portions definitely smaller than those we are used to. Obviously, all this benefits the health of the population!
In Japan, nutrition education is taken very seriously.
In Japanese schools, meals for students are chosen by expert nutritionists who are attentive to children's nutritional needs. Not only that, but the children themselves are given nutrition education classes and participate personally in the distribution of meals in the class they belong to. In this way, they know what they eat and where it comes from.
They walk a lot
Whether it is due to heavy city traffic, or to the famous efficiency of the Japanese public transport system, it remains that the Japanese take advantage of every moment to walk.
The Japanese government measures the waistline of Japanese citizens.
There is a law in Japan, in force since 2008, which allows employers and local governments to monitor the waistlines of their employees, aged between 40 and 74. Overweight people are then inserted into a diet program, which is the only way to prevent companies from being penalized.
This law was introduced to help people lose weight and to encourage them to follow a healthy lifestyle.
These reasons are certainly not enough to explain why in Japan, the part of the population that suffers from obesity is really very small. Without a doubt, the government's commitment to fighting obesity and all related diseases should be taken as an inspiring example!
