In 2008, the University of Pennsylvania conducted a survey which determined the relationship between the number of fast food restaurants in a location and the rate of obesity. This might be a fact within U.S, but the notion does not hold any truth when applied across the globe. The best example is Japan. This nation has one of the lowest obesity rates worldwide. This is despites the presence of many fast food chains like McDonalds.
It’s true that in Japan, you can easily grab a snack anytime. In the urban areas, there are several food stalls, fast food places, convenience stores (kombini) filled with all sorts of enticing and typically readymade food. They also have the most advanced beverage and food vending machine industry in the world. The snack food industry is also very competitive in Japan. Despite all these conveniences, they still have a very low rate of overweight and obesity.
It is not true that no one is overweight or obese in Japan. Japanese, particularly the women, are as obsessed as their counterpart in the U.K or U.S when it comes to diets. It is very normal that every single day there is a new diet craze or “miracle diet” popping up. You can visit food sites from Japan and you will notice that there is some sort of Japanese weight loss scheme. Although there are a number of concerns about convenience foods and fast foods regarding their detrimental effects on the health.
In addition, Japanese people are well-introduced to different diet and slimming products, in particular made of Asian fruit and spices. If you visit a specialty or health shop, you could easily find a range of dietary supplements made of different natural and artificial ingredients. It is very convenient for someone to buy hca garcinia cambogia and other slimming pills whenever she wants it.
Fortunately, people living in Japan continue to have a relatively slim body. There are some reasons behind it. First, the Japanese society is mainly based on how an individual fits conveniently into the community. They are under greater pressure compared to those Western societies. The peer pressure to be slim is enormous, especially to women.
Usually, people living in Japan, especially those in the suburban and urban areas, just move a lot. It is not practical to have cars in Japan, except for longer trips. The citizens usually commute by the public transportation. People living in this country just get more exercise than in an ordinary city in America.
Although there are so many supersizing food trends today in Japan like Extreme Meals and MegaBurgers, the sizes are still smaller than in the U.K and U.S.
The traditional food in Japan is very healthy. It contains fairly low in fat. Their foods are also centered on vegetables, proteins and fish.
Japanese people eat three (3) major meals and one (1) or two (2) defined snacks. The meals look bigger. The trick is there are lots of small items distributed among several small bowls and plates. These take up every single square inch of the table. This arrangement makes the lesser amount of foods and satisfying.
Japanese rarely use cream, mayonnaise and cheese-based dressings and sauces. If they use this, it’s only in smaller quantities. A typical indigenous Japanese fast food restaurant uses soy sauce flavoured dressing for their salads. Also, they don’t consume beverages in large volumes during meals.
Also, desserts are not always present in their meal. Many Japanese are not big fans of too sweet foods. They eat more fruits than desserts, which is a healthier option.