The Japanese Secret To Staying Slim And Living Long Has Been Revealed

These simple habits are easy to incorporate into your daily life.

How can you stay in shape and avoid gaining excess weight? The Japanese have specific dietary principles that promote a long and healthy life, and these approaches can be applied in everyday life.

Vicente Mera, an expert in anti-aging medicine at Sha Wellness, visited Japan to explore the secrets of longevity and a high quality of life, as he explains in TSN.

Japanese food culture and lifestyle are recognized as exemplary in many aspects, including health and longevity. Vicente Mera, a specialist in anti-aging medicine, visited Japan to investigate the secrets of their longevity and high quality of life. In his book *Young at Any Age*, he describes a key principle that the Japanese call *hara-hachi-bu*. It involves eating until you’re 80% full, rather than 100%. This helps prevent overeating without depriving the body of necessary calories, and allows you to eat more when you really need to.

In addition, the Japanese follow the principle of *ichi-ju-san-sai*, which consists of soup, three small dishes, and rice—the perfect combination for lunch or dinner. Japanese author Akemi Tanaka argues in her book *Chōwa* that food is not only a source of energy but also an important part of overall well-being. She advocates the “less is more” approach, which is deeply woven into Japanese culture, encouraging people to respect the natural flavors of foods and choose seasonal ingredients.

Tanaka also considers the consumption of exotic, out-of-season foods—such as imported strawberries in winter—to be excessive. In their diet, the Japanese prioritize protein, and most often this comes from fish rather than meat. Fish is accompanied by tofu, carrots, radishes, burdock root, and other seasonal vegetables. An important part of a Japanese meal is tsukemono—pickled vegetables that provide beneficial probiotics and improve digestive health. Nutritionists consider this diet balanced and ideal for maintaining good health.

It is a good habit to start lunch or dinner with soup. In Japan, pumpkin soups and miso soups are popular in the winter. The Western equivalent of this approach is bone-based broths or vegetable stocks. Psychonutritionist Iciar Digón notes that soup helps the body adapt to food more quickly and promotes satiety without overeating.

A Japanese meal also typically includes a small bowl of rice, which is the main source of fast-acting carbohydrates. The Japanese prefer fish to meat, and the Washoku diet avoids processed foods such as meat and cheese and contains minimal amounts of sugar. This diet promotes longevity and good health.

If your goal is to lose weight, you can exclude rice from your evening meal, since carbohydrates that aren’t metabolized at night are converted into fat. If it’s difficult to give up rice, you can replace white rice with brown rice, which is digested more slowly and keeps you feeling full longer.

Nutritionists also recommend adding pickled vegetables to your diet. They are rich in bifidobacteria, which help improve digestion and skin health. According to Dr. Mar Mira, a healthy gut helps the body absorb nutrients and eliminate toxins.

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