Adopting A Japanese Diet For Longer Life and Weight Loss

By: Patricia Zelkovsky

Research shows that Japanese people have the longest life expectancy rates in the world. The average life expectancy for Japanese women is 85 and 78 for Japanese men.

One of the reasons for the Japanese having the longest life expectancy rates is due to their diets. Research shows that Japanese people eat a greater variety of foods than people who adopt Western diets. For example, recent studies indicate that the Japanese eat over 100 different varieties of food per week, while Westerners, on the other hand, eat only about 30 different types of food.

The types of food that Japanese eat also seem to be a significant factor in their life expectancy. Fresh vegetables such as bean sprouts, bamboo shoots, string beans, mushrooms and cabbage form an important part of their diet. And while red meat is not excluded from their diets, it is only eaten in small quantities. By contrast, fish makes up a big part of their diet and is eaten 3 times more than meat.

Additionally, oily fish such as Salmon, Mackerel and Tuna are main staples in their diets. These types of fish contain important nutrients called Omega Fatty Acids which exert a protective influence over the heart and other organs. These nutrients also help to maintain the health of the reproductive organs, brain and eyes. Omega Fatty Acids also help to maintain a strong immune system as well.

Furthermore, Japanese people eat about 40 times more soy products than Westerners. Soy foods contain an abundance of natural occurring substances which are anti-carcinogens and have been proven effective against breast cancer and prostate cancer. Because soy is a low-fat source of protein, studies indicate that soy consumption can help you lose weight and build lean muscle mass.

Japanese people who stick to their traditional diets also drink a lot of green tea. Rich in cancer fighting substances called anti-oxidants, green tea helps the body to naturally burn fat and cause carbohydrates to be released slowly which promotes the burning of fat.

Although Japanese cooking takes a lot of time to prepare, many restaurants and delis now offer pre-packaged Japanese foods on their menu. So, although you may not have time to prepare it yourself at home, pre-packaged Japanese food is an easy option; as is dining in a Japanese restaurant when you choose to eat out.

On a typical day, a Japanese menu may consist of the following: Breakfast: rice and fish or egg with a bowl of Miso soup. Lunch: braised boneless chicken thigh, onion slices and egg with a bowl of chopped mixed salad. Dinner: Stir-fry mixed vegetables, cashews, bean sprouts and steamed rice. Dessert: Japanese waffle stuffed with sweet red beans.

Over-all, the daily calories of a person following a Japanese diet is about 1400 calories and includes a wide variety of fresh food, meat and vegetables. If you are on a diet, following the typical Japanese way of eating should help you to lose about 1 pound per week and help you to maintain a healthy, longer life as well.

Grapefruits vs Doctors Drugs

Does this mean that if you are taking these drugs which artificially and not always effectively, lower your blood pressure and blood fat levels, that you can not eat the wonderful gift of the gods that is the grapefruit?

As far as fat levels are concerned, another study found that a healthier diet is more effective than drugs at reducing high cholesterol levels and that GPs should giving dietary advice before handing out drugs.

It has been quoted time and time again, and the more I read and research the more I find that there is abundant truth in the saying If the doctors of today do not become nutritionists, the doctors of tomorrow will be nutritionists.

Lets take a look at the humble grapefruit which is causing these medications such trouble. It is a member of the citrus family along with the orange and its varieties (Satsuma, tangerine, mandarin etc) lemons and limes. It is commonly used in weight loss diets and for those who are slimming as it is said to help your body to break down fats in your body so you can get rid of them more easily. Not only is it high in vitamin C and A, potassium, Calcium and phosphorus, but grapefruits contains unique plant compounds that reduce insulin levels, which in turn promotes weight loss. They are a good source of fibre and water. It can be used to relive flu and scanty urination, and aids digestion, fevers and fatigue. There is also evidence to suggest that due to its effect on insulin levels, it can aid diabetic symptoms.

Now if you can give me clear evidence that you should continue to take these artificial drugs in preference to the health benefits that can be derived from the addition of grapefruits to your diet, along with plenty of fresh fruit, vegetables, essential fatty acids, clean water, moderate exercise and the exclusion of smoking, foods high in saturated fatty, refined processed fried foods and refined sugars then I would be very interested to see it.

Your body is made up of what you put in it, and the better the nutrient value of the things you put in it, the easier it is for your body to carry out is job of self rejuvenation and self healing, which is what it was designed to do.

However, while you are taking medications, I am obliged to suggest you consult your doctor and continue taking your medication so as not cause yourself any problems. When moving to natural medicines in the form of foods and herbs, we normally have to continue artificial medications and leave it up to the person who prescribed it to decrease the dose then stop it as they feel appropriate. This is why prevention is much much much much better than cure, especially if you need to go the orthodox medical world for the supposed cure.

Take care and stay healthy

Julian Hall of Davidel - The Natural Health Care Company - providers of herbal medicine, herbalife and other natural health products

Vegetable Nutrition For a Healthy Life

By: Shelley Green

Fruit and vegetables are brimming with fibre, plus a whole range of vitamins and minerals, and because they're low in calories, they make an important and healthy addition to any diet. Here is some information for you about vegetable nutrition. "Eat your fruits and vegetables" is one of the tried and true recommendations for a healthy diet, and for good reason. Eating plenty of fruits and vegetables can help you ward off heart disease and stroke, control blood pressure and cholesterol, prevent some types of cancer, avoid a painful intestinal ailment called diverticulitis, and guard against cataract and macular degeneration, two common causes of vision loss."5 A Day" is a day is a national health programme in the USA and also in the UK to explain why you need vegetable nutrition as well as fruit and to encourage you to eat more servings of fruit and vegetables every day. People all over the world are becoming more and more aware of how important fruit nutrition and vegetable nutrition is to stay healthy.

In general, yellow and dark green vegetables are excellent sources of vitamin A. Green leafy vegetables are rich in calcium, iron, magnesium, vitamin C and many of the B vitamins. The greener the leaf, the richer the nutrients will be. Here are some suggestions to think about color to pack nutritional power in your diet: · White: Eat cauliflower more often than potatoes, onions and mushrooms.· Green: Add more dark lettuces, such as romaine and red leaf lettuce, spinach, broccoli and Brussels sprouts to replace iceberg lettuce and green beans. · Yellow-orange: Substitute more carrots, winter squashes, sweet potatoes, cantaloupe, oranges and grapefruit for corn or bananas. · Red: Select tomatoes, red peppers and strawberries in favor of apples. If you are trying to watch your weight, an idea is to make sure you are not eating too many calories if you are adding these foods to your diet. increasing the amounts of fruits and vegetables you eat can promote weight control, but only if they replace higher fat foods like ice cream, meat and chips to help you consume fewer calories. But if fruits and vegetables are simply added to what you already eat, total calories won't significantly drop and weight loss should not be expected. The most important thing to do is to vary the fruit and vegetables that you eat from day to day. This is to give your body a variety but to also keep you interested in your food. There are always great new recipes, ideas and ways to make your food look and taste great!