Whenever I talk to someone back home in the US, they always make a comment on
how healthy I must be eatting because the food in Japan is incredibley healthy.
However, I don't think it is very healthy. Of course, there is more seafood and
vegetables used than the average US diet, but there are many foods that are
unhealthy.
For one, there is a lot of fried food; Tempura, tonkatsu for example. There is
also the large amount of rice, and particularly white rice, that is consumed.
White rice isn't that healthy for you either because it's full of empty carbs.
So, to the lovely people of MT, I pose this question: Is Japanese food really as
healthy as people say it is?
I don't see why ONLY Japanese food is healthy. All food is healthy depending on
what it is made of.
Looking for a fast food ? I can tell you it is not healthy.
Looking for well prepared, well balanced food ? It's healthy.
You could find healthy food anywhere, not only in Japan.
Is it just because you think japanese food is only made of fishes and vegetables
you are asking that question ?
Of course not, Japanese eat too many sea food, it's not good for health,
Japanese food is worse than Japanese anime. Some people may like the taste of
Japanese food, I saw takoyaki appear in many Japanese anime and games, I think
maybe it's really delicious so I tried last week, but the taste is XXXX. I
totally don't like Japanese food.
I agree with kusco. Food is healthy when you keep the balance.
@ fugo
Seafood is known to be healthy when the sea is not polluted. I don't see a
reason why seafood should be not healthy or less healthy than
"landfood".
I haven't tasted Japanese food myself because I like my fish fried and not raw.
Quote by kusco
You could find healthy food anywhere, not only in Japan.
Is it just because you think japanese food is only made of fishes and vegetables
you are asking that question ?
Please read my full post again. I said that when I call home they always mention
how well I must be eatting because I am in Japan. Then, I gave examples of
non-healthy Japanese food. I have read a lot of articles in health magazines
about how healthy Japanese (yes, only japanese) food is. I was wondering what
other people, and particularly those not living in Asia, thought. So please,
read the first post before making assumptions about what I believe. Thanks.
@fugo: thanks for the reply! I have also noticed that many anime fans jump on
the "Japanese food is great!" bandwagon before tasting it. It's an
aquired taste, I think. You're brave for saying that you don't like it on an
anime-based forum. I dare you to say that pocky is crap.
i dont think its the fact that the japanese diet is the healthiest in the world,
but i think it probably is the healthiest of all food in the developped
countries because nearly every other developpped country is raised on junk food
Like BorisGrishenko said, the Japanese diet is on average healthier than the
American diet, because there's less super-sizing, grease, fast food, and all the
other crap that we eat. That doesn't mean it's the perfect diet, though, so in
response to the point that I think you're trying to make, no, it's not quite as healthy as Americans idolize it to
be, but it's still pretty healthy, as a whole.
To me Japanese food are healthy. lol, i don't eat it often. But i really do love
em. Seafood is good actually, plus, fish is mostly cooked for japanese food.
fish is a better kind of meat, also healthier and less calories, compared to
others like chicken or beef. Japanese food have rice, rice is good lol. but too
much carbohydrates ain't @_@ try avoiding eating the fried ones though. fresh
sushi or steamed would be preferrably if you want a healthy diet i still
think japanese food is healthy.
This reminds me, it's been awhile since i've been to a sushi bar! Sashimi no
moriawase o kudasai! Not all japanese food is healthy, but... a lot of it is. I
mean, you don't see a whole lot of fat japense people do you? So they gotta be
doing SOMETHING right haha. Seriously though, even though there IS unhealthy
stuff over there, there's a lot of healthy stuff too. I probably lost weight
when i was over there, and trust me when i say i've got no weight to lose . Just
don't eat tempura every day, and for the love of all things holy stay away from
the Japanese McDonalds...
to me the most healthy food is Chinese food.
why?
vegetables are the main dish
herbs and special marinades are used
most fresh meat you can get if you are in a market(the fish is still alive)
from the most exotic herbs broiled into the meat, like herbal chicken to the
most exotic dishes of unique combinations of herbal concoctions.
DimSum tasty and healthy simple.
plus: NO SUGAR
most chinese food is cooked using natural sweetness from plants and herbs
as for the salt, you can always lower it down'
Hehe...not the ones I eat! Well, I suppose a bit of sushi here and there won't
hurt, but still...I don't think it is that healthy either! Too much rice...^-^
Snacks...definitely a no-no (like any other snack with the exception of health
bars, etc.)
Japanese food compared to American food is healthier. Look what happening to
Japan when the fast food came. Obese rate just when rose. Mostly in kids/teens
though.
Quote by Devildudeto me the most
healthy food is Chinese food.
why?
vegetables are the main dish
herbs and special marinades are used
most fresh meat you can get if you are in a market(the fish is still alive)
from the most exotic herbs broiled into the meat, like herbal chicken to the
most exotic dishes of unique combinations of herbal concoctions.
DimSum tasty and healthy simple.
plus: NO SUGAR
most chinese food is cooked using natural sweetness from plants and herbs
as for the salt, you can always lower it down'
I have to agree. The fish I eat back when I was still living in China Town are
always fresh. They kill it a few hours before or just before it was cooked.
Traditional Chinese food is healthy. Just be sure that its not
Americanize.
In general, asian dishes that have not been americanized are very healthy.
Having rice and fish as staples in the japanese diet makes it much more health
than the average american diet. If we're comparing averages here...Japan wins by
a landslide. Sure, there are healthy american foods, but on average japanese
food is healthier.
actually every country has their own 'healthy' food but of
course, the chinese really take note of their health care =_= so actually most
*MOST* of their food isn't that yummy, coz of
the taste. im not a vegetarian, i dont enjoy bitterish/tasteless food. *because
im more to fattening food @_@* im chinese, i eat chinese food everyday -.-.. so
~~~ im sorta sick of it the
herbs kills lol, altho it's good for health. japanese food, still yummy, some
healthy, some aren't. ;X oh yea for me in food, i need extra saltiness =_=;;....
i'll prolly get some disease in the future ;;
hello you lucky girl! how i wished i'm in your place in japan!
i would say most of it is healthy... especially if you looked at stuff like
sashimi... and noodles... they are much lighter as compared to maybe burgers and
the big portions in US... i guess...
of course.. jap food does has it's share of unhealthy food like those fried food
that you've mentioned... as for rice... i think rice is more like a staple
food... esp so in asia... so it's quite common to have rice...
also.. if most of the time jap are eating seafood & fish... it's really much
healthier than red meat... so i guess.. it's healthy.. plus o-cha detox... so
it's good too~
Quote by MistressPookyChan
Please read my full post again. I said that when I call home they always mention
how well I must be eatting because I am in Japan. Then, I gave examples of
non-healthy Japanese food. I have read a lot of articles in health magazines
about how healthy Japanese (yes, only japanese) food is. I was wondering what
other people, and particularly those not living in Asia, thought. So please,
read the first post before making assumptions about what I believe.
Thanks.
Sorry if I made you angry. I didn't mean to make assumptions, really. And I
respect your curiousity about our point of view.
Personally, you should study about not only Japanese food. Knowing about
japanese food is good, but knowing about the other countries' is better. And
eating the same food kills the taste like Yumi-chan said.
So variety, variety, variety.
@kusco: No worries. Been having a bad run at MT as of late so I'm a bit on edge.
I do eat a variety of foods from other places. What sparked this conversation
was 1) what my friends and families assume about Japanese cuisine and 2) what
health magazines assume. I don't even remember how many times I've seen Japan
cruisine and healthy put in the same sentance. It just strikes me as funny
because of all the fried food and sugar.
@ultimate540: good point. it does seem that Asian food is a lot healthier
traditionally.
I went to an Iranian restaurant recently and noticed that the food was
incredibley healthy. It was full of beans and nuts. Sounds bland, but it wasn't!
It was rich in flavor because of all the herbs. So the next question I ask the
people of MT: Why is there so much emphasis in magazines and such about a
healthy Japanese cuisine when other countries have healthy cuisines as well? Is
it perhaps caused by the chic/popularity/exoticness of Japan?
Quote by MistressPookyChanWhy
is there so much emphasis in magazines and such about a healthy Japanese cuisine
when other countries have healthy cuisines as well? Is it perhaps caused by the
chic/popularity/exoticness of Japan?
In every health magazines you've read it mentions japanese food is healthy ? I
don't read health magazines so I can't tell but japanese food isn't THAT
succesful where I live. Maybe japanese food whereabouts depends on the country.
@kusco: Oooooh yeah. I have read a lot of stuff about sushi and
japanese-influenced food and their health benefits. Never once seen any of these
magazines mention takoyaki or tempura, though.
i supposed anything that's homemade will be healthy since you can choose the
level of MSG & salt & all that you wan to put in...
i'm a chinese.. so most of the time i eat chinese food at home.. soup's
definitely healthy & good... usually it's ribs with corn & veggies..
which is my fave.. or something else..
rice is a staple.. plus probably fish.. steam fish.. i hate fried fish because
it's so oily.. steam fish is super nice esp when the fish is fresh..
erm.. veggies.. sometimes cooked in oyster sauce...
there.. for those who are interested in whether chinese food is healthy or
not... but i still prefer jap food anytime! tee hee hee!
(I love a good debate
)
Whenever I talk to someone back home in the US, they always make a comment on how healthy I must be eatting because the food in Japan is incredibley healthy. However, I don't think it is very healthy. Of course, there is more seafood and vegetables used than the average US diet, but there are many foods that are unhealthy.
For one, there is a lot of fried food; Tempura, tonkatsu for example. There is also the large amount of rice, and particularly white rice, that is consumed. White rice isn't that healthy for you either because it's full of empty carbs.
So, to the lovely people of MT, I pose this question: Is Japanese food really as healthy as people say it is?
I don't see why ONLY Japanese food is healthy. All food is healthy depending on what it is made of.
Looking for a fast food ? I can tell you it is not healthy.
Looking for well prepared, well balanced food ? It's healthy.
You could find healthy food anywhere, not only in Japan.
Is it just because you think japanese food is only made of fishes and vegetables you are asking that question ?
Of course not, Japanese eat too many sea food, it's not good for health, Japanese food is worse than Japanese anime. Some people may like the taste of Japanese food, I saw takoyaki appear in many Japanese anime and games, I think maybe it's really delicious so I tried last week, but the taste is XXXX. I totally don't like Japanese food.
I agree with kusco. Food is healthy when you keep the balance.
@ fugo
Seafood is known to be healthy when the sea is not polluted. I don't see a reason why seafood should be not healthy or less healthy than "landfood".
I haven't tasted Japanese food myself because I like my fish fried and not raw.
Please read my full post again. I said that when I call home they always mention how well I must be eatting because I am in Japan. Then, I gave examples of non-healthy Japanese food. I have read a lot of articles in health magazines about how healthy Japanese (yes, only japanese) food is. I was wondering what other people, and particularly those not living in Asia, thought. So please, read the first post before making assumptions about what I believe. Thanks.
@fugo: thanks for the reply! I have also noticed that many anime fans jump on the "Japanese food is great!" bandwagon before tasting it. It's an aquired taste, I think. You're brave for saying that you don't like it on an anime-based forum. I dare you to say that pocky is crap.
The Japanese have a cuisine that is far more healthy than the average American diet, no matter how you slice it.
i dont think its the fact that the japanese diet is the healthiest in the world, but i think it probably is the healthiest of all food in the developped countries because nearly every other developpped country is raised on junk food
Like BorisGrishenko said, the Japanese diet is on average healthier than the American diet, because there's less super-sizing, grease, fast food, and all the other crap that we eat. That doesn't mean it's the perfect diet, though, so in response to the point that I think you're trying to make, no, it's not quite as healthy as Americans idolize it to be, but it's still pretty healthy, as a whole.
To me Japanese food are healthy. lol, i don't eat it often. But i really do love em. Seafood is good actually, plus, fish is mostly cooked for japanese food. fish is a better kind of meat, also healthier and less calories, compared to others like chicken or beef. Japanese food have rice, rice is good lol. but too much carbohydrates ain't @_@ try avoiding eating the fried ones though. fresh sushi or steamed would be preferrably if you want a healthy diet
i still
think japanese food is healthy.
This reminds me, it's been awhile since i've been to a sushi bar! Sashimi no moriawase o kudasai! Not all japanese food is healthy, but... a lot of it is. I mean, you don't see a whole lot of fat japense people do you? So they gotta be doing SOMETHING right haha. Seriously though, even though there IS unhealthy stuff over there, there's a lot of healthy stuff too. I probably lost weight when i was over there, and trust me when i say i've got no weight to lose
. Just
don't eat tempura every day, and for the love of all things holy stay away from
the Japanese McDonalds...
to me the most healthy food is Chinese food.
why?
vegetables are the main dish
herbs and special marinades are used
most fresh meat you can get if you are in a market(the fish is still alive)
from the most exotic herbs broiled into the meat, like herbal chicken to the most exotic dishes of unique combinations of herbal concoctions.
DimSum tasty and healthy simple.
plus: NO SUGAR
most chinese food is cooked using natural sweetness from plants and herbs
as for the salt, you can always lower it down'
Hehe...not the ones I eat! Well, I suppose a bit of sushi here and there won't hurt, but still...I don't think it is that healthy either! Too much rice...^-^ Snacks...definitely a no-no (like any other snack with the exception of health bars, etc.)
Japanese food compared to American food is healthier. Look what happening to Japan when the fast food came. Obese rate just when rose. Mostly in kids/teens though.
I have to agree. The fish I eat back when I was still living in China Town are always fresh. They kill it a few hours before or just before it was cooked. Traditional Chinese food is healthy. Just be sure that its not Americanize.
@Devildude: Good point! I agree with what you said about Chinese food. It is very healthy.
In general, asian dishes that have not been americanized are very healthy. Having rice and fish as staples in the japanese diet makes it much more health than the average american diet. If we're comparing averages here...Japan wins by a landslide. Sure, there are healthy american foods, but on average japanese food is healthier.
actually every country has their own 'healthy' food
but of
course, the chinese really take note of their health care =_= so actually most
*MOST* of their food isn't that yummy, 
coz of
the taste. im not a vegetarian, i dont enjoy bitterish/tasteless food. *because
im more to fattening food @_@* im chinese, i eat chinese food everyday -.-.. so
~~~ im sorta sick of it 
the
herbs kills lol, altho it's good for health. japanese food, still yummy, some
healthy, some aren't. ;X oh yea for me in food, i need extra saltiness =_=;;....
i'll prolly get some disease in the future 
;;
hello you lucky girl! how i wished i'm in your place in japan!
i would say most of it is healthy... especially if you looked at stuff like sashimi... and noodles... they are much lighter as compared to maybe burgers and the big portions in US... i guess...
of course.. jap food does has it's share of unhealthy food like those fried food that you've mentioned... as for rice... i think rice is more like a staple food... esp so in asia... so it's quite common to have rice...
also.. if most of the time jap are eating seafood & fish... it's really much healthier than red meat... so i guess.. it's healthy.. plus o-cha detox... so it's good too~
Sorry if I made you angry. I didn't mean to make assumptions, really. And I respect your curiousity about our point of view.
Personally, you should study about not only Japanese food. Knowing about japanese food is good, but knowing about the other countries' is better. And eating the same food kills the taste like Yumi-chan said.
So variety, variety, variety.
And sorry again for the "assumptions"
@kusco: No worries. Been having a bad run at MT as of late so I'm a bit on edge. I do eat a variety of foods from other places. What sparked this conversation was 1) what my friends and families assume about Japanese cuisine and 2) what health magazines assume. I don't even remember how many times I've seen Japan cruisine and healthy put in the same sentance. It just strikes me as funny because of all the fried food and sugar.
@ultimate540: good point. it does seem that Asian food is a lot healthier traditionally.
I went to an Iranian restaurant recently and noticed that the food was incredibley healthy. It was full of beans and nuts. Sounds bland, but it wasn't! It was rich in flavor because of all the herbs. So the next question I ask the people of MT: Why is there so much emphasis in magazines and such about a healthy Japanese cuisine when other countries have healthy cuisines as well? Is it perhaps caused by the chic/popularity/exoticness of Japan?
In every health magazines you've read it mentions japanese food is healthy ? I don't read health magazines so I can't tell but japanese food isn't THAT succesful where I live. Maybe japanese food whereabouts depends on the country.
@kusco: Oooooh yeah. I have read a lot of stuff about sushi and japanese-influenced food and their health benefits. Never once seen any of these magazines mention takoyaki or tempura, though.
Japanese rice/sushi rice also has a lot of sugar in it actually
Good point! It's loaded with salt, meaning it isn't that healthy if you are trying to keep a low sodium count.
i supposed anything that's homemade will be healthy since you can choose the level of MSG & salt & all that you wan to put in...
i'm a chinese.. so most of the time i eat chinese food at home.. soup's definitely healthy & good... usually it's ribs with corn & veggies.. which is my fave.. or something else..
rice is a staple.. plus probably fish.. steam fish.. i hate fried fish because it's so oily.. steam fish is super nice esp when the fish is fresh..
erm.. veggies.. sometimes cooked in oyster sauce...
there.. for those who are interested in whether chinese food is healthy or not... but i still prefer jap food anytime! tee hee hee!