Japanese diet. Is it really good and against whom? - Let's prepare for summer before it's too late
The main advantages of the Japanese diet for residents of our country are its relative availability and duration. No complicated and expensive ingredients, just a two-week time limit - now you're showing off jeans you've never buttoned before. But to be a beautiful geisha, you need to follow the menu exactly.
Briefly about the main thing
Diet duration - 14 days. This is a low-calorie protein menu, you can use this diet no more than 2 times a year. The average result from the Japanese diet is 5-8 kg in 2 weeks. This menu is not suitable for pregnant women, nursing mothers, people with gastritis and ulcers, as well as those suffering from liver, kidney and heart diseases. Before starting a diet, you should consult a doctor.
Original or speculation?
There will be no exoticism - all the foods allowed in the Japanese diet have been familiar to us for a long time. This is a definite plus, because the risk of allergies is minimized and the necessary ingredients for cooking can be purchased at any supermarket.
It is not clear why this diet is called Japanese. According to some sources, it was invented in a Tokyo clinic, according to others, the name was inspired by its simplicity and precise diet plan, which then gives the expected inspiring result (very Japanese way: follow the rules, do your best and you will be rewarded).
The Japanese diet is popular all over the world, and it differs in moderation in the composition and caloric content of the allowed foods, which makes it similar to the traditional Far Eastern diet. Japanese nutritionist Naomi Moriyama believes that the youth and longevity of her compatriots allow them to keep carbohydrates in their daily menu relatively small and in small portion sizes.
Moriyama estimates that the Japanese consume an average of 25% fewer calories than people in other countries. For example, in Japan it is not customary to eat potato chips, chocolate or pastries, the Japanese learned about butter from the Europeans at the beginning of the 20th century and are still skeptical about it. In other words, choosing healthy foods in moderation is a national characteristic of Japanese culture. And the Japanese diet for 14 days fully meets this requirement, despite formal differences from the usual diet of ordinary residents of the Pacific state.
The "Samurai" rules of the Japanese diet
The main nutrient of the diet is protein obtained from chicken eggs, chicken meat, beef, fish and dairy products. Carbohydrates are found in crackers and a portion of permitted vegetables, and fats are found in olive oil, which can be used in cooking and salad dressings, as well as meat and fish.
Fiber is abundant in fruits and vegetables, their amount is not regulated even in some days of the diet, so the stomach does its job well. Coffee and green tea are not only refreshing, but they also contain beneficial antioxidants (which is why it's always important to choose high-quality tea and coffee that is natural, flavor-free, and additive-free).
However, such a diet still cannot be called balanced, and maintaining it for more than two weeks is dangerous for health. But even during these 14 days, your body may react poorly to reducing the amount of carbohydrates in the menu: in this case, you will feel body aches, weakness and headaches. After that, you should gradually leave the strict menu and consult a doctor.
Drinking habits are especially important in the Japanese diet. Drink plenty of clean, still water at room temperature to not only keep your stomach full, but also to flush out animal protein residues.
The main condition for the success of the Japanese diet is to follow its plan precisely. You can't mix up the dates and replace some products with others, even similar ones. The only exception may be morning coffee - it can be replaced with a cup of green tea without sugar. It is recommended to avoid salt during the entire period of the diet, but if this prohibition is important for the sense of taste, then add the least amount of salt to your food.
Fewer meals per day (only three meals instead of 5-6) and lack of snacks can be difficult on a Japanese diet, so be prepared for that. Have dinner at least a couple of hours before bed and start the morning with a glass of water on an empty stomach - this is good for the metabolism and allows you to better cope with the lack of breakfast.
Since the Japanese diet is strict, it is very undesirable to introduce it hastily. If you decide to lose weight on such a menu, prepare yourself psychologically and prepare your body at least a few days before starting the diet by giving up sweets and fast food, reducing the size of your usual portion.
Shopping list for the Japanese diet for 14 days
- coffee beans or ground - 1 pack
- Green tea of your favorite variety (without additives and spices) - 1 pack
- fresh chicken eggs - 2 pcs
- sea fish fillet - 2 kg
- Lean beef, fillet - 1 kg
- chicken meat - 1 kg
- Olive oil - 500 ml
- White cabbage - 2 medium forks
- fresh carrots - 2-3 kg
- Zucchini, eggplant - 1 kg in total
- Fruits (except bananas and grapes) - a total of 1 kg
- tomato juice - 1 l
- Kefir - 1 l
- Lemons - 2 pcs.
Menu for the best
The composition of the Japanese diet is often compared to the "chemical diet" invented by the American doctor Osama Hamdy to treat obesity in diabetics. Similar to the Hamdia diet, the Japanese diet utilizes the effect of dramatically reducing carbohydrate intake while increasing protein intake. As a result, the chemistry of metabolic processes in the body is rearranged, accumulated fats are quickly burned, and the formation of new toned muscles is prevented.
No schedule or diet changes are allowed in the Japanese diet. If you want to achieve results, you need to strictly follow the diet.
First day
Breakfast: coffee without sugar and milk.
Lunch: 2 boiled eggs, cabbage cooked in vegetable oil and a glass of tomato juice.
Dinner: 200 g of boiled or fried fish.
The second day
Breakfast: a slice of rye bread and coffee without sugar.
Lunch: 200 g boiled or fried fish with boiled cabbage and vegetable oil.
Dinner: 100 g of boiled beef and a glass of kefir.
The third day
Breakfast: a slice of rye bread, toast in a toaster, or unleavened cookies without additives, coffee without sugar.
Lunch: zucchini or eggplant, fried in vegetable oil, in any quantity.
Dinner: 200 g of unsalted boiled beef, raw cabbage in vegetable oil and 2 boiled eggs.
The fourth day
Breakfast: a small fresh carrot with the juice of one lemon.
Lunch: 200 g of boiled or fried fish and a glass of tomato juice.
Dinner: 200 g of various fruits.
The fifth day
Breakfast: a small fresh carrot with the juice of one lemon.
Lunch: boiled fish and a glass of tomato juice.
Dinner: 200 g of various fruits.
The sixth day
Breakfast: coffee without sugar.
Lunch: unsalted boiled chicken (500 g), fresh cabbage and carrot salad in vegetable oil.
Dinner: a small fresh carrot and 2 boiled eggs.
The seventh day
Breakfast: green tea.
Lunch: 200 g of unsalted boiled beef.
Dinner: 200 g of fruit or 200 g of boiled or fried fish, or 2 eggs with fresh carrots in vegetable oil, or boiled beef and 1 glass of kefir.
The eighth day
Breakfast: coffee without sugar.
Lunch: 500 g boiled chicken without salt and vegetable oil, carrot and cabbage salad.
Dinner: fresh carrots with vegetable oil and 2 boiled eggs.
The ninth day
Breakfast: medium carrot with lemon juice.
Lunch: 200 g of boiled or fried fish and a glass of tomato juice.
Dinner: 200 g of various fruits.
The tenth day
Breakfast: coffee without sugar.
Lunch: 50 g of cheese, 3 small carrots in vegetable oil and 1 boiled egg.
Dinner: 200 g of various fruits.
The eleventh day
Breakfast: coffee without sugar and a slice of rye bread.
Lunch: zucchini or eggplant, fried in vegetable oil, in any quantity.
Dinner: 200 g of unsalted boiled beef, 2 boiled eggs and fresh cabbage in vegetable oil.
Twelfth day
Breakfast: coffee without sugar and a slice of rye bread.
Lunch: 200 g of boiled or fried fish with fresh cabbage in vegetable oil.
Dinner: 100 g of boiled unsalted beef and a glass of kefir.
Thirteenth day
Breakfast: coffee without sugar.
Lunch: 2 boiled eggs, cabbage cooked in vegetable oil and a glass of tomato juice.
Dinner: 200 g of fish boiled or fried in vegetable oil.
The fourteenth day
Breakfast: coffee without sugar.
Lunch: boiled or fried fish (200 g), fresh cabbage with olive oil.
Dinner: 200 g of boiled beef, a glass of kefir.
This diet is one of the longest-lasting diets and it is believed that the results obtained with it can last up to three years. But of course, once the restrictions are over, if you start overeating, your dream will fail.
Fast does not mean high quality
It is important to note that there are also opinions among experts that diets often do not work or are harmful. Endocrinologist and nutritionist Irina Tatarnikova says that weight loss should be gradual, and a sharp hypocaloric diet itself can lead to disorders and even depression. In fact, the person begins to scold himself for his weakness, but in reality his diet was simply unbalanced.
— Here they use a very low-calorie diet and fasts that people are not ready for. Therefore, extreme methods are effective only at the initial stage, but then there will be a breakdown - and the weight will return with interest, says the expert.
The nutritionist also explains that for most people, long breaks between main meals, such as skipping breakfast, can lead to overeating at dinner.
- Do not try to lose weight - you should completely forget this phrase, because trying comes from the word "torture", and losing weight comes from the word "bad". By saying this, we are not setting ourselves up for positive weight loss, " concludes the nutritionist. Irina advises to think that by restricting ourselves, we will improve our health first. Especially for the editors, he listed 10 popular habits that are preventing you from losing weight.