Japan is one of the leading countries in the modern world when it comes to living a long and healthy life. Sure, their general peacefulness is a factor in their longevity, but the most likely reason the Japanese people can live for so long is their diet—thanks to it.

The diet of your average well-to-do Japanese person isn’t just healthy, but also delicious. The problem with a lot of diets is that they tend to be very limiting in what you eat and how you prepare it. The Japanese diet has all the components for a hearty meal that is also rich in every nutrient you need to live a long life.

What’s the Diet?

The Japanese diet consists mostly of soy products, small amounts of lean meat, seafood, grain, wheat, green/yellow vegetables, and rice. You can already see a distinct lack of processed food, trans fats, and sugar that is present in most western diets. 

The Japanese tend to value variety over volume and that variety is present in almost every single dish they make. It's a rainbow of healthy food!

Here are some examples of traditional Japanese food:

• Ramen (noodles with broth)
• Sushi (raw fish over rice, wrapped in seaweed)
• Donburi (rice bowl with meat, sauce, and egg)
• Yakitori (skewered meat)
• Miso soup 
• Sukiyaki (hotpot of meat and vegetables)
• Curry 
• Kaiseki (traditional multi-course dinner)
• Tempura (fried shrimp)

Why It’s Healthy Yet Tasty

There are three core reasons why the Japanese diet is so effective for you and why it’s something you should try out.

1. Ingredients 

The ingredients found in almost any Japanese dish is composed only of lean meat, seafood, vegetables, or rice. You won’t find a lot of fatty or cholesterol heavy food in a Japanese meal. Not to mention, the portions of a Japanese meal tend to be several but small pieces, making it feel like a lot without actually being a lot.

2. Variety

Japanese courses, such as kaiseki, tend to be made up of several small dishes as opposed to a few big dishes. Being on a Japanese diet is never boring because of the variety of food you can try. Not only that, the traditional meals themselves such as donburi and ramen are easy to customize to your liking. With the Japanese diet, you'll never be out of options.

3. Cooking Methods

There isn’t much frying and sauteing in Japanese cuisine. The primary means of cooking are steaming, grilling, smoking, and boiling. All of these require little to no oil—the primary contributor of cholesterol in the body. These methods are a lot more natural and bring out the natural umami of the ingredients. Not to mention, the completely different ways of cooking from the norm is what makes the Japanese diet unique.

The Benefits of a Japanese Diet

We know it’s healthy and delicious, but how healthy is it, exactly? Now, we'll see why Japan has so many elderly people.

1. Provides Meals Rich in Vitamins, Minerals, and Protein

Considering a large amount of fish and green vegetables you’ll be eating, you will no longer be wanting of any vitamins and minerals on this diet. Vitamin A, B, C, D, and Omega-3 are only some of the wonderful nutrients you’ll get the next time you eat some sushi. Even sumo wrestlers, despite having a large amount of weight, are at the peak of their health because their diet is still very healthy. The fat is not just "fat", but also muscle.

2. Helps You Lose Weight

The heaviest foods you will eat on a Japanese diet are rice and noodles. Being high in carbs but low in fat, they are perfect for those who like eating until they are full but don’t appreciate the weight that comes with them. You won't find yourself becoming a sumo wrestler, don't worry (but you might want to, they're really healthy people).

3. Allows Desserts and Drinks Without Guilt

Even the sweetest desserts and beverages for the Japanese tend to be much lower in fat content and sugar than ice cream and cake. By using sweetened bean paste and light amounts of sugar, Japanese comfort snacks are much better for your midnight refrigerator raids. The Japanese still love their sweet things, but thanks to the way they are made and portioned, it is much easier on your sugar levels and weight.

4. Makes Eating Fun

Most people find the Japanese diet so full of options that you can never really grow tired of it. You can have one week of nothing but different kinds of ramen, then the next week, different kinds of donburi. This variety of food lets you choose what you want.