Japanese diet. Is it really that good and who is it against? - Let's get ready for summer before it's too late
The main advantages of the Japanese diet for the residents of our country are its relative availability and duration. No complicated and expensive ingredients, just a two-week limit - and now you're showing off in jeans like you've never buttoned them before. But in order to become a beautiful geisha, you must strictly follow the menu.
Briefly to the point
The duration of the diet is 14 days. This is a low-calorie protein menu, you can practice this diet no more than 2 times a year. The average result of 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 people with liver, kidney and heart diseases. You should consult your doctor before starting the diet.
Original or speculation?
It will not be exotic - all the foods allowed in the Japanese diet have long been familiar to us. This is a definite plus, because the risk of allergies is minimal, and the ingredients for cooking can be bought in any supermarket.
It is not known exactly why this diet is called Japanese. According to some sources, it was invented in a clinic in Tokyo, others say that the name was inspired by the simplicity and clear diet, the adherence to which brings the expected inspiring results (in a very Japanese way: follow the rules, challenge yourself and you will be rewarded).
The Japanese diet is popular worldwide, it is characterized by moderation in the composition and calorie content of permitted foods, which is also similar to the traditional Far Eastern diet. Japanese nutritionist Naomi Moriyama is sure that the youth and longevity of her compatriots allows them to maintain a relatively small amount of carbohydrates in the daily menu and small portion sizes.
Moriyama estimates that the Japanese consume an average of 25% fewer calories than people in any other country. In Japan, for example, it is not customary to eat potato chips, chocolate, or pastries, and the Japanese only learned about butter from the Europeans at the beginning of the twentieth century, and are still suspicious of it. In other words, choosing healthy foods in moderation is a national characteristic of Japanese culture. And the 14-day Japanese diet fully meets this requirement, despite the differences in form from the usual diet of ordinary residents of the Pacific state.
The "samurai" rules of the Japanese diet
The main satiating substance in the diet is protein, which is obtained from chicken eggs, chicken meat, beef, fish and dairy products. Carbohydrates are in the crackers and some of the allowed vegetables, fats are in the olive oil, which can be used for cooking, salad dressings, and meat and fish.
Fiber can be found in abundance in vegetables and fruits, the amount of which is not even regulated on some days of the diet, so the stomach will most likely do its job well. Coffee and green tea not only help to refresh, but also contain healthy antioxidants (this is why it is important to choose high-quality tea and coffee, always natural, without flavorings and additives).
However, such a diet still cannot be called balanced, and following it for more than two weeks is dangerous for health. But even during these 14 days, the body may react badly to reducing the amount of carbohydrates on the menu: in this case, you will feel pain, weakness and headaches. Then you need to gradually leave the strict menu and consult a doctor.
The drinking system is particularly important in the Japanese diet. Drink plenty of clean, non-carbonated, room-temperature water to not only make your stomach feel good, but also to flush out animal protein waste.
The main condition for the success of the Japanese diet is strict adherence to the plan. It is not possible to confuse the days and replace some products with others, even similar ones, at will. The only exception can be morning coffee - it can be replaced with a cup of green tea without sugar. It is advisable to avoid salt during the entire period of the diet, but if this prohibition is critical for your taste buds, then add minimal salt to your food.
Few meals a day (only three times instead of the healthier 5-6) and the lack of snacks can also make the Japanese diet difficult, so be prepared for that. Eat dinner at least a few hours before going to bed and start the morning with a glass of water on an empty stomach - this is good for your metabolism and allows you to better tolerate the lack of breakfast.
Since the Japanese diet is strict, it is extremely undesirable to enter it in a hurry. If you decide to lose weight on such a menu, prepare yourself psychologically and prepare your body at least a few days before the start of the diet by giving up sweets and junk food and reducing the usual portions.
The Japanese diet shopping list for 14 days
- Coffee beans or ground - 1 package
- Green tea of your favorite variety (without additives and flavorings) - 1 package
- Fresh chicken eggs - 2 dozen
- Sea fish fillet - 2 kg
- Lean beef, fillet - 1 kg
- Chicken fillet - 1 kg
- Extra virgin olive oil - 500 ml
- White cabbage - 2 medium-sized forks
- fresh carrots - 2-3 kg
- Zucchini, eggplant - 1 kg in total
- Fruits (except bananas and grapes) - 1 kg in total
- Tomato juice - 1 l
- Kefir - 1 l
- Lemon - 2 pcs.
A menu for the hardy
The composition of the Japanese diet is often compared to the "chemical diet", an eating plan invented by the American doctor Osama Hamdiy to treat obesity in diabetics. Like the Hamdia diet, the Japanese diet uses a sharp reduction in carbohydrate intake while increasing the amount of protein. As a result, the chemistry of the body's metabolic processes is rearranged, the accumulated fat burns quickly, and the formation of new ones is prevented by the strengthened muscles.
No changes in schedule or diet are allowed during the Japanese diet. If you want to get results, you need to strictly follow the diet.
First day
Breakfast: coffee without sugar and milk.
Lunch: 2 boiled eggs, boiled cabbage with vegetable oil and a glass of tomato juice.
Dinner: 200 g boiled or fried fish.
The second day
Breakfast: a slice of rye bread and coffee without sugar.
Lunch: 200 g of 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 piece of rye bread, toasted in a toaster, or unleavened biscuits without additives, coffee without sugar.
Lunch: zucchini or eggplant, fried in vegetable oil, in any quantity.
Dinner: 200 g unsalted boiled beef, raw cabbage in vegetable oil and 2 boiled eggs.
Fourth day
Breakfast: a small fresh carrot with the juice of a lemon.
Lunch: 200 g of boiled or fried fish and a glass of tomato juice.
Dinner: 200 g of any fruit.
Day five
Breakfast: a small fresh carrot with the juice of a lemon.
Lunch: boiled fish and a glass of tomato juice.
Dinner: 200 g of any fruit.
Sixth day
Breakfast: coffee without sugar.
Lunch: unsalted boiled chicken (500 g) with fresh cabbage and carrot salad in vegetable oil.
Dinner: small fresh carrot and 2 boiled eggs.
Seventh day
Breakfast: green tea.
Lunch: 200 g 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.
Eighth day
Breakfast: coffee without sugar.
Lunch: 500 g of boiled chicken without salt, carrot and cabbage salad in vegetable oil.
Dinner: fresh small carrots with vegetable oil and 2 boiled eggs.
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 any fruit.
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 any fruit.
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 boiled beef without salt, 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, boiled cabbage in vegetable oil and a glass of tomato juice.
Dinner: 200 g boiled or fried fish in vegetable oil.
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.
There is an opinion that such a diet is one of the most durable, and the results achieved with it can last up to three years. But of course, the dream remains out of reach if you start overeating after the restrictions expire.
Fast does not mean high quality
It should be noted that there is also a widespread opinion among experts that diets with names usually do not work and are even harmful. According to endocrinologist and nutritionist Irina Tatarnikova, weight loss should be gradual, and a drastic low-calorie diet can itself lead to malfunctions and even depression. The fact is that a person begins to scold himself for weakness, but in fact his diet was simply unbalanced.
- Extremely low-calorie diets and fasting are used here, which one is not prepared for. Therefore, extreme methods are effective only in the initial stage, but then a failure occurs and the weight returns with interest, " says the specialist.
The nutritionist also clarifies that for most people, long breaks between main meals, such as skipping breakfast, leads to overeating at dinner.
- Don't try to lose weight - you should completely forget this phrase, because trying is "torture", and losing weight comes from the word "bad". With this, we are not setting ourselves up for positive weight loss, " concludes the nutritionist. Irina advises us to think that if we restrict ourselves without fanaticism, we are primarily making ourselves healthier. Especially for the editors, she named 10 popular habits that prevent weight loss.