Japanese diet. Is it really that good and why is it contraindicated? - Let's get ready for summer before it's too late
The main advantages of the Japanese diet for the population of our country are its relative availability and duration. No complicated and expensive ingredients, just two weeks of restrictions - and now you're flaunting jeans that weren't buttoned before. But to become a beautiful geisha, you must strictly follow the menu.
Briefly about the main thing
The duration of the diet is 14 days. This is a low-calorie protein menu, you can follow 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 with gastritis and ulcers, as well as people with liver, kidney and heart diseases. Before starting a diet, you should consult your doctor.
Original or speculation?
There will be no exotics - 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 reduced to a minimum, and the ingredients needed for cooking can be purchased at 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, according to others, the name was inspired by the simplicity and a clear diet plan that gives the expected inspiring result (very Japanese: follow the rules, try your best and you will be rewarded).
The Japanese diet is popular all over the world, and it is characterized by a moderate amount of allowed foods and calories, which makes it similar to the traditional diet of the Far East. Japanese nutritionist Naomi Moriyama is convinced that the youth and longevity of her compatriots allows them to maintain a relatively small amount of carbohydrates in their daily menu and small portion sizes.
Moriyama estimates that the Japanese consume an average of 25% fewer calories than people from any other country. For example, in Japan it is not customary to eat potato chips, chocolate or pastries, and the Japanese only learned about butter in the early 20th century from Europeans and are still suspicious of it. That is, choosing healthy food in moderation is a national feature of Japanese culture. And the Japanese diet for 14 days fully meets this requirement, despite the formal differences with the usual diet of the inhabitants of the Pacific Ocean state.
"Samurai" Japanese diet rules
The main nutrient is protein, which comes from chicken eggs, chicken, beef, fish and dairy products. Carbohydrates are found in crackers and some permitted vegetables, fat is found in olive oil, which can be used in cooking and salad dressing, as well as in meat and fish.
Fiber is abundant in vegetables and fruits, the amount of which is not even regulated on some days of the diet, so the stomach will probably do its job well. Coffee and green tea are not only refreshing, but also contain healthy antioxidants (so it's 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. However, 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 pains, weakness, headaches. Then you need to gradually abandon the strict menu and consult a doctor.
The drinking regime of the Japanese diet is particularly important. Drink plenty of clean, still, room-temperature water to not only feel full, but also to flush out animal protein waste.
The main condition for the success of the Japanese diet is strict adherence to its plan. You cannot confuse days and replace some products with others, even similar ones, at your discretion. 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 whole period of the diet, but if this prohibition is very important for your taste buds, then add salt to the food minimally.
The small number of meals a day (just three instead of the healthier 5-6) and the lack of snacks can also be challenging on a Japanese diet, so be prepared for that. Eat dinner at least a couple of hours before going to 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 tolerate the absence of breakfast.
Since the Japanese diet is strict, it is highly undesirable to rush into it. If you decide to lose weight following such a menu, prepare yourself psychologically and prepare your body for at least a few days before starting the diet by giving up sweets and fast food and reducing the usual portion size.
Japanese diet shopping list for 14 days
- Coffee beans or ground - 1 pack
- Green tea of your favorite variety (without additives or flavorings) - 1 pack
- 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
- Lemons - 2 pcs.
Menu for endurance
The composition of the Japanese diet is often compared to the "chemical diet", a nutritional plan invented by the American doctor Osama Hamdiy to treat obesity in people with diabetes. Like the Hamdia diet, the Japanese diet uses a sudden effect of reducing the amount of carbohydrates in the diet and increasing the amount of protein. As a result, the body's metabolism is rearrangedthe chemistry of the processes, accumulated fat is burned quickly, and strengthened muscles prevent the formation of new ones.
No changes in schedule or diet are allowed on the Japanese diet. If you want to get results, you have to strictly follow the diet schedule.
The 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 of boiled or fried fish.
Second day
Breakfast: a piece 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.
Third day
Breakfast: a piece of rye bread, toasted 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 unsalted boiled beef, green cabbage in vegetable oil and 2 boiled eggs.
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 any fruit.
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 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 carrots and 2 boiled eggs.
The 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 and carrot and cabbage salad in vegetable oil.
Dinner: fresh small 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 any fruit.
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 any fruit.
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 boiled beef without salt, 2 boiled eggs and fresh cabbage in vegetable oil.
The 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 of boiled or fried fish 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.
There is an opinion that such a diet is one of the most long-lasting and the results obtained with it can last up to three years. But, of course, the dream will remain out of reach if you start overeating after the restrictions are over.
Fast does not mean high quality
It should be noted that there is also an opinion among experts that diets that have a name usually do not work or are even harmful. Dr. endocrinologist and nutritionist Irina Tatarnikova says that weight loss should be gradual, and the drastic hypocaloric diet itself causes breakdowns and can even lead to depression. The fact is that a person begins to scold himself for weakness, but in fact his diet was simply unbalanced.
— Here they follow extremely low-calorie diets and fasting, for which a person is not ready. Therefore, extreme methods are effective only at the initial stage, but then a failure will occur - and the weight will return with interest, says the expert.
The nutritionist also clarifies that most people will overeat at dinner due to long breaks between main meals, such as skipping breakfast.
- Don't 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 preparing for positive weight loss, " concludes the nutritionist. Irina advises us to think that by limiting ourselves without fanaticism, we become healthier first of all. For a special editorial, she named 10 popular habits that prevent us from losing weight.