According to WHO, Japanese people have one of the best-recorded longevity; however, a long life doesn’t necessarily equate to a healthy one. Below are some findings and things that are observed on how Japanese people are living their lives, and if they are really healthy or not.
Japanese Diet:
Seafood and Processed Food
Primarily, Japanese people’s diet consists of a lot of seafood. However, even though most of their diet include seaweeds and various types of seafood, they are also very fond of eating processed and commercialized food.
Breakfasts
The Japanese, as opposed to the usual American with the standard diet, their breakfast usually consist of sugary and processed substitutes due to the vast food commercialization. Other items such as rice, fermented soybeans, vegetables, and fish are still also some of the things included in their diet.
Dessert
Aside from crepes, cakes, and other sweets, there are still plenty of Japanese desserts that cater to their sweet tooth. Food items that are using rice and beans as base ingredients are usually one of their most significant dessert choices. If their desserts are not homemade, they are usually laced with the common preservatives, processed sugars, and additives.
Processed Traditional Food
Japanese people are also fond of pre-packaged food. From sushi rolls, salad, rice balls, and even bentos, it’s all part of their diet. Even if they look healthy as they are packed with the usual veggies and other ingredients, they are also packed with a lot of chemicals such as additives, preservatives, artificial color, and so on.
Organic Food
In rural Japan, you can see a lot of community or home-grown vegetables and fruits, and this contributes to Japanese longevity. Nowadays, unfortunately, plenty of people fetch their food and sustenance from the supermarket, making them miss out the advantages of having food items that are completely healthy. Not to mention, the number of imported food from other countries.
A few Japanese people that are health-conscious are also opting for organic food products from a weekly farm delivery; however, the search for a properly raised meat is still a challenge for them, making it a tiny part of their diet.
Lifestyle
Japanese longevity is also weighted and grounded on the type of lifestyle that they live. Those who follow a traditional lifestyle are more likely to live longer and healthier as it promotes longevity, where the contrast – modern lifestyle, leads to the opposite – diseases, sickness, and mortality.
The traditional lifestyle offers its followers a longer and healthier life since the facets of organic farming and consumption, spiritual beliefs, and family ties back up their positive and promising longevity.
With the modern lifestyle, considering the pressures of the society and economy, its followers are pressured to perform until they exhaust themselves, usually putting their health at risk. This can be seen in their work environment where employees are usually regarded as robots, shackled by obligation and complete service. With this, their life is greatly compromised and affected.
With all these contradictions and ironies, Japan remains to be interesting and mysterious because, despite it all, they are still among the most progressive countries among all. Looking at observations on their diet and lifestyle wouldn’t probably do justice as to how their quality of life is.
