your cart
Your cart is empty.
General Articles
4 Reasons Why You Should Eat More Japanese Food
The Okinawan people are famous for living long, healthy lives and there is one factor which helps to greatly contribute towards this; Japanese food.
The Japanese diet generally comprises of simple, fresh food with plenty of quality seafood, which many health professionals say can help you to live longer and healthier.
Below, we have looked at four reasons why you should eat more Japanese food, and the benefits you will gain from doing so:
DIY Japanese home-cooking
Incorporating more Japanese-styles into your home cooking is a great way of incorporating the key elements of the style into your day-to-day life. Japanese meals are often made of many different parts and is a great style of meal to share with family and loved ones.
Every meal is a mixture of multiple proteins, vegetables and Japanese noodles and rice. The meals are very well balanced, which means that you will rarely overeat any one food or food group.
They key is to create a spread comprised of many different foods cut into small pieces so you can combine multiple dishes and enjoy a complex, yet balanced experience with each mouthful. Try making your own pickles using any leftover veg you have, and use full-flavoured sauces such as sesame oil and wasabi.
Make friends with fermented foods
Pickled and fermented foods are served with most Japanese main courses, helping to provide a dose of good bacteria that can improve digestion and increase nutrient absorption.
Cucumber, carrot, cabbage and daikon are commonly served pickled vegetables. Not only do they add extra nutrients to the diet and have a positive effect on gut health, but it also helps provide an extra textural dimension to meals.
Get the salty taste without the downsides
We are constantly being told we need to lower our salt intake, and while Japanese foods can be naturally salty, it is not a cause for concern as salt is not added as a singular ingredient.
Instead, salty ingredients such as miso, soy sauce and sea weed are used, which provides the flavour alongside other forms of nutrition. For example, wakame, the seaweed used in salads and soups in Japan, is a great source of iodine, calcium, magnesium and folate, as well as being believed to prevent high blood pressure.
The bonus of using these ingredients is that, due to their strong flavours, less is very often more.
Seafood
Fresh seafood is a great source of monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats which help to lower “bad” cholesterol, putting less pressure on your heart. Consuming the fish raw helps you gain the maximum benefits from the fish, as there is no interference from heat or oils which can lessen the benefits of the healthy fats.
But choosing battered or tempura seafood is something which should be done sporadically. Although delicious, the batter and crumbs can add large amounts of bad fats, whilst frying the fish reduces the quantity of healthy fats. The less heat and oil the fish receives, the better the good fats will remain.
These are just four reasons why you should try and eat more Japanese food, but if you have any more reasons we missed, please let us know on our social media channels! In the meantime, why not shop our online store and check out our full range of oriental produce?
this site uses cookies
We and our advertising partners use cookies on this site and around the web to improve your website experience and provide you with personalised advertising from this site and other advertisers. By clicking allow, you accept the placement and use of these cookies for these purposes. Learn More