The Japanese Diet

freezspirit

I'm considering doing to japanese diet and was wondering if anybody has done it before to give me the pros and cons. Having stomach problems so thought going back to basics might help in the short term.

Trying to find any information on what I can actually eat is hard as all the sites I've been on talk in general terms as rice, green leafy veg and fish plus green tea. No actual recipes or if I need specific type of rice or veg or fish.

Emmzi

google macrobiotics, very similar and you'll find loads of recipes.

lizzyb1812

Haven't done it myself but can recommend the YO! Sushi cookbook by Kimiko Barber

It has a chapter on basic ingredients and techniques, then further chapters;

Sauces, dressing and marinades
Novice - easy recipes to get you started
Apprentice - get rolling with these everyday recipes
Samurai - find your inner expert

Try this website ;

http://japanesefood.about.com/

krlyr

If you struggle to understand a diet then you'll struggle to upkeep it. Can you get a referal to see a specialist regarding your stomach troubles?
In the short-term, if you're struggling, why not do basic meals you do understand? E.g. chicken, rice and peas - not too many ingredients to aggravate stomach issue. Potatoes, fish & veg, etc.

VJsmum

How about an exclusion diet? You cut out alot of things for 2 weeks (I think) then gradually introduce things one every 2 days. That way you get to see the effects of individual foods on your body.

YOu will have to google it for the details and it is really tough to do, but very beneficial

bupster

If you mean following the kind of diet that the Japanese eat, it's like asking what British people eat - loads and everyone's different - that's the reason why you're struggling to find what sort of fish, veg, rice etc! To be honest, unless you want to spend a lot of time learning about raw fish, why not stick to general principles? Eat lots of raw food and rice - I don't think it really matters what rice and veg you eat - and fish, whatever you like, cooked however you like (baked, microwaved or steamed would be healthiest). Easy peasy. Then you could reintroduce different foods one at a time and see if there's anything specific that's bothering you. A lot of people find it's dairy or wheat that troubles them, even if they're not actually so intolerant that they have to stop eating them.

Pink.

Hi Freezspirit,

As your thread has now dropped down the Old Style board I've moved it over to the Health, Beauty and Fashion board to see if you can get more advice there.

Pink

Hermia

freezspirit wrote: »

I'm considering doing to japanese diet and was wondering if anybody has done it before to give me the pros and cons. Having stomach problems so thought going back to basics might help in the short term.

Trying to find any information on what I can actually eat is hard as all the sites I've been on talk in general terms as rice, green leafy veg and fish plus green tea. No actual recipes or if I need specific type of rice or veg or fish.

What stomach problems do you have? It's just a friend has a stomach condition and has to limit how much Japanese food she has because the vinegar causes her problems.

I'm not sure how easy it would be to stick to an entirely Japanese diet bearing in mind that it might be quite difficult/expensive to get the ingredients. I think the problem with all these "eat like people from another country" books is that we just don't have access to such good quality ingredients at a reasonable price. It still surprises how many decent Italian ingredients are still really difficult to get in this country.

OP - could you not just eat a healthy pared-down diet for a while. E.g. fruit and veg, wholegrains, lean meats etc. Then you could try the exclusion diet or see a doctor if things are still bad.

devildog

Japanese eat/drink next to no dairy produce so omitting cheese/milk/ice cream etc would be a good place to start.

Jojo_the_Tightfisted

Broth based soups are fantastic (if you can't get the hang of fish stock for everything, chicken stock, plus soy/tamari if you're avoiding wheat, sake and mirin makes a wonderful soup base - thicken with a little cornflour slaked in some of the stock), lots of fish, tons, tons, tons of vegetables - the 5 a day is more like 15 a day in Japan - a little meat and very little dairy.

Most things are cut into small morsels before serving - chopsticks are optional, but I find them easier than a knife and fork (arthritis in one hand more than the other) and they slow you down (no shovelling it in possible).


A small bowl of soup with lots of meals, things in small bowls/on small plates, not heaped up in mounds, that kind of thing.




Oh, and mochi.

I love mochi.