First, enjoy the food you eat
The goal is helping people maintain a healthy body and mind and “cultivate a rich humanity”. Japan tracks such things as are people eating together, do they skip breakfast, do people have knowledge of food producers and do they feel a sense of gratitude for their food?
The nutrition guidelines are part of this movement. And the top priority is: “Enjoy your meals”. I’m not aware of another country that does this. Is this one reason the Japanese are so healthy?
It’s probably not that simple. I enjoy meals of creamy pasta and barbecue duck, but if I had those every day I’m not sure I’d feel or look well.
But enjoyment is a key component in making changes stick. No one is going to keep to a regime of kale salad and green smoothies if there’s no pleasure in it.
Probably the trick is to enjoy our meals, just not too much. As with the French — who love cheese and wine, but are disciplined in how they consume them — the Japanese are focused on moderation.
Establish a healthy rhythm by keeping regular hours for meals, they advise, and “Maintain the proper weight with adequate exercise and well-balanced meals.”
They also get into specifics on vegetables, grains, salt and fat that mirror advice we’re familiar with here.
Another Japanese guideline is: “Develop your understanding of food and review your dietary life.”
This may have suffered in translation, but I think they’re saying it’s worth reflecting from time to time on how we’re combining enjoyment and moderation, dialling back if we need to, but not forgetting the pleasure in a great meal.
Niki Bezzant is editor-at-large of
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Healthy Food Guide.