Why is it so Easy to be Thin in Japan?
Why is it so Easy to be Thin in Japan?
Comparing the food environment of the U.S. to Japan’s.
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This video highlights the difference between the food environment of America and Japan. America’s obesity rate is about 30% (biggest state is 37.7%, smallest 22.3%) whereas Japan’s obesity rate is 3.5%
While there’s other countries on each side of the obesity spectrum, I chose to compare these two because I grew up in America and spent the last 7 years here in Japan. The places that I describe as “reasonably healthy” in Japan aren’t necessarily places I recommend as “optimally healthy” - I’m simply point out that while convenient food in America ranges from very unhealthy to unhealthy, convenient food in Japan ranges from very unhealthy to pretty healthy.
Big thanks to Itchban for letting me use his footage (6:30 - 6:48):
/ itchban
http://www.instagram.com/itchban
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Broke for Free - As Colorful as ever
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Content
1.26 -> If you’ve ever been Japan, you may have
noticed that it’s really hard to find an
4.84 -> obese Japanese person.
6.92 -> In the United States, it’s quite a different
story.
10.39 -> The rate of obesity among adults in America
is on average around 30% whereas the Japan
15.82 -> obesity rate is only 3.5%.
18.23 -> But what makes the weight of people in these
two countries so different?
23.18 -> "Why Japanese people?"
25.16 -> At first, I was thinking about things like…
27.05 -> Japanese people drink a lot of green tea and
they get a decent amount of fermented foods
31.24 -> like kimuchi or nattou which is great for
the gut microbiome.
34.749 -> But, in this video I want to focus on a very
simple yet key point about Japan.
40.129 -> The food environment is drastically different
from the US.
44.07 -> As of 2017 there’s over 243,000 Fast food
establishments in America.
49.719 -> There’s only 6,169 establishments in Japan,
meaning per person, there’s about 15 times
57.129 -> more fast food restaurants in America.
59.539 -> "Why macudonarudo?"
60.729 -> Then again, in Japan, fast food, fried food,
chips, chocolate, candy, soda, and not so
66.61 -> healthy things are still available wherever
you go.
70.29 -> But there’s a huge variety of equally convenient
reasonably healthy food.
75.12 -> Let’s say I’m the average busy person
in the states who would like to be healthy
79.54 -> but doesn’t have time to cook at home.
81.64 -> What’s for breakfast?
83.41 -> Most people’s options are limited to things
like a McGriddle with Hashbrowns and coffee,
87.5 -> or maybe an Egg and processed Cheese sandwich
with tater tots at Dunkin’ Donuts, or some
91.96 -> pancakes at Denny’s if you have more time.
94.84 -> Surely some people have more healthy options,
but I’m trying to think of what most people
99.53 -> are going to have access to.
101.67 -> So what’s a quick breakfast in Japan?
103.42 -> While there’s more than 6000 fast food establishments
in Japan, there’s also 5000 "rice bowl"
110.29 -> establishments.
111.29 -> The big ones are Yoshinoya, Sukiya and Matsuya.
114.39 -> And for 4 dollars at Sukiya, for breakfast
you can get Plain Rice, Miso Soup with Seaweed,
119.7 -> an Egg, baked fish, and a small potato salad
comes with it.
124.09 -> If I'm extra hungry maybe I'll add some kimchi,
fermented soybeans and stewed beef for 4 more
129.42 -> dollars.
130.42 -> Or, you can put together a reasonably healthy
meal from a convenience store.
134.7 -> At a Japanese convenience store I can get
a rice ball which is just rice, salmon and
139.389 -> salt… a small salad, or a package of sushi,
or a thing of fish with miso…
144.17 -> Or some soup.
145.329 -> I was pretty impressed with how little junk
is in this: it’s basically just vegetables,
149.69 -> pork and fish broth.
151.36 -> And, there’s a bunch of different foods
like this - here’s what I can get for under
154.989 -> 10 dollars USD.
161.41 -> Compare this to what’s available in American
convenience stores - they’re limited to
165.379 -> fried foods sitting under heat lamps or foods
loaded with trans fat, sugar, preservatives
170.819 -> and unhealthy additives.
172.779 -> If you’re lucky you might be able to get
a package of plain nuts with nothing added.
177.4 -> So the items in Japanese convenience stores
are not top quality health foods, but they’re
181.879 -> not bad.
183.12 -> This is big because practically everyone has
access to these places, convenience stores
187.69 -> like these are everywhere.
189.489 -> Japan has about 55,000 convenience stores
meaning there’s about 10 times more convenience
194.659 -> stores per square kilometer in Japan compared
to America.
198.7 -> For most, these places are in walking distance.
201.049 -> I understand that of course there are healthy
restaurants here and there in America and
205.06 -> you can make a really healthy meal with ingredients
from the supermarket.
208.639 -> But when it comes to cheap, convenient and
quick food - it’s almost always quite unhealthy.
214.309 -> In Japan, for a quick lunch, I can go to burger
king, or right next door I can get some sushi.
219.87 -> I can get a Hamburger and some Popcorn at
...Vandalism cafe (?), or I can go next door
224.559 -> to Matsuya and get a bowl of spicy tofu soup
with a bit of beef, green onion and cabbage,
229.89 -> some pork, a soft boiled egg, some mustard
spinach, rice and there’s free pickled ginger
235.439 -> to go with it.
237.06 -> And of course there are many healthier non-chain
places that offer many different types of
241.62 -> cuisine.
242.959 -> And this variety is important.
244.73 -> It’s going to be much easier to stick to
healthier options if you aren’t getting
248.66 -> bored of having to eat the same things at
the same places over and over.
254.219 -> Even if you’re going out to drink with friends
at dinner time, there’s still a variety
257.47 -> of good food choices.
259.37 -> The standard place to drink at is an izakaya
- at 10,000 establishments, there’s almost
263.78 -> twice as many izakayas as there are fast food
places in Japan.
267.85 -> Replacing fast food for alcohol is not a good
strategy, but let’s see what one of the
271.753 -> common izakaya chains have to offer in the
way of food.
282.47 -> Let me point out one more time that there’s
of course much better quality food than what
286.01 -> you get at convenience stores, rice bowl chains
or izakayas and this is not what most Japanese
290.98 -> people eat on a daily basis.
292.74 -> I’m not really recommending these places
either - Most Japanese people wouldn’t think
296.921 -> of these places as “healthy”.
298.61 -> But, this isn’t about optimal health.
301.03 -> I just mean to point out that even someone
who puts minimal effort into being healthy
305.1 -> can get some reasonable quality meals out
of these very convenient places.
310.12 -> By the way, what’s everyone drinking with
and between meals?
313.55 -> In America, more often than not it’s soda,
considering a survey of 80 countries found
317.76 -> that America comes in at rank #1 for soda
consumption at 170 liters purchased per person
324.23 -> in 2011.
325.55 -> Japan came in at rank #56 at 32 liters per
person.
330 -> In Japan most places serve tea with your meal
for free and in general it’s harder to purchase
334.79 -> massive quantities of soda - there’s no
comically large big gulps at seven eleven,
339.64 -> I haven't seen these packs of soda here, and
Japan has the smallest “large” cup size
344.84 -> at McDonald’s - An American medium size
drink is bigger than a Japanese large.
350.24 -> Another factor to thank for keeping people’s
soda intake low is again: variety.
354.25 -> What’s interesting is despite Japan drinking
5 times less soda than America, soda is available
359.8 -> in vending machines everywhere in Japan.
362.47 -> There’s 5.52 million vending machines, meaning
there is a vending machine for every 23 people
367.71 -> in Japan - that’s the highest vending machine
per capita on the planet.
371.99 -> So what’s in these vending machines?
373.54 -> Why don’t we take a look at this vending
machine I came across on the side of the road
377.24 -> in the middle of nowhere in Hakone.
380.1 -> Among other things, They have black coffee,
six different types of unsweetened tea and
384.49 -> water.
385.49 -> A typical american vending machine offers
13 varieties of drink, the only non-sweet
390.5 -> one being water.
392.64 -> So convenience and variety - simple, but it
makes a difference.
396.33 -> It’s easier to pick the healthy choices
when they are just as easy and convenient
400.71 -> as the unhealthier choices.
402.71 -> Now this is by no means the full story on
Japan and health, but I think these are two
407.21 -> key factors.
408.21 -> I’ll be doing another video on some of the
many other things that contribute to health
412.14 -> in Japan, so if there’s a particular point
you want to hear discussed leave a comment
416.49 -> below.
Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lr4MmmWQtZM