Why Is It So Easy To Be Healthy in Japan?

Japanese woman eating watermelonPhoto by Gleb Albovsky on Unsplash

Obesity is a deadlier epidemic in the U.S. than COVID-19. There, I said it. 

Two-thirds of Americans are overweight or obese. Nearly 45% of White adults are obese, 50% of Black adults are obese, and more than half of Black Women living in America are classified obese. 

This is one of the reasons why the Black community was hit so hard with COVID fatalities; obesity has a direct correlation with COVID-related death. Rates of childhood obesity are also increasing to record highs. 

Consumerism drives a capitalist society, but it has its drawbacks. Gluttony is one of them. Rather, in the East, they take care of their bodies much differently. There isn’t an obesity problem in countries like Vietnam, India, but most of all, Japan 

You can go a whole day without finding a fat person in Japan, unless it’s a tourist. Japan accommodates some of the healthiest people on Earth even though they appreciate a carb-heavy diet of udon, rice, and ramen. 

They have three secrets to better health and longevity. Let’s explore them — 

Here some things to note about Japan

• The mortality rate from heart diseases is one of the lowest in the world, at about 31 deaths per 100,000 population. This is compared to the U.S. at 655,000 people or 1 in 4 Americans. 
• Japan has one of the highest life expectancies both for women and men worldwide. Japanese have an average life expectancy of nearly 84 years.
• In Japan, only 3.6 percent of people have a BMI over 30 (overweight metric) compared to 73% of U.S. adults.

So what’s the reasoning behind all of this? Three distinct reasons, actually. 

1. Japan Reimagines Fast Food

Fast food in America is as ubiquitous as water; in fact, it might be more so. 
There are 196,839 fast food restaurants in the U.S. as of 2021, while there are only around 6,500 fast food stores in Japan.

That’s 15X more fast food stores per person in America than Japan.

Fast food isn’t all bad. And that’s coming from an ultramarathoner and certified nutritionist. For many of us, our day-to-day doesn’t always afford us time to cook our own homemade meals. Moreover, fast food restaurants are taking steps to deliver healthier meals.

However, where the big problems arise from American fast food is in the marketing, portion size, and quality.

The Problem with American Marketing

According to a UConn study, more than “80% of all food advertising promotes fast food, sugary drinks, candy, and unhealthy snacks, dwarfing the entire $1 billion budget for all chronic disease prevention and health promotion at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.”

This is for good reason. Fast food in America desperately tries to trick you into thinking it’s healthy. Words like “crispy” are used instead of “fried” or “natural” instead of “USDC organic.” Meaningless health halos are attached to products like “all-natural, no-added-sugar, good source of fiber, or vegan.” 

Although Japan easily has the strangest and most memorable advertisements on the planet, they are also much more health-conscious and aren’t tricked by deceptive fast food marketing. 

Portion Sizes Are Insidious

You only need to watch the documentary “Super Size Me” to get a good understanding of how twisted American portion sizes are.

In the critically acclaimed film, journalist Morgan Spurlock attempts to eat nothing but McDonald’s for 30 days straight. On the first day, he’s an in-shape healthy adult male. By the end, he’s experiencing kidney failure.

Quality is Subhuman

While U.S.-based fast food joints like Kentucky Fried and Mcdonalds’ are very popular in Japan, they aren’t the only options. Healthier fast food choices like soba noodles, conveyor-belt sushi, or big beef-bowl chains like Yoshinoya, Matsuya, or Sukiya are widely available.

At Matsuya, for instance, you can get a grilled salmon meal or sausage and egg meal for less than $5 at breakfast time. 

2. Japanese People Ditch The Gym 

Japanese longevity is a recent phenomenon.

While their diets haven’t changed too much over the centuries, they have seriously bolstered the amount of exercise they do. However, it isn’t that they actively seek out the gym as many Americans do.

In fact, most Japanese do not participate in regular exercise. One survey revealed that 55% of Japanese people between the ages 20 and 70 years old do not exercise regularly; these individuals exercised less than once per month on average.

Instead, they walk.

I know, mind-blowing!! But it works. A National Health and Nutrition Survey revealed that Japanese men walk 6,846 steps a day, while Japanese women walk 5,867 steps each day.

Furthermore, everyone including the elderly is seen riding their bicycles pretty much everywhere. They aren’t training for races like Lance Armstrong but incorporate biking for daily activities such as grocery shopping or going to the corner store.

3. Japanese People Aren’t Afraid of Fat

There is no fatphobia in Japan. 

More specifically, there isn’t a phobia towards eating foods with fats in them. 

In Japan, it’s common to eat fat-rich pork belly, fatty cuts of chicken, marbled beef, and fatty cuts of fish like salmon. Despite this diet — which I’d be remiss to say is high in vegetables — Japanese people are able to maintain their status as one of the healthiest countries in the world.

This is because fat doesn’t make you fat. Carbs and sugar are what make you fat. 

In America we have plenty of both, but the real culprit is soda. A recent national Gallup poll found that half of Americans drink one or more glasses of soda a day, with 7% saying they drink four or more sodas a day.

Thankfully these numbers have been steadily declining for years now. But the same cannot be said about our obesity numbers. 

The Takeaway 

There’s one key metric Dr. Fauci and the World Health Organization never mention about COVID-19: Maintaining good health on your own.

We never talk about exercise.
We never talk about eating healthy.
We rely on vaccines and pharmaceuticals to bail us out.

This pandemic revealed to me that we’re far past the point of no return. Maintaining your own health is not mainstream; it’s the counterculture. 

Hopefully, by clicking on this article you’ve taken it upon yourself to make a change in your own life. Take it one day at a time. And remember, we’re all on this fitness & health journey together.

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