Japanese diet for 14 days: menu and opinion of nutritionists

The Japanese are slender, live a long time and retain a flowery appearance, good memory and energy until old age. So is the Japanese diet the secret to health and longevity? It's not all that rosy: let's find out together.

History of the Japanese diet

Lose 7-8 kilograms in 14 days - this promises the Japanese diet. Which, to be honest, has a very indirect relationship with Japanese cuisine and the food system. In any case, its observance requires the iron will of the samurai.

There is no traditional Japanese seafood in the diet, only fish. It includes a large amount of sugar-free coffee, which is not a very popular way of serving the drink in Japan. It is advisable to cook food not only without salt, but also without seasonings, which is generally unknown to the Japanese.

The traditional Japanese food system really has many advantages:

• One study showed that a grain and vegetable diet with a small amount of soy and animal products reduced the likelihood of dying from heart attack or stroke.
• Japan has the lowest obesity index in the world.
• Okinawa, in southern Japan, has the largest number of people in the world who are over 100 years old.
• Japanese food, especially typical of Okinawa, is rich in antioxidants and flavonoids from fruits and vegetables of different colors and plant estrogens, which help prevent the development of hormone-dependent tumors (such as breast cancer).
• Japanese rituals related to the presentation and aesthetics of food and drink presentation are just as good for physical and mental health as the habits associated with another healthy diet, the Mediterranean one: eating fresh, sharing meals with family, eating lots of fruit and fish, allow pleasure, enjoy food.

But the traditional Japanese diet has the same relationship to the two-week weight loss diet called the "Japanese diet" as a roller coaster in America.

Principles of the Japanese diet

The Japanese diet is very strict and does not allow for deviations. The cardinal principle of its action is the gradual restructuring of attitudes towards nutrition in general and the reduction of the total calorie content of the diet. Light proteins become the basis of the menu and carbohydrates are reduced. The fiber in fruits and vegetables helps you feel full.

Diet is claimed to help rebuild and normalize digestion and metabolism, but there is no scientific evidence for this. However, giving up sugar, salt, baked goods, and alcohol changes the body and brain. But it is important that the rejection is long-term, 14 days is not enough. And portion reduction really brings the stretched stomach in large portions back to a normal state. But it does not shrink: this elastic organ cannot shrink to a state below the physiological norm.

The Japanese diet only allows for 3 meals, 4. 5-5 hours before bedtime, the last meal should be scheduled. Snacks are unacceptable, which can be a difficult test: physiologically, a person feels hunger every 3-4 hours, and meals divided into small portions give him more energy than three meals a day.

During the day, according to the Japanese diet, it is necessary to drink at least two liters of water. Vegetable oils should be kept to a minimum. A cup of green tea is the only pleasure for hunger.

Nutritionists warn: it's best to prepare for any diet in advance, and you should start off smoothly so that the inevitable stress is minimized. For 2-5 days, lighten your diet as much as possible. You can also buy Japanese chopsticks to eat more slowly and carefully. Try to drink and sleep more, be less nervous.

List of prohibited foods in the Japanese diet

1. Salt, because it delays the removal of fluids from the body and increases blood pressure.
2. Sugar, because it is a source of simple carbohydrates, which are deposited quickly in the body in the form of excess weight.
3. Alcohol in any form and quantity, because it slows down the metabolism and prevents the elimination of toxins from the body.
4. Wheat flour bread.
5. Semi-finished products, fast food, any sweets and fatty dairy products.

Foods allowed in the Japanese diet

The basis of nutrition in the Japanese diet are fruits and vegetables (except sweet bananas, figs, grapes), cheeses, kefir, fish and meat, eggs. Meat and fish can be fried in vegetable oil. You can choose sunflower, olive, corn, sesame oil - the variety helps to withstand strict restrictions.

Protein is the main nutrient of the diet and this has in common the Japanese diet with other high protein diets like the keto diet and the paleo diet among their pros and cons. Fiber is the second most important nutrient for satiety. It is found in cereals, vegetables and fruit.

All sweets are prohibited in the Japanese diet. The sweetest food in the diet is fruit.

Can	It is forbidden
Vegetables Fruit Lean meat and fish Lean dairy products: cottage cheese, Greek yogurt, kefir, hard cheese Vegetable oil Egg Black and green tea and sugar-free coffee	Potatoes, corn, beets and other starchy vegetables Bananas, figs, grapes Beef and fatty pork, salmon and other fatty fish Sauces, ketchup, mustard, spices, cream cheese Butter, animal fat, sugar and salt Canned foods, convenience foods, fast foods, desserts, sweets, breads and pastries Alcohol, sweet lemonades and fizzy drinks

Sample menu for 14 days

Breakfast.Most of the 14 days of the Japanese diet for breakfast should only drink one cup of sugar-free black coffee. Sometimes it can be supplemented with crackers or replaced with green tea. Organic coffee is a staple of the Japanese diet because it contains beneficial natural antioxidants.

Dinner.For lunch you can eat lean fish, chicken or meat with vegetables. You can make salads with fresh vegetables, fry vegetables together with the main dish or eat salads with grated carrots, chopped cabbage, cucumbers. There are no calorie restrictions, but a small portion is required.

Dinnerit is the most varied part of the Japanese diet. You can eat fruit, boiled eggs, kefir, hard cheeses. If desired, the Japanese diet allows you to eat fish or meat with vegetables for dinner, as for lunch, but the portion should be smaller.

The first day	Black coffee. 2 hard-boiled eggs, coleslaw with vegetable oil. Fried or boiled fish, tomato salad.
Second day	Black coffee and crackers. Boiled fish, vegetable salad. Boiled beef and a glass of kefir.
The third day	Green tea without sugar. A portion of boiled or fried fish and a glass of carrot juice. 200 g of any fruit, except grapes and bananas.
Fourth day	Black coffee. 500 g of unsalted boiled chicken with fresh cabbage and carrot salad. Fresh carrots and 2 hard-boiled eggs.
Fifth day	Black coffee and a portion of fat-free ricotta. Veal stew 200 gr, grated carrot salad with butter. A glass of kefir.
Sixth day	Black coffee. 2 hard-boiled eggs, coleslaw with vegetable oil. Fried or boiled fish tomato salad.
Seventh day	Black coffee. Baked Brussels sprouts and green beans, boiled fish 200 gr. Tomato juice, fruit.
eighth day	Tender. 200 g of boiled beef, 2 apples. 2 hard-boiled eggs, grated carrots with vegetable oil.
Ninth day	Black coffee and Greek yogurt. 200 g of boiled fish, fresh cabbage salad. 100 g of boiled beef and a glass of tomato juice.
tenth day	Black coffee. Fried zucchini or eggplant in vegetable oil, in any quantity. 100 g of boiled fish and 2 hard-boiled eggs.
Eleventh day	Black coffee and crackers. Portion of boiled beef 100 gr, cabbage salad with butter. Tomato juice, apple.
Twelfth day	Drink yogurt without glass additives, green tea. Boiled chicken fillet 200 gr, Chinese cabbage salad with butter. Veal stew 200 gr, grated carrot salad with butter.
Thirteenth day	Black coffee, wholemeal flour toast. Steamed fish 200 gr, stewed zucchini. A glass of kefir.
fourteenth day	Black coffee, 2 hard boiled eggs. 300 g boiled chicken breast, cabbage salad with butter. Kefir, apple.

Feedback from followers

• "I always lose weight, my height is 167 cm and the minimum weight was 56, the maximum 73 after giving birth. So, I tried many diets: Dukan, Protasov, etc. Japanese is the most effective, on it I throw 5-7 kg Used 4 times.
• "Well, I can say that the results of the diet obviously satisfied me a little. I really lost weight, you can see it both in the clothes and in the comments of others. But I don't want to repeat this experience. Once again I was convinced that there is nothing good in strict diets. And as soon as I started to eat more or less familiarly, the weight gradually increased.
• "This diet has helped me lose weight and start changing, but I cannot recommend it to anyone, because any diet is stressful for the body and can lead to sad consequences, it is much better to listen to your body and change your attitude towards food . "
• "The most important and precious effect for me was that I didn't want to eat sweets and all sorts of nasty things like chips, crackers, etc. , but I always loved it! I also liked that I started to taste the food very sharply, getting much more pleasure from food.
• "They say that this diet was developed in a Japanese clinic, the name of which is different in different sources. There is also an opinion that there is no Japanese diet and the name was invented simply for advertising purposes to attract the Attention. In fact, among the Japanese you rarely meet a well-fed person, we have also heard a lot about Japanese longevity. Conclusion: We trust the Japanese. "

The effectiveness and benefits of the Japanese diet

Avoiding sugar and alcohol are perhaps the only healthy ideas of the Japanese diet. Salt also does not have to be completely abandoned.

Many note that the diet really helps to lose weight by limiting calories and, more importantly, by changing taste preferences and falling out of love with some unhealthy foods. But it is difficult to talk about the change of internal processes: no serious studies have been conducted, there are only subjective sensations.

The diet is clearly contraindicated in children, pregnant women, breastfeeding women, people suffering from gastritis and ulcers, heart disease, eating disorders and other chronic diseases. It is advisable to consult a doctor before starting a diet.

Harm of the Japanese diet

The damage is the same as in other trending diets: a sharp reduction in calories can cause stress for the body and vitamin deficiencies. The high protein content increases the load on the liver and kidneys.

In addition, nutritionists and those who are losing weight note additional difficulties:

• Coffee with minimal breakfast additions will not be appreciated by everyone. With stomach problems, this is fraught with bloating and heartburn. Breakfast should give you energy for the whole day and a good mood, and not let you live in lunch dreams.
• Dry food without salt, spices, oils and sauces. It is physically difficult to eat it, and eating without pleasure leads to a deterioration in the absorption of nutrients.
• Food prohibitions and restrictions. In order not to go wild, you will need an iron will, and weight gain after the end of the diet is almost inevitable.
• Sport incompatibility. Activity on an empty stomach is not a good idea, and a bad mood doesn't help you tune into an active load.