Wednesday 25 February 2015

Try to achieve 30 kinds variety a day - Not as hard as it sounds

We try to eat less to avoid high calories.  Some people skip breakfast or lunch, to reduce weight.  However, if your body presume that food intake is getting poor or irregular, it starts storing your fat in order not to be starved.  And you tend to eat a lot in the evening because you are so hungry,  The indicator of the weight scale never ever moves! 

What you need is to eat a variety of foods regulaly. This is where '30 Pieces a Day' rule used in Japan becomes very handy. To break it down simply, when you're setting up your plate, go by these guidelines.

-Carbohydrate (55-60%)
-Protein (15-20%)
-Healthy fat (20-25%)
and about 300 grams vegetables
So, how do you count 30 pieces a day?

● No matter how many times you eat the same food, count is as only one variety for that day.
● If you decide to eat out that day or you want to settle for a ready-made meal, try to count how many different varieties you can see.  
● If you don't know exactly what is in your food, then just count it as one.
● Seasoning doesn't count; with the exception of mayonnaise and dressing  
30 items a day sounds like a challenge, but actually it's really easy. For example, try adding spinach, mushroom, onion, tomatoes into the plain cheese omelet you usually have.  Add fruits and nuts to your morning cereal.  Honey and berry fruits in your yoghurt.  You can do so much with salads! Add some seeds and nuts and even fruit in there.  Ditch the butter on your toast and add avocado or sardines to your toast.  This is only just the breakfast. 10 different items in each meal for 3 times.  You may have already done so. 


Why not? Sometimes go for it!



Monday 23 February 2015

Chopsticks can make you slim

Yes, if you are non- Asian who think that the chopsticks are just two pencils.

In the hypothalamus in the brain, there is an eating centre and a satiety centre where appetite is controlled and when this satiety centre can be even controlled well, you can diet easily. These two functions can be compared to an accelerator and the brake in car. The eating centre says 'go on, eat more' and the satiety centre says 'slow down, that's enough'. It takes 20 minutes for the body to realise when you are getting full, so it's important to take it slow and prevent yourself from over eating! There are tactics you can use to take control over the speed at which you eat. Here's one...

Chopsticks

According to the Daily Mail, chopsticks influence the way we eat. This, however, only applies to non-Japanese people because for them chopsticks require work resulting in taking longer to eat, therefore we can judge when we are getting full.  So, if you're a beginner with chopsticks or you cannot use them at all, then perfect! 


Bubble & Squeak Rule

After being away from the UK for 12 years, guess what a friend of mine wanted to eat first.

His mother's homemade Bubble and Squeak!

We all have our version of Bubble and Squeak in our minds, meaning we all have something we crave so bad from time to time, whether it's a cup of tea loaded with sugar, chocolate, that slice of cake... and you keep telling yourself "No, you can't have it. I need to be healthy".

Good news. Don't be so hard on yourself. You don't need to give them up!
 
If you love sugary tea, then just have it in the morning, but compromise with brown sugar. Eventually you'll see how nice tea actually is without all that sugar!

Have you ever food-binged the entire day, then felt completely guilty afterwards? Don't worry. These things happen, just don't make it a habit. Tomorrow's another day, you can start again.

Healthy eating isn't a chore. Relax and enjoying it is the principle of the message I bring across in this blog.

"Never give up on someone (something) you cannot go a day without thinking about!"


This is my Bubble & Squeak







Sunday 22 February 2015

Quiet Landing of Japanese food to the United Kingdom



Go to Piccadilly Circus or the City, or anywhere really in the Japanese food shops at lunch time in London and look at what the smart business men in thier suits are holding.   It is a "SUSHI" pack.

You don't have to go to the Japanese shops to buy Japanese food anymore.  Visit Tesco, Waitrose and even corner shops where you can find sushi next to the sandwiches,  even basic cooking ingredients like soy sauce, seaweed, sesame oil etc.

Japanese restaurants are no longer filled with Japanese tourists, but are now being replaced with British people.

Till ten years ago, the British people said

"Raw fish?  Yak! No way! "
"What is this black paper (seaweed)?"

They  wouldn't give it a taste. 

It is now trendy having a meal at the sushi restaurant and the attitude towards a Japanese meal has changed a lot.

Research findings of"the key of health and a long life" are released.  The Japanese woman who eats the Japanese-style food would be the one. Their calory intake is less than 25% compared with a British woman.  The life expectancy of the Japanese woman is 86.4 years old, rather than 82.7 years old British woman.

If you have been interested in the Japanese diet, but do not know how,  then may be this could be the start of something.  

I am mixed with British and Japanese and  brought up with both diet cultures. So I hope this blog inspires you and feeds your knowledge about the beautiful and healthy Japanese food and let you see that not only does it taste exquisite, but you'll be feeling and looking good inside and out.