Health and self care in the highest life expectancy prefecture in Japan

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Health and self care campaign

(Continued from “The best region among the high life expectancy in Japan”)  In 1945, Dr. Wakatsuki was assigned to Saku General Hospital, and in 1959, Dr. Yoshizawa was assigned to Kokuho Asama General Hospital in Saku City, Nagano as the director. They walked around from one local community center to another to preach health and self care to farmers. They preached them, “Let’s learn that too much salt is the reason for a stroke, and let’s prevent it.”

In 1980, this activity came to fruition as the “Prefectural Residents’ Salt Reduction Campaign” throughout Nagano Prefecture. As a result of this activity, the amount of salt intake per day was reduced from 15.9g to 11g in 1983.

Dr. Minoru Kamata, the director of Suwa Central Hospital, took over the activity later and continues to this day. The preachers enjoy their long lives on their own. Mr. Wakatsuki is 96 years old, Mr. Yoshizawa is 93, and Mr. Kamata is still active at 72.

“A trace amount of poison” of vegetables is good for the body.

The “Nagano Model” emphasizes improving and enhancing eating habits. Let’s take a look at its features.

The first is the amount of time spent eating. Nagano Prefecture’s average is 104 minutes per day, the third longest in Japan. This means that they are chewing their food well. Chewing well prevents overeating and reduces obesity. As a result, Nagano Prefecture has one of the lowest rates of obesity, which is the cause of illness.

It is also known that dementia increases when the number of chewing decreases. Chewing well is also vital in that sense.

The second is the amount of vegetable intake. Everybody knows that vegetable is good for your health. But even experts vary in their idea of why it is good actually. One of the ideas becoming mainstream nowadays is that a trace amount of poison in the vegetable helps your health.

Nagano Prefecture is the number one producer of Chinese cabbage and lettuce in Japan and is also one of the top producers of cabbage and tomatoes.

At the same time, their intake of vegetables is also the highest in Japan as consumers for both men and women. The Japanese national average daily vegetable intake is 301g, while it is 379g in Nagano Prefecture.

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Local food production and consumption

Nagano Prefecture produces red wine with a high proportion of their consumption. Red wine contains polyphenols and is known to be suitable against heart disease, especially arteriosclerosis.

In addition to vegetables and red wine, Nagano Prefecture is the number one producer of other foods in Japan. “Shinshu (Nagano) miso” accounts for about half of Japan’s total miso production. (Miso is fermented soy paste, one of the Japanese staples.)
Nagano’s Mushrooms also account for about one-third of the Japanese national production.

Also, regarding consumption, Nagano Prefecture ranks first in Japan in miso and mushrooms per capita.

One of the reasons why miso and mushrooms are good for the body is because they are rich in substances called polyamines. Recently, it has become clear that this polyamine is good for health and is particularly effective in preventing aging.

Lesson: Take care of your health before getting sick and pursuing the best treatment.

Among various lessons we can learn from the Nagano model, the essential wisdom is what Dr. Yoshizawa preached: to be conscious of protecting your health. It is that each person works proactively for their health.

Ultimately, the essence is that we should take care of our health before getting sick instead of pursuing excellent treatment after getting sick.

Take the essence of fermented soy (miso) through a natural supplement!

Fermented soy is a staple of the Japanese cousin mostly as “miso soup”, and it is one of the secrets of anti-aging of Japanese women and the high life expectancy in Japan. Fermented foods are often hard to eat for people of other dietary cultures. But you can take the essence easily through the supplement.

LEARN MORE About Effisoy, made of fermented soy bean germ
The only supplement to contain fermented soy isoflavone beside Japan.

The best region among the high life expectancy in Japan

The highest life expectancy region in Japan, Nagano prefecture

Most of us know the high life expectancy in Japan and some people seek for the secret behind it. Even there, Nagano prefecture boasts the highest life expectancy even in Japan.

Nagano wasn’t originally a long-lived prefecture. According to statistics from 1965, the life expectancy was 9th in men and 26th in women there, among all 47 prefectures in Japan.
Mountains on all sides surround Nagano Prefecture, and they traditionally eat preserved foods with salt. For this reason, Nagano Prefecture had Japan’s fourth-highest salt intake and a high mortality rate due to high blood pressure and stroke around 1960.

However, since 1990 for men and 2010 for women, Nagano has remained to boast the longest average life expectancies in Japan.

Nagano is also the top healthy life expectancy region.

Furthermore, Nagano Prefecture’s elderly employment rate is 26.7%. It is also the highest in Japan.
In other words, not only is life expectancy high in Japan, but healthy life expectancy (the age at which people can live independently) is also long there, ranking first for both men and women.

Nagano is an ideal model for the aging society of healthy and long life.

What makes them lowest from cancer mortality?

Nagano Prefecture has the lowest cancer mortality rate in Japan.

However, Nagano Prefecture is one of the few prefectures in Japan that does not have a “cancer center” that many other prefectures have. The number of general hospitals is below average at 33rd out of 47 prefectures.
On the other hand, the number of community centers responsible for citizens’ health care and disease prevention is the highest in Japan. Its number of public health nurses is also the second highest in the country.

It shows one secret of Nagano Prefecture’s success lies in “preventive medicine,” They place priority on the prevention of getting sick rather than medical treatment after they become ill.

This kind of medical care in Nagano Prefecture, now called the “Nagano Model,” started with the “salt reduction campaign” initiated by doctors who were enthusiastic about regional medicine.

(Continued to the next post, how come Nagano turned a healthy region?)

Take a Japanese anti-aging secret through a natural supplement!

Fermented soy is a staple of the Japanese cousin mostly as “miso soup”, and it is one of the secrets of anti-aging of Japanese women and the high life expectancy in Japan. Fermented foods are often hard to eat for people of other dietary cultures. But you can take the essence easily through the supplement.

LEARN MORE About Effisoy, made of fermented soy bean germ
The only supplement to contain fermented soy isoflavone beside Japan.

Best foods for skin anti-aging

To maintain youthful skin, lifestyle habits such as diet, sleep, and exercise are more critical than skincare and cosmetics.
It is necessary to be beautiful not only on the surface but also from within.
Here, we will introduce best foods for skin anti-aging and how you should eat.

Skin changes with age

As you age, your skin loses its firmness and adds wrinkles, sagging, and dullness.
It is a change that can happen to anyone, but it’s yet improvable with better eating habits. Here we introduce you to some tips.

Foods and ways to eat that are bad for your skin

【food】

Processed food
Instant foods such as instant noodles, soft drinks, and sweets are low in vitamins, often contain a lot of sugar and fat, and are mostly high in calories for their size.
Excessive sugar intake causes a phenomenon called saccharification, in which proteins in the body stick together and harden, which can lead to aging of the skin (dullness, etc.).

Unsaturated fatty acids such as linoleic acid
Unsaturated fatty acids in safflower oil and margarine are oxidized in the body and become hydrogen peroxide, which oxidizes sebum and destroys the antioxidant substances in the skin. It may accelerate skin aging. It is better to use oil containing a lot of oleic acids, such as olive oil, fish oil, and linseed oil, which have antioxidant properties and they will have anti-aging effects.

【how to eat】

Late night snacks
Snacks late at night will raise blood sugar levels. It will accelerate saccharification and aging of the skin.

Fast eating
Eating too quickly can rapidly increase blood sugar levels, and overeating can lead to excess calorie intake. Chew well and eat slowly.

Best foods for skin anti-aging and how to eat

【food】

Good quality protein
Collagen, which keeps the skin and skin firm, is made of proteins (amino acids). Let’s take high-quality protein from chicken, fish, soybeans, etc., so as not to exceed the calorie. The recommended intake is 1g of protein per 1kg body weight.
Fish is one of the healthy sources of protein. It is animal and high in protein but lower in fat than livestock meat.

Vitamin
Vitamins E, C, B2, and β-carotene, which are antioxidants, are said to be particularly effective in preventing skin aging. Let’s actively take green vegetables, such as green peppers, tomatoes, carrots, and spinach, that are rich in vitamins.

Brown carbs
Carbohydrates should ideally be as natural as possible. Unrefined carbohydrates, such as brown rice, contain plenty of good ingredients for the skin, such as vitamins, minerals, and dietary fiber. Choose brown rice instead of white rice, and rye or whole grain bread for bread.

【how to eat】

Well balanced
Best foods for skin anti-aging will actually make sense if you take them in the right ways.
No matter how much vitamins are good for the skin, it’s never good for your body and skin if you take only vitamins.
The most important thing is nutritional balance. The Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare (of Japan) recommends eating 30 items daily, but counting 30 items every day is quite difficult. The ideal meal traditionally said in the Japanese diet is one soup, two side dishes, and one staple food. Try to have a balanced menu regarding vitamins, protein, and iron.

80% eating
To prevent excessive calorie intake and saccharification, remember to “hold down at the 80 % of the stomach“. To “hold down on 80% of your stomach”, eating three meals at a fixed time in a day is essential, and eating slowly and chewing well will help you.

Anti-aging through diet

What we eat makes our body. A balanced diet is vital to stay healthy and youthful. If you want to keep young skin forever, let’s start with “diet to anti-aging.”

Take a Japanese anti-aging secret through a natural supplement!

Fermented soy is one of the secrets of anti-aging of Japanese women. Fermented foods are often hard to eat for people of other dietary cultures. But you can take the essence easily through the supplement.

LEARN MORE About Effisoy, made of fermented soy bean germ
The only supplement to contain fermented soy isoflavone beside Japan.

Vitamin D deficiency and bone density

Middle-aged and older women are more likely to develop osteoporosis due to a rapid bone density decline in female hormones. And even the younger generation tends to have less bone density buffer due to lifestyle changes. Here I like to talk about the vitamin D deficiency and bone density.

Bones not only support the body but are also closely related to the functions of internal organs, such as the flexibility of blood vessels, the ability to lower blood sugar, and the work of the kidneys. From the beauty viewpoint, the bones in the face decrease, and it causes “sagging and wrinkles” and affects the “appearance impression.” Keeping your bones healthy is good for your body and appearance.

Calcium has a strong image of nutrients that are good for bones, but I recommend (1) vitamin D, (2) calcium, and (3) vitamin K in that order. Vitamin D deficiency and bone density have a strong relation. Calcium cannot be absorbed sufficiently into the bones with low vitamin D.

What foods contain vitamin D? Rich in fish and mushrooms. Cloud ear mushrooms, maitake mushrooms, and sun-dried shiitake mushrooms contain it richly. However, eating fish is overwhelmingly efficient. You should eat one piece of fish a day. It also helps prevent arteriosclerosis.

Vitamin D strengthens the bones and the immune system, strengthening muscles and preventing falls. I continue to take vitamin D and live with an awareness of “bone activity” and “immunity enhancement.”

I often make steamed salmon and mushrooms in foil. Sprinkle some soy sauce and sake on the raw salmon, put your favorite mushrooms and butter on top, cover with foil, and steam in a walnut frying pan for about 15 minutes. Add ponzu sauce if you like. It’s so easy and helpful!

You can also take vitamin D through supplements. Juveriente’s Bone Strength Complex will provide you vitamin D among its vitamin set for bone health while it also helps your bone health from the cellular level. (Learn about it more here.)

 

Health Benefits Of Eating Fish

 

Japan is one of the countries where people eat a lot of fish. Tokyo fish market handles over 600 varieties of fish and other sea animals. Even common Japanese people recognize about 10 – 20 kinds of edible fish varieties for their tables. It is one of the major secrets to support their famous healthy lives. We introduce you the health benefits of eating fish.

Fish has good protein as well as meat

“Many people think meat has more protein than fish, but this is wrong. It’s about the same.” Both meat and fish contain about 20% protein on average, but the amount used in the body is higher in fish than in meat. In addition, fish contains more easily digestible protein, so even babies to elders can eat it without difficulty.

Calcium in fish as good as in milk

Milk is famous as a calcium supplement, but small fish, such as dried sardines, are even richer. In addition, by eating whole fish, vitamin D (contained in the internal organs), which improves calcium absorption, can be replenished simultaneously. (Dried small fish is a popular food in Japan. You can find it in the USA as dried fish and almonds.

Seaweed, shellfish, octopus, and squid are full of taurine

One of the known health benefits of eating fish is taurine.

Nori (Japanese dried seaweed sheet) contains a lot of taurines. In the case of fish, it is held more in blueback meat than in standard fish meat. Shellfish, octopus, and squid are also excellent sources of taurine.
The primary function of taurine is
(1) Maintain normal blood pressure and prevent thrombosis and myocardial infarction.
2) Reduces bad cholesterol (LDL) in the blood and increases good cholesterol (HDL).
(3) Reduce neutral fat in the blood.
(4) Prevents deterioration of eyesight.
(5) Promotes brain development in newborns.

EPA’s job is to clean your body

The well-known benefits of eating fish are EPA and DHA. There are a lot of supplements for them, but needless to say, it is better to take them through natural foods like fish.
EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid), a highly unsaturated fatty acid that works wonderfully, is attracting attention. It is a nutrient found only in seafood and works to prevent adult diseases such as cerebral thrombosis and myocardial infarction.

Nutrients that purify the blood and create brain cells

DHA (docosahexaenoic acid) works to prevent blood clots from forming and to reduce bad cholesterol (LDL). DHA activates brain cells and also works to improve brain rotation, so they say eating fish makes you smarter. It is also said to be effective in treating dementia in the elderly.

Benefits of Eating Seaweed

Many skin problems, such as sunburn and dryness due to ultraviolet rays, and acne due to excessive secretion of sebum, tend to occur in summer. In such a case, I would like to take care of my daily diet, eat a lot of foods that are good for the skin, and take care of my skin from the inside. We will see the benefits of eating seaweed here.

Low-calorie and skin-friendly “seaweed.”

When it comes to foods that are good for the skin, many people think of citrus fruits rich in vitamin C. Still, seaweed, which Japanese people eat casually daily, is also a food that improves the skin’s condition. Seaweed is low in calories, so even people on a diet can safely eat it. In addition, you can expect a beautiful skin effect. It is just what we want to take into our daily diet.

What are “alginic acid” and “fucoidan” contained in seaweed?

As other benefits of eating seaweed, it contains ingredients such as vitamins and minerals that help maintain skin health.
In addition, attention is also increasing to ingredients such as “alginic acid,” which has the effect of lowering blood pressure, and “fucoidan,” which activates natural killer cells (NK cells).

Alginic acid is a natural dietary fiber, a component of the stickiness peculiar to seaweed. Alginic acid is good at moisturizing the skin, and people say that it leads to trouble-free skin by protecting it from dryness and the skin from friction.
In addition, you can expect alginic acid to bind with salt (sodium) in the body and excrete it outside the body. You can also expect it to slow the absorption of sugar. It supports people concerned about lifestyle-related diseases.

Fucoidan has an antioxidant effect and is said to prevent oxidation of the body and prevent aging of the skin.

(Find seaweed recipes here!)

Why are Japanese fermented foods good for your health?

Three benefits of Japanese fermented foods

The action of microorganisms (lactic acid bacteria, koji mold, yeast, etc.) changes foods. It turns them into fermented foods that are good for your health. Fermentation offers three main benefits. (We focus on Japanese fermented foods as a Japanese health product supplier, but they are also applied to other fermented foods in the world.)

1.Improves food preservation

There are methods to preserve foods, such as “drying,” “salting,” and “smoking.”  “fermentation” is another course to improve preservation. Increasing the number of microorganisms that promote fermentation keeps spoilage bacteria at bay. In the world of microorganisms, if there are more than a certain number of specific organisms in an environment, other microorganisms cannot reproduce.
In addition, the lactic acid, acetic acid, and alcohol produced by fermentation also have a bactericidal effect, suppressing the growth of bacteria and preserving food taste.

2.Enhances flavor and aroma

Japanese fermented foods change their taste and aroma, making them more delicious and easier to eat. One of the tastes a Japanese scientist found and defined is umami, and the fermentation brings you this umami. The process of decomposition and fermentation of raw materials by the power of microorganisms produces components such as amino acids, inosinic acid, and guanylic acid. They are the source of umami.
The unique aroma of fermented foods is also due to the aroma components produced by the action of microorganisms during the fermentation process.

3.Increased nutritional value and health regulation

Fermenting food significantly increases nutritional value and health regulation function. Microorganisms produce various nutrients, such as vitamins, during the fermentation process. For example, Natto, made by fermenting soybeans, contains about ten times more vitamin B2 than boiled soybeans and almost three times more folic acid. Natto is rich in vitamin K2. Soybeans, the source of Natto, don’t have it. The fermentation added new nutritional components.
In addition, fermentation makes substances with health-regulating functions like anti-oxidant action more easily absorbed into the body. With the shape of Natto and miso, the body is easy to absorb the isoflavone, as it is already disolved through the fermentation.

Why Japanese fermented foods are good for you?

Now that we’ve discussed the benefits that fermentation brings to food. Let’s consider the help we receive from eating them from a health standpoint.
(However, the nutrients in each fermented food differ, and the same is not necessarily for all.)

1.Easily absorbed into the body

During the fermentation process, microorganisms break down the starch and protein, the raw material nutrients, so there is no need to break them down in the body, reducing the burden on the body.

2.Boosts immunity

Lactic acid bacteria and natto bacteria contained in fermented foods have the function of adjusting the intestinal environment. Incorporating fermented foods will increase your immunity and help you maintain your health.

3.Supports youthfulness

They say that aging causes active oxygen in the body. The intake of antioxidants is effective in suppressing its occurrence. Fermented foods such as miso, red wine, and chocolate are rich in polyphenols as antioxidants.
In addition, they say that the amino acids and enzymes produced in the fermentation process promote the formation of new cells, which is said to have a beautiful skin effect.
Improves metabolism and prevents lifestyle-related diseases

B vitamins, found in many fermented foods, help boost metabolism.

In addition, isoflavones in fermented soybean foods such as miso, soy sauce, and Natto reduce bad cholesterol in the blood and contribute to the prevention of arteriosclerosis.

4.Helps reduce stress

Fermented foods such as miso, Natto, bran pickles, kimchi, and yogurt contain a substance called GABA, a type of natural amino acid. As a neurotransmitter, GABA is said to have an anti-stress effect that calms the excitement of the brain, suppresses irritability, and relaxes.

The Natural menopause supplement from fermented soybean

Some clinical researches have reported that Japanese women have far lighter menopause experience. One of its key is Miso, fermented soy paste. (It is a commonsense in Japan.) Juveriente®’s Effisoy, launched in 2016, brings you the essence of it to you.

Fermented foods are often hard to eat for people of other dietary cultures. But you can take the essence easily through the supplement. Effisoy is the only supplement brand to bring you fermented soy extract outside Japan. This is only natural food, and we don’t call it “therapy,” but it may be your answer to how to treat menopause depression naturally.

Here are some of the real product reviews in our Amazon shop.

“Restful sleep finally!!”, “I Am Now Free of Hot Flashes!!”, “Lifesaver”

LEARN MORE About Effisoy, made of fermented soy bean germ
The only supplement to contain fermented soy isoflavone beside Japan.

How can I restrict eating at Hara-Hachibunme (by 80% full)?

Benefits of “Hara-Hachibunme” (restricted eating)

As I explained in “Restricted eating lengthens your life?”, restricted eating only up to 80% or so helps your health in addition to weight management.

While it prevents obesity and disease by suppressing dietary calorie intake, it is also helpful as an anti-aging.

There is something called the “sirtuin gene” in our body.
Another name for the sirtuin gene is the “longevity gene” because it works to suppress cell aging, and a certain amount of calorie restriction activates it. In other words, you can expect the effect of preserving youthfulness by eating the eighth half of your stomach.

Tips for stopping your eating at “Hara-Hachibunme” (80% full)

If you are overeating and always fall feeling full, try incorporating the following into your diet.

Increase chewing frequency

It is very effective to chew food well and eat it to suppress it at 80% of the stomach.
A longer time to savor and eat will stimulate the satiety center and prevent overeating.

Also, by chewing well, a large amount of the digestive enzyme called amylase is secreted, which improves digestion and reduces the burden on the stomach and intestines.

Put down your knife, fork, and spoon after each bite.

To increase the number of chewing times, try to put your tableware down after each bite.

Fast eaters keep their tableware on from the beginning to the end of their meal.
Carrying food to your mouth one after another leads to overeating.

Once you are used to putting your tableware down after each bite, you will naturally become conscious of chewing well, and your eating pace will slow down.
As a result, the signal of the satiety center will be transmitted well, and it will be suppressed with only 80% of your stomach.

Cut the material hard and large.

Cutting food materials such as vegetables hard and large creates a chewy texture in your cooking. You can naturally increase the number of chews and prevent overeating.

We also recommend adding chewy nuts, beans, sesame seeds, etc., to accent your dishes.

Anyway, chewing well and eating are effective in keeping your stomach full.

Increase vegetables, seaweed, and mushrooms

Vegetables, seaweed, and mushrooms contain a lot of dietary fiber, so it’s hard to swallow them if you don’t chew them well.
Taking advantage of this feature, you can naturally increase the number of chews by increasing the amount of these in your meal.

Most of them are healthy, so let’s use them in your meals and connect them to your beauty and health.

Drink Soup, water or tea

Liquid will pass your stomach shortly, but your restricted eating. It will swell your stomach temporarily and mitigate your hunger until your satiety center begins to woks.

Serving for one person will also restrict your eating

First, it is effective to prevent overeating by arranging an amount of food that does not cause overeating and deciding “I will not eat anymore”.

Dishes on a platter tend to overeat while picking up this and that.
There are also people who force themselves to eat, saying things like, “It would be a waste if I leave it behind,” or “It’s rude to the person who made it.”

If you decide “only this” from the beginning, such as serving this on a single plate or dividing it into portions for one person instead of serving it on a large plate, you should not end up eating too much.

It is especially effective for those whose satiety center signals are dull.
Let’s prevent overeating by serving the amount that will make you 80% full from the plating.

Let’s finish the meal at the timing of “Hara-Hachibunme” (80% full).

 

The best time to finish your meal is when you feel like you can eat a little more.

In order to go on a diet without overdoing it, and to maintain beauty and health, let’s make it your everyday habit.

Restricted eating lengthens your life?

Japanese health wisdom: Restricted Eating by 20%

The idiom “Hara-Hachibunme” in Japan means “80% full” as a healthy eating habit. They say You don’t need a doctor if you keep “Hara-Hachibunme.” A similar saying in English will be, “Light suppers make long life.”
Since the 1980s, many countries have been scientifically investigating why “Hara-Hachibunme” is good for your health. This study compares the life expectancy of small animals such as rats between a group that eats a limited amount of food and a group that eats as much as it pleases.
For example, in one study conducted in Japan, the average lifespan of mice fed all-you-can-eat was 74 weeks, while that of mice restricted to 80% of their diet was 122 weeks, more than 1.6 times longer. (*1).

(*1) Research by Professor Kazuo Hashimoto and Lecturer Masayoshi Tazume of Tokai University School of Medicine, published in 1990. The study also points out that calorie restriction boosts immunity.

Slowed Cellular Aging

Since then, various studies have confirmed that the “Hara-Hachibunme,” constant restricted eating, can slow cellular aging. They point out that 80% of the stomach is effective in preventing cancer caused by dysfunction of cells, vascular disorders caused by arteriosclerosis (high blood pressure, stroke, myocardial infarction, etc.), and many lifestyle-related diseases such as diabetes.
An American study on monkeys, which are more similar to humans, reported that a 30% calorie restriction (at the 7th minute of the abdomen) improved body fat, blood pressure, blood sugar levels, triglyceride levels, etc.

The same benefit for human

So, does the benefit of “Hara-Hachibunme” apply to humans? There is an interesting report about this.
Since 1991, in the United States, a survival experiment has been carried out in which eight researchers live a self-sufficient life in a dome called Biosphere 2. Initially, it was an investigation related to space development, premised on living in an artificial environment called a dome when humans migrate to a planet other than Earth.
This experiment failed in its original purpose, but on the other hand, there was an unexpected by-product, regarding restricted eating.
The low harvesting yield in the dome limited the researchers’ diet by 25% less than their planned meals. The daily energy intake was about 1800kcal. As a result, not only did they lose weight, but almost all values ​​related to lifestyle-related diseases, such as blood sugar, cholesterol, and blood pressure, also decreased.

Restricted eating extend your life expectancy as well as your healthy life expectancy.

In this way, they found from monkey studies and reports in Biosphere 2 that “Hara-Hachibunme” (restricted eating) may extend not only life expectancy but also healthy life expectancy (healthy period without disease). (*2).

(*2) Professor Emeritus Roy Walford of the University of California, who participated in the Biosphere 2 project, later focused on the relationship between calorie restriction and health and proposed a diet menu that would prevent malnutrition even with calorie restriction, etc.

(from https://www.healthcare.omron.co.jp/resource/column/life/35.html)

What is Umami? The key to reduce your calories

Reduce your calories by utilizing umami

Do you know the term “Umami“? It is from a Japanese term, meaning the taste element to add or deepen tastefulness in foods. If you know it from brand names like “Umami burger”, you may not have a healthy impression about it. Apart from such a commercial utilization, though, it is actually a key to reduce your calories. It adds thickness and tastefulness to your dishes without oil, sugar nor salt.

Umami is an independent basic taste

Umami is one of the five basic tastes.
Umami is one of the five basic tastes.

We have traditionally known 4 basic tastes, sweetness, saltiness, bitterness and sourness.

Japanese people have traditionally used “dashi”, some food extracts to add or amplify tastefulness in their cooking. The essence of dashi is Umami and it is actually the 5th basic element.

How Japanese people use “dashi”?

3 major dashi (umami extract) bases in Japan are konbu seaweed, dried bonito shavings and dried shiitake mushroom. The usage is simple. For example; They put some dried bonito shavings in to boiled water for a minute or two. Then they take out the residue after the extraction. They cook miso soup with this hot water. Miso, fermented soy paste, has nice taste and flavor on it’s own. But the dashi will deepen and organize the whole taste of the miso soup.

How scientists found it as actual substances and an independent basic taste?

Japanese scientists found umami as actual substances in the major dashi bases in the early 20th century. Glutamic acid from konbu seaweed, isonic acid from dried bonito shavings and gualynic acid from konbu seaweed.

They considered it as an independent taste element beside other basic ones like saltiness, sweetness, etc. But Western scholars didn’t believe it. According to their thought then, it was merely the tastefulness by the complex of other basic taste elements.

In 2002, they found the receptor of umami on human tong. It is a common recognition now that umami is the fifth basic taste element after saltiness, sweetness, sourness and bitterness.

How can you reduce your calories with umami?

They found it from the Japanese “dashi” culture. But Western foods also has their own umami bases, like fond or broth.

It may be hard for you to try new tastes from a foreign dietary culture. It will be easy for you to utilize vegetable broth and reduce sugar, salt and oil.

Do you like the article? Share your knowledge with others.