How to Eat Healthily at a Japanese Restaurant
Start with edamame., Try the miso soup or a seaweed salad., Choose which method of healthy eating you prefer., Have a cup of tea., Eat mindfully.
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Start with edamame.
Steamed edamame is a perfect vegetable appetizer to enjoy before any Japanese meal.
The edamame will help fill your stomach a bit so that you don’t overeat your main course.
Additionally, edamame, or soybeans, are an excellent source of protein and virtually fat-free.You can ask your server for pickled vegetables if you don’t want the edamame. -
Step 2: Try the miso soup or a seaweed salad.
Miso soup is prepared with a stock to which a variety of vegetables (and occasionally tofu) are added.
Which vegetables are added depends on which region your chef’s recipe is from and which recipe they’re using.
No two miso soups are alike.
What is consistent, though, is that this is a virtually fat-free soup full of vitamins and antioxidants.
Seaweed salad is also chock-full of minerals and vitamins, and like miso soup, takes the edge off your hunger in a healthy way.Seaweed is used throughout Japanese cuisine, from tofu to salad.
Most Japanese restaurants will have other salad options as well, such as a traditional dinner salad or cucumber salad.
If you’re watching your sodium consumption, skip the miso soup, which can contain half the sodium that you need in one day. , What constitutes a healthy meal to you may vary from what someone else views as healthy.
You might feel that a low-carbohydrate diet equates to a healthy way of eating, whereas your friend might believe that low-fat diets or paleo diets are the way to go.
Knowing how you define healthy eating is helpful when eating out, as this will inform your food selections.If you’re on a low-carbohydrate diet or concerned about a low Glycemic Index number, skip rice with your meal and ask for extra vegetables instead.
Japanese food is beautiful and delicious, but many of the sauces are prepared with sugar or large quantities of salt.
Ask for sauce on the side so that you can regulate how much you consume.If you want to stick with low-fat options, avoid tempura foods and opt for grilled meats instead.If you’d like a paleo or Whole30 meal, look to the sushi menu.
Ask the sushi chef to prepare your meal without rice, or consider ordering sashimi instead.
Also, make sure to bring your own bottle of coconut aminos with you to use instead of soy sauce., Finish off your delicious meal with a cup of green tea.
This tea is loaded with antioxidants, even more than fruits and vegetables, and boasts a variety of other health benefits.
A cup of green tea is also known to boost your metabolism, helping you digest your meal more efficiently and quicker., No matter what sort of cuisine you’re eating, it’s important to practice portion control.
Japanese cuisine can be very healthy, but portion sizes are still a necessary consideration.
The best way to practice portion control is to be mindful of every bite that you take.
Chew it, savor it, experience it, consider it, and wait before taking that next bite.
Eating this way will not only increase your enjoyment of your meal, it will help you hear your body when it signals that it’s no longer hungry.Try to order so that half of your plate is made up of vegetables, a quarter of your plate is protein, and a quarter of your plate is of starch (starchy vegetables, rice, etc.). -
Step 3: Choose which method of healthy eating you prefer.
-
Step 4: Have a cup of tea.
-
Step 5: Eat mindfully.
Detailed Guide
Steamed edamame is a perfect vegetable appetizer to enjoy before any Japanese meal.
The edamame will help fill your stomach a bit so that you don’t overeat your main course.
Additionally, edamame, or soybeans, are an excellent source of protein and virtually fat-free.You can ask your server for pickled vegetables if you don’t want the edamame.
Miso soup is prepared with a stock to which a variety of vegetables (and occasionally tofu) are added.
Which vegetables are added depends on which region your chef’s recipe is from and which recipe they’re using.
No two miso soups are alike.
What is consistent, though, is that this is a virtually fat-free soup full of vitamins and antioxidants.
Seaweed salad is also chock-full of minerals and vitamins, and like miso soup, takes the edge off your hunger in a healthy way.Seaweed is used throughout Japanese cuisine, from tofu to salad.
Most Japanese restaurants will have other salad options as well, such as a traditional dinner salad or cucumber salad.
If you’re watching your sodium consumption, skip the miso soup, which can contain half the sodium that you need in one day. , What constitutes a healthy meal to you may vary from what someone else views as healthy.
You might feel that a low-carbohydrate diet equates to a healthy way of eating, whereas your friend might believe that low-fat diets or paleo diets are the way to go.
Knowing how you define healthy eating is helpful when eating out, as this will inform your food selections.If you’re on a low-carbohydrate diet or concerned about a low Glycemic Index number, skip rice with your meal and ask for extra vegetables instead.
Japanese food is beautiful and delicious, but many of the sauces are prepared with sugar or large quantities of salt.
Ask for sauce on the side so that you can regulate how much you consume.If you want to stick with low-fat options, avoid tempura foods and opt for grilled meats instead.If you’d like a paleo or Whole30 meal, look to the sushi menu.
Ask the sushi chef to prepare your meal without rice, or consider ordering sashimi instead.
Also, make sure to bring your own bottle of coconut aminos with you to use instead of soy sauce., Finish off your delicious meal with a cup of green tea.
This tea is loaded with antioxidants, even more than fruits and vegetables, and boasts a variety of other health benefits.
A cup of green tea is also known to boost your metabolism, helping you digest your meal more efficiently and quicker., No matter what sort of cuisine you’re eating, it’s important to practice portion control.
Japanese cuisine can be very healthy, but portion sizes are still a necessary consideration.
The best way to practice portion control is to be mindful of every bite that you take.
Chew it, savor it, experience it, consider it, and wait before taking that next bite.
Eating this way will not only increase your enjoyment of your meal, it will help you hear your body when it signals that it’s no longer hungry.Try to order so that half of your plate is made up of vegetables, a quarter of your plate is protein, and a quarter of your plate is of starch (starchy vegetables, rice, etc.).
About the Author
Peter Thomas
Brings years of experience writing about creative arts and related subjects.
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