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I think it's more likely that social pressure to control people's weights is responsible for Japan's low BMI, not anything to do with the food. Japan is the lan
by mrob 2y ago
I think it's more likely that social pressure to control people's weights is responsible for Japan's low BMI, not anything to do with the food. Japan is the land of vending machines and convenience stores. It's easy to eat junk food all day if you want to. But people will notice you getting fat, and unlike in Western countries they're likely to criticize you for it.
- lynx97 2y ago"Bring back shame again" increasingly feels like something that would actually be beneficial in the long run.
- dr-detroit 2y ago[dead]
- makeitdouble 2y agoWe tend to hit a Goodhart’s Law situation, where focusing on weight and BMI comes at the expense of actual health. That's how we get eating disorders and other mental health issues as well, so as usual it's complicated.
- lynx97 2y agoAssuming you are actually from the US, your point feels a lot like system justification[1] theory hard at work... If close to 50% (or even more) people around you have moderate to serious weight issues, I can imagine how you end up normalising the status quo, looking for explanations that rationalise it... [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/System_justification https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/System_justification
- mantas 2y agoJust an anecdata but on my last stay in Japan I lost a couple kilos in a good month. Even though I did abuse kitkats.
- Pooge 2y agoAlso some anecdata, but I think it depends so much on the person: I gained 10 kilograms by living more than a year in Japan. I ate healthily so I wasn't fat by any means (in fact, I'm really skinny), but I ate so much that I think this is the reason I gained some weight. I ate a lot of rice (my rice portion was usually more than a Japanese person's entire plate).
- makeitdouble 2y agoFWIW if you're on a trip it might counter-balance: you might be more active with fewer idle time, and the local food might also be harder to fully process. I saw that on a Spain trip where it made absolutely no sense I didn't gain weight touring tapas places for a week.
- mantas 2y agoIt was a business trip matching my typical routine. I'd say I was even less active because apparently running in Tokyo sucks.
- autoexec 2y agoEvery time I'm in japan I walk far more than I do while in the US. I also end up going up stairs a lot more than I ever need to in the US. Good public transportation makes a huge difference.
- mantas 2y agoI'm euro and runner/cyclist so I doubt that was a factor. I also had my bicycle with me for some rides on off days, but it wasn't beyond my usual mileage. Maybe even less, because riding road bike in Tokyo was an experience that made me realise how good I've it back home. Surroundings hills are nice, but getting out of the city sucks big time.