
The Hara Hachi Bu is fashionable, and rightly so, although its existence is far from new. It is the Japanese secret to lose weight and live longer, so it has come to the West as a great revolution. We put your diet in the spotlight to discover how to improve your quality of life. Ready for change?
This is the secret of Hara Hachi Bu
Japan has the highest proportion of centenarians in the world, but in the age rankings, the people of the island of Okinawa take the prize for the oldest and healthiest on the planet, and it is no coincidence. The Hara Hachi Bu is one of his great secrets.
These words, which may sound like tongue twisters, form the phrase they utter when they sit at the table and that could be translated as ‘eat until you are 80% full’. This Confucius-inspired lesson is the key to the well-being of the type of diet these people take. If you do not have your complete satiation, you manage to reduce your calorie intake at each of the meals. As the Okinawa Centennial Study explains, it is a good way to avoid obesity without going hungry, reduce heart attacks (80% lower there than in the United States), lower cholesterol, reduce the incidence of cancer …
However, to lead a Hara Hachi Bu lifestyle, it is not enough to apply this 80% rule (which is no small thing). We must also take into account some other keys that will help you lose weight and live longer.
The keys to Hara Hachi Bu to lose weight and live longer
+As we have already told you, the most important thing is to reduce what you put in your stomach. You need to stop eating before you feel full, so you need to have some control over your mind and get to know your body well. The key is to know how to differentiate between the feeling of being satiated and that of not being hungry. To do this, the first thing is to be aware of what you are eating, so it is advisable not to sit in front of the television because you will be more aware of what you see than what you eat. It is very important to be relaxed.
+You have to eat at the moment when you are a little hungry. If you wait too long to satisfy your appetite, you will eat more than necessary.
+The Hara Hachi Bu method also promotes the consumption of natural proximity products. This implies that the origin of the food is close to the place where it is consumed, but also to the choice of seasonal products. On the other hand, the consumption of organic products is encouraged. Foods such as broccoli, spinach, pepper and onions are very important, as well as legumes and fruits.
+The diet of the Okinawa people includes antioxidant plants and less rice than in other areas of Japan. In addition, the rice they consume is whole.
+The fish is highly appreciated by the Japanese who prefer fresh specimens.
+Meat should not disappear, far from it, but should be consumed to a lesser extent.
+In addition to diet, the quality of life of Okinawans is so high because of the healthy lifestyle they lead. They are such active people because they work since they were young, they do not retire, they walk, dance, they practice martial arts… But the mind is also very important in this process of being healthy. Their mentality leads them to appreciate the present very much, to value the elderly and to enjoy the small pleasures of life.
We have a lot to learn from them, right?