Zara,
Went out on the web and did some research on the Japanese/Asian diet and I posted a few things below.....everything I could find said they eat high fiber and lots of veggies.
I do remember reading in one of the excerpts that his recommendation was 3-4 glasses of water per day.
I also remember reading somewhere on his website that if you are consuming more than 15 grams of fiber per day, get rid of those extra grams!!!!!
Besides the positive reviews on Amazon about the book I could find nothing else to support his theories.
Below are a few things I copied over:
It is believed that the primary cause of diverticular disease is a diet low in fiber. The disease is common in developed countries like the United States, England, and Australia because these cultures' diets are low in fiber. On the contrary the disease has a low occurrence in Asian and African countries because people eat high-fiber vegetable diets. Therefore, diverticulitis diets should contain high-fiber fruits and vegetables.
Compared to the way we eat in America, the Japanese diet is much lower in calories -- primarily due to the dominance of high-water, high-fiber and low-fat foods, Willcox said via e-mail from Japan.
The Japanese achieve this "low calorie-dense diet" by eating a tremendous amount of plant foods, he said, particularly vegetables, which pack the diet with disease-fighting antioxidants and other phytonutrients, such as flavonoids.
Instead of french fries -- the most popular vegetable in the United States -- the Japanese eat a wide range of veggies, especially those in the cabbage family, including broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, bok choy and kale. These cruciferous vegetables, named for their crosslike petals, contain substances that may protect against cancer.
Conversely, women raised in affluent cultures like the United States, full of high-fat fare like French fries and cheeseburgers, suffer the highest rates of breast cancer in the world - an 80% increase compared to cultures like Okinawa, Japan, where dietary fat intake is low, about 20% of total calories, and intake of fresh, fiber-filled foods like fruits and vegetables is high.
n truth, eating a variety of things with small amounts of fiber can add up to a large difference in your diet. There is a saying in Japan that you should eat 30 different foods in a day. While 30 may be stretching it, it's no surprize that the Japanese diet is really high in fiber.
Asian countries, such as Japan and China, have some of the healthiest people in the world. There is little incident of heart disease, diabetes, cancer and other weight-related illnesses that plague the U.S. and other Western countries. It was also announced recently that Japanese women have the longest lifespan in the world, much of which can be attributed to their diet.
FOOD & RECIPES
Asian diets are typically rich in fish, rice, soy, fruits and vegetables and tea. The Asian Diet offers generous amounts of fiber, antioxidants, vitamins and minerals, protein, iron and calcium. Dairy and meat are consumed sparingly.
Each day, as part of the Asian Diet, you should consume:
- Grains such as rice, noodles, corn and potatoes
- Fruits and vegetables, with cabbage, scallions, dark leafy greens, bananas, grapes and pineapple being amongst the more popular varieties.
I gotta really wonder how many people have used his theories and have been successful....sounds like a pretty unhealthy way of eating to me.
Sharon
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