The Hara Hachi Bu is fashionable, and rightly so, although its existence is by no means new. It is the Japanese secret to lose weight and live longer, which is why 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 the change?
This is the secret of the 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 its great secrets.
- These words, which may sound like tongue twisters, form the phrase they pronounce when they sit down at the table and which could be translated as ‘eat until you are 80% full’. This Confucius-inspired lesson is the key to wellness in the type of diet these people follow. If you don’t get completely satiated, you manage to reduce your calorie intake at each meal. As The Okinawa Centenaria Study explains, it is a good way to avoid obesity without starving, reduce heart attacks (80% fewer 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 not little). You also have to take into account some other keys that will help you lose weight and live longer.
The keys of the 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 have to stop eating before you feel full, so you need to have some control over your mind and know your body well. The key is to know how to differentiate between the feeling of being satiated with 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 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 local 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 onion are very important, as well as legumes and fruits.
- The diet of the Okinawan people includes antioxidant plants and less rice than in other areas of Japan. In addition, the rice they consume is integral.
- The fish is highly appreciated by the Japanese who prefer fresh specimens.
- Meat should not disappear, far from it, but it should be consumed to a lesser extent.
- In addition to diet, the quality of life for Okinawans is so high because of the healthy lifestyle they lead. They are so active people because they work from a young age, they don’t retire, they walk, they dance, they practice martial arts… But the mind is also very important in this process of being healthy. Their mentality leads them to greatly appreciate the present, to value older people and to enjoy the small pleasures of life.
We have a lot to learn from them, right?