ca_vol

I'm watching my weight and will be in Japan for three weeks. Some meals are pre-arranged, so I'll "splurge" then. The other meals, however, I'd like to eat on the low calorie side, yet be filled up and not starving (need protein).

I did a little research and although I do not know what the names of these foods in Japanese characters look like, I think I can get by.

Any feedback from people who have lived in Japan and are calorie and/or fat counters? thanks.


Good Choices:

Sashimi
· Maguro: Tuna
· ***Toro: Fatty Tuna (avoid)
· Ebi: Prawn
· Saba: Mackerel
· Ika: Squid
· Tako: Octopus
Natto-a strong smelling, sticky, dish consisting of fermented soya beans. It is often eaten for breakfast. Unpopular but healthy.
Seaweeds (kaiso)-3 kinds: Kombu, Wakame and Nori
Nigiri –with rice



Avoid:

Soba (Noodles)
Inari -Inarizushi is a simple and inexpensive type of sushi, in which sushi rice is filled into aburaage (deep fried tofu) bags.
Yakitori - Skewered grilled chicken-chicken thighs, syrup, sugar, etc.
Donburi is a general term for "bowl".
Gomaae - a Japanese side dish-contains sugar, sake
Gyudon -beef bowl
Korokke - Japanese Croquettes
Nikujaga - Meat and potatoes
Okonomiyaki –a mixture between pancake and pizza.

mjs

I am curious as to where you found your dietary information. I suspect that you will not like Natto.
Soba is actually a very good diet dish as it has both protein and a lot of fiber. No fat. Toppings on soba may add calories. I doubt inari wrapping adds that much calorie to a onigiri. Depends mostly on how many you eat. Donburi is mostly rice with a variety of toppings.
I rather doubt if one serving of any donburi meal is going to kill your diet. Japanese food tends to be high on salt and rice but low on calories unless you eat a lot I really would not worry too much about eating Japanese food while in Japan. I would watch portions unless you are on something like a 1500 calorie a day diet.

ca_vol

Thanks for your reply. I found the information here:

http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e620.html

ca_vol

I should add that I inferred that Soba was like pasta or ramen in that it was a bunch of calories and little protein. I hear you saying it is not and that is low calorie. Thanks for the tip.

W9London

ca_vol,

I think there are two distinct issues:

1. If you are watching overall calory intake, the easiest way is to cut back on fat. Japanese food is relatively low-fat, but notable exception is deep-fried food like tempura (which may come as an OPTIONAL topping on soba). Interesting to note that the Japanese people don't really seem to have requirement for low-fat/non-fat thing... Aside from Starbucks, I didn't have much success asking for "skinny" hot drinks, no luck finding non-fat yogurt etc.

2. If you're concerned about carbohydrate, then it's another story, as Japanese food tends to use lots of starchy food--rice and noodles. No real equivalent of Atkins-like, protein-high diet as I understand fish/meat are supposed to be supplement to main rice.

Another low-cal/low-carbo dish that's filling is shabu-shabu (so long as you stay away from richly-marbled cuts) as thinly sliced beef is flash-boiled in water, and it comes with lots of vegetable and tofu accompniment. Tofu-based dish is another option.

Most importantly, the reason I won't be too concerned about is that potions are quite small, esp compared to what you get served in US.

ca_vol

W9London,

Thank you very much for your reply. I think I will try to eat as much sashimi as possible because it is low in calories and high in protein (to keep me full). I am not on a low carb diet or anything. I just don't want to eat something and then be hungry two hours later because I didn't have much protein. I try to balance everything I eat as best I can.

I know people say just to watch portions on vacation, but I always seem to gain 5-7 pounds after an international vacation. I think it's because no matter where you go, eating out every meal for one to three weeks is just plain higher in calories than eating at home. I refuse to gain weight this time.

Thanks again.

amazinga

Think another way.
If you get hungry soon, you can try all sorts of Japanese food/snacks that you haven't tasted. Sashimi is fine but becomes expensive to fill up on it and you may not like many kinds of fish.
I lose weight traveling in Japan because of long walking & climbing stairs up/down a lot. I leave healthier with stronger legs.

W9London

ca_vol,

If you want to feel full, you should go for high-fiber meal, rather than high-protein. Also I would definitely go for tofu as a far more economical alternative to sashimi. Just avoid the deep-fried one.

Soba is from buckwheat, with hulls and all, so I presume this should have higher fiber content. Other source of fiber to keep you "full" would be various seaweeds, mushrooms and vegetables.

Personally I was rather dissapointed I didn't have much luck finding brown rice in Japanese restaurants.

You definitely don't have to watch potions.

hawaiiantraveler

In Japanese culture genmai(brown rice) is associated with poverty. That's why you won't see much of it in Japan.

I saw a few genmai onigiri in Shinjuku while I walked around.....

Aloha!

amazinga

Common soba noodle has insignificant fiber but it is one of my favorite noodles.
Granted brown rice is much healthier than white rice but it takes longer to prepare and cook & also a little harder to chew besides the perception issue in Japan.

offlady

I also lost weight during my recent trip to Japan, without watching my diet. This was due to the amount of walking and stair climbing I did every day, not by choice, but that is just the lifestyle there. Also, their sweets and desserts are not as sugary and are usually lower in fat content than those found in the US and Europe. One of the best experiences of Japan is their food--so enjoy!

ca_vol

Thank you, everyone. Now I have to figure out what the Japanese characters are for sashimi and soba. Sorry, I absolutely hate tofu. Although fiber is great for getting you full, (lean) protein is better for keeping you full since it takes longer to digest. How do I make sure something isn't fried or has something added to it, especially without pictures or English?

I know I'll be walking a lot but I currently run 4.5 miles per day, so it will actually be a decrease in exercise.

hawaiiantraveler

刺身 = sashimi(pierced body)

そば = soba

蕎麦 = also soba

そば = hiragana for soba

all according to wikipedia

Aloha!

amazinga

I often like to go jogging early on the narrow back streets in Japan and other countries. I see interesting culture/life in different countries. I also often go thru parks, shrines and temples because they have large properties and beautiful & tranquil nature, birds, trees, etc. and you see some devoted individuals praying but no tourists. It is safe to do so anywhere in Japan. Try and you may find different Japan than other tourists.

offlady

Most restaurants will have plastic samples of the food in the window, or pictures on the menu. Sometimes the sushi bars and noodle shops don't have samples because the Japanese don't need to see samples of those.

TokachiM

One thing to think about: traditional Japanese are traditionally one of the skinniest peoples around. Genetics, or national diet?

Avoiding fried foods (tempura, or anything with "katsu" in it) would probably be a good idea. If you snack, try snacking on onigiri (rice balls).

Oh, and try the nabe (seafood soup). Totally delicious!

(If you wind up eating a lot of rice, you may want to stop by the convenience stores for some dried prunes or Mikiprune whip.)

BTW, I don't know what the calorie counts are, but there are plenty of protein snacks available -- almonds and dry fish, in tiny little snack packs, roasted soy beans, nuts, dried squid, dried salmon, etc.

As far as drinks go, there's plenty of vending machine coffee and tea to keep you going.

offlady

I'd say it's their diet and lifestyle. Once those Japanese move to America.... well, you know what happens.

ca_vol

Is chicken teriyaki an "American Japanese" dish or real Japanese?

hawaiiantraveler

teriyaki chicken is a Japanese dish

now teriyaki burgers are a different story altogether....

Aloha!

ca_vol

Is that what it is called, teriyaki?