I'm teaching English right now to some Japanese high school students, and I notice that when they eat things like sandwiches, they pinch off very small bites with their fingers. Even when they eat brownies or cookies (come on, these are high school girls in America!), they still pinch and eat, rather than taking bites.

Not to mention my girls keep telling me that they rarely eat fast food, and that even the Whoppers are larger in America than they are in Japan. That might have a lot to do with it.

I like all of those reasons and i think Americans can learn a lot from the Japanese!! I don't like the idea of tofu!! I'm sure we could find something else though. Another reason maybe that they don't eat fast food nearly as much as we do. I've given up fast food for awhile and let me tell you that it makes all the difference!!

What does not eating frozen veggies have to do with it?

i'm with you on that one wiki. alot of things i've seen suggest that frozen veggies may be better than the fresh variety (though I almost never use them).

And what is wrong with tofu popeye? I like it. I also like pork ribs and pizza, but I like tofu too

Very true. I just need to stop the canned food thing for me! Yay!

It makes sense. They pretty much eat healthy and and live healthy life styles. I wonder if the green tea they drink helps in the fight of the bulge also?

yea i see in japanese movies they always eat fish

I live and work in Japan. They eat everything fresh here. Frozen veggies are not as good as when you buy them and eat them fresh in a salad. I have to go to the grocery store at LEAST 3 times a week because they also sell food here in smaller portions and sizes. I have been here for more than a year, eat like a Japanese person, and I have lost weight!

I've been in Japan for 5 years and there are a LOT of things that are different. Portion sizes are typically half (or less) the size of American servings. At a Japanese restaurant, you can get a small salad, dessert, and soft drink with your entree, and it'll still probably have fewer calories than if you ate 2/3 of a normal American entree. But I think one of the main things is the peer pressure... Americans complain about the pressure to be thin but it's NOTHING compared to Japan. There's no difference between the bodies of "celebrities" and "real women" here, and Japanese women go on diets at weights that would be considered "thin in a healthy way" in the US.

Yea, all my Japanese relatives are TINY.

interesting comments on Japanese diet (ie how come they eat so much white rice but stay healthy weight) in this VERY interesting article: http://www.abc.net.au/rn/healthreport/stories/2007/1969924.htm
Basically...
"they're eating a lot of white rice but they are also eating a lot of fibre in all of their vegetables and they are not consuming any fructose. There is no fructose in the Japanese diet whatsoever, but there is now, and childhood obesity has doubled in Japan in the last ten years whereas adult obesity hasn't moved." - Robert Lustig

I think I need to go live in Japan! lol

I've been having fish about once a week but I suppose Japanese have it more often than that.

They don't eat dairy (very often). That is probably a big reason, as well. Cheese is the devil. I miss it so.

I thougth frozen veggies were okay.

Why are frozen veggies bad?

Theres nothing wrong with frozen veggies, theyre great, fresh and convenient...I always buy frozen spinach and some assorted oriental kinds. I think the Japanese are smaller because they dont have as much fried and processed foods in their diet. I currently live in Canada and have noticed there is a huge difference in portion sizes when eating takeout compared to the U.S. Sure, you get more food 4 your money in the U.S. but you do you need it...