The healthiest children in the world are the Japanese. According to the results of a study published in The Lancet, children born today in Japan have a better health outlook than their Western peers. The Land of the Rising Sun is famous for its high “life expectancy” thanks above all to its lifestyle and nutrition models. If you look at the data, it is no coincidence that less than one in 5 children is overweight, while the obesity rate is 4.2%. Exceptional data compared to those of European countries, where on average 29% of children between 7 and 9 years old appear to be overweight (obesity included), with very significant variations between nations. Italy, for example, is fourth in prevalence of childhood overweight and obesity with rates just below 40%, surpassed only by Cyprus, Greece and Spain. But what is the secret of the Japanese?
The value of nutrition
Starting from primary school, children are served a lunch consisting of very healthy dishes, often characterized by the presence of rice and fish, with foods grown locally and freshly prepared on site. Unhealthy food options are not available. “Italians already start eating a lot of sugar in the morning, at breakfast,” he said Davide Libreri, pediatrician at the Papa Giovanni XXIII Hospital in Bergamo. “Milk is always there, as if it were a fundamental food, but the baby doesn’t necessarily have to take milk in the morning.” What can you eat as an alternative? «Yoghurt, toast, bread with ham, tomatoes and cheese or eggs. We need to change the approach to breakfast, which can also be salty. What matters is that there is a balanced intake of sugars and good fats.”
Japanese children often eat a rice-based dish for lunch, which has a slightly higher carbohydrate content than pasta, but then why don’t they gain weight? «Because they don’t eat rice, but a little rice, which is sometimes cooled and the cooling process improves the impact on blood sugar, because it slows down the transformation of starches into sugars», specified Libreri.
Another important difference concerns drinks: Japanese children do not consume soda and carbonated drinks, but only water and tea. «We, however, introduce lots of sugary drinks. We should act on hydration, teaching the child to drink water or infusions, but without added sugars. Furthermore, let us remember that classic fruit juice, even if it says that it has no added sugars, actually contains an excessive concentration of fructose.” And then it is a processed product, not fresh, often enriched with preservatives and colorings. Is a juice better? «Fresh fruit is better, even with the peel, which contains fibre, which reduces the absorption of sugars and promotes the digestive process».
At food education school
Japanese children study nutrition education in school. Students visit local farms and learn about food, cooking and manners. In the school buildings, there are no vending machines and the canteen meals are prepared completely from scratch, do not contain frozen products and are a source of national pride.
And, barring dietary restrictions, in most districts children are not allowed to bring food to school until they reach high school. And that’s not all, in both elementary and middle school, students wear white coats and caps and take turns participating in the service. «Unfortunately, there is no discussion of nutrition education in Italy», continued pediatrician Libreri, convinced that here too children could actively participate in the canteen. It’s just a cultural thing, just like the snackwhich should not be characterized by snacks, but by less processed products, such as fruit or dried fruit, to also be included in vending machines.
Set a good example at the table
Japanese parents are very attentive to the consumption of family meals, which is seen as a ritual. They inspire their children from childhood to try enjoying a wide variety of healthy and different foods. And they practice flexible moderation, when it comes to less healthy foods, which translates into indulging in the occasional cookie, ice cream or pizza and chips, keeping the portions small and less frequent. And this applies to everyone, not just children. «The good example at the table must occur right from the start weaning», advised Libreri, a supporter of self-weaning. Obviously, while they are young you should try to prepare foods without (or with little) salt and use simple cooking methods. As you grow up, your diet becomes more free, but it is important to continue to offer healthy meals, possibly consumed all together and without the presence of digital devices turned on. «There are parents who are very attentive up to 12 months, then at 18/20 months they let the children eat chips, ice cream and chocolate bars, etc. It doesn’t make much sense, because either I believe that it is important to impart a certain type of education, which will then carry into the future, to reduce the risk of obesity and hypertension, or it is useless to be such a Taliban for 6 to 12 months and then everyone is free” . Furthermore, we need to reduce portions because “we don’t need to eat so much.”
Encourage movement
According to the World Health Organization, more than 98% of Japanese children walk or cycle to school. This allows the little ones to comply with the recommendation to carry out 60 minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity per day simply walking to and from school. «Primary school children should have more time to play in the afternoon, while they are often overloaded with homework. There is a lot of attention to education, but little to physical activity”, specified the pediatrician. Primary students practice 2 hours a week of motor skills for the 40-hour course. «The most important thing we have is health and we dedicate so little to it? It’s a paradox, we talk about prevention and then, in the place where children should learn to manage themselves, we teach that the time they have to dedicate to physical and motor activity is limited.” Green light therefore for sports, especially team sports, which also teach respect for the rules, and for active lifestyles, therefore taking the stairs instead of taking the lift, going – if possible – to school on foot and playing children at the park, instead of leaving them at home in front of the TV and tablet.
