It has been going on for centuries and no, there is no calorie-counting involved. There is no fad, diet or media pressure involved in the choice to follow hara hachi bu. Okinawa is the one place where “calorie restriction” is still an integral part of the culture. The people of Okinawa, a southern island, follow the teaching of this Japanese proverb (reported in “The Three pillars of Zen: teaching, practice, and enlightenment,” by Philip Kapleau) and alongside the phrase “hara hachi bun me,” ("belly 80 percent full" or "eat until you are 8 parts full"), they seem to be eating themselves to a long and healthy life.
Hare hahi bu full#
“Eight parts of a full stomach sustain the man the other two sustain the doctor” It slows down the process of eating and stops you from overindulging. However, having multiple small plates, Japanese or tapas style, definitely helps. We wouldn’t recommend you try eating pizza with chopsticks or that you take over 30 minutes to consume your burger. Japanese food is perfect for this style of eating. Longer meals, eating slowly and concentrating on what you’re doing gives your brain and body more time to recognize when you’ve had enough. It takes up to half an hour for your brain to catch up with your belly and send the “full” signal. Because it takes longer to eat and you are – supposedly – eating in a calm-ish environment, your brain has time to process what you’re doing. Using chopsticks also means it’s a lot harder to gulf down whatever is in front of you in 5 minutes or less. In Japan, food is something you sit down to eat. Low level of radicals in your blood means lower risk of cardiovascular diseases, cancer and other old age related diseases.”
Hare hahi bu free#
“Okinawans, who have been following this principle for centuries, have the lowest levels of free radicals in their blood. Of course, it sounds like a good idea to not overindulge and it kind of makes sense that consistently eating just a tiny bit less than you want would be beneficial. This accelerates cellular oxidation, which in turn ages you faster.” Why is stopping to eat before you’re full such a big deal? Well, according to two nutritionists quoted in the Hindustan Times, “Overeating or being full means that your digestive process takes a long time to process the food. Hara Hachi Bu has been touted as the “secret” to Japanese longevity, with nutritionists, scientists and everyone interested in health and food swearing this could be the answer to a longer, healthier life. Living over 100 isn’t uncommon in the island nation, and whilst there are countless articles and books about what you can do to emulate the Japanese centenarians, we’d like to have a look at something extremely specific: “hara, hachi, bu,” a Confucius teaching that advocates to only eat until you are 80% full. The bloated, uncomfortable feeling is there to remind me to listen to my body in the future.When it comes to health and longevity, Japan could teach us all a thing or two. Am I successful 100% of the time? Nope, sometimes I still will overdo it, but my body will remind me that it doesn’t like it. So, by using smaller plates, we will be less likely to dish up as much food and ultimately eat less.įor me, hara hachi bu has been helpful to not overeat to the point of feeling too full and that awful bloated feeling. We have all been trained to “clean” our plates. Just eat, enjoy the food and the company in which you are with. Turn off the TV, computer, phone, or whatever other distractions there may be.
Hare hahi bu plus#
Yet, we need to slow down in order to let our body respond to the signals that we are no longer hungry.
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