Why Do Japanese Women Suffer Less with Menopause than Americans?

Today’s article continues the 30-day challenge to treating menopause naturally. If you have not had a chance to read my previous articles on diet and hormonal imbalances make sure you check those out. I will focus today on the Japanese diet and what we can learn and even incorporate into our American diet to ease or eliminate menopause symptoms.

Millions of Americans suffer from hot flashes during menopause, but many do not realize that diet can have a lot to do with it. In some cultures, mainly Asian, rarely experience hot flashes. Only 7% of Japanese women experience hot flashes compared to 55% of American women. Hot flashes and night sweats are virtually unheard of in Japan thanks to their diet including more vegetable protein that animal protein, and lots of fish, soy and tofu*. In contrast to the American diet that contributes to hot flashes and mood swings such as with excessive alcohol, caffeine and sugar, dairy products and processed foods. Dairy products are not prominent in traditional Japanese dishes.

Is your high-fat, overly processed diet working?

It is common for Japanese culture to practice Hara hachi bu-eating until your stomach is 80% full. Americans tend to overeat and overstuff themselves with high-fat and oftentimes overly processed foods which can cause hormonal imbalances.

The Japanese diet consists of mainly large amounts of soy products such as tofu, edamame, and miso. The Japanese diet also consists of root vegetables such as carrots, daikon radish, and ginger. Other vegetables include steamed green beans, eggplant, spinach, bamboo shoots, turnips, shitake mushrooms and variations of seaweed. The Japanese eat way more vegetables and more fish than other meats. Japanese drink lots of green tea to help with metabolism and weight loss instead of high-caloric sodas. The Japanese use small plates instead of the large saucers that Americans tend to use. Japanese chew their food slowly and use chopsticks to enjoy and savor every bite, and as an added bonus chewing your food more slowly will help with felling fuller faster.

*If you buy soy or tofu make sure it is made from unprocessed and non-gmo ( not genetically modified). Most American tofu is manufactured through a highly refined process. Check and read all labels before purchasing soy or tofu.

*As with soy milk it has been heralded as an alternative to dairy, but despite these claims soy contains phytoestrogens, compounds that can disrupt hormones. Soy contains isoflavones that act as estrogen mimickers. Highly-processed non-gmo soy is not a better alternative than fermented soy. Fermented soy includes miso, tofu and tamari. Soy is incredibly cheap and is often used as stabilizers such as in processed and prepackaged foods, once again read the labels. The majority of soy in America is genetically modified.

Reflect:

After reading about the Japanese diet what can you incorporate or eliminate into your diet that would be beneficial to your health?