Sushi is a regular in Japan and in Japanese restaurants in the west. If you're not a fan of the small balls of rice wrapped in seaweed with all sorts of fillings, then you should be.
According to scientists from the National Centre for Global Health and Medicine in Tokyo, eating a Japanese diet found that doing so increases a person's lifespan. Apart from replacing burgers to sushi and sashimi, a Japanese diet mainly consists of vegetables, fruits, grains, and fish. Meats, like pork, beef, and chicken, are also eaten but in moderated amounts. Consumption is fairly balanced, and the dietary guidelines have been linked to lesser chances of dying due to cardiovascular diseases and other causes.
Additionally, the researchers said:
"Our findings suggest that balanced consumption of energy, grains, vegetables, fruits, meat, fish, eggs, soy products, dairy products, confectionaries, and alcoholic beverages can contribute to longevity."
This is in coherence to the Japanese food guide released by the East Asian country's government. It is widely known as the "spinning top" considering that the chart is shaped as such.
The scientists mainly looked at data from 36,624 men and 42,920 women aged 45 to 75 years old. It lasted for 15 years, and the participants themselves did not have a history of cardiovascular, liver, and cancer.
The results of the study found that men and women who adhered to the spinning top diet had a 15% lower mortality rate in 15 years than those who didn't. Moreover, the researchers found out that the reduction in mortality rate can be attributed to lesser cases of cerebrevascular deaths among the subjects.
Furthermore, the spinning top diet suggests doing the following:
- Enjoy your meals.
- Eat well-balanced meals with staple food, as well as main and side dishes.
- Establish a healthy rhythm by keeping regular hours for meals.
- Avoid too much salt and fat.
Note that you don't have to mainly gorge on sushi, especially if you don't like the idea of eating raw fish, but other Japanese dishes would do.
