It’s hard to keep up with all the diets that have been trending lately. It’s even harder to decide which diet fits your personal needs and lifestyle. Most people quit their diets because they don’t fit their lifestyle, or are too strict and demand an almost ridiculous amount of discipline. Shoku Iku is a diet that teaches you to follow your body’s lead. Everything this diet asks you to do, are things that will come naturally to you if you learn how to truly be in-tune with your body.
Shoku Iku is a Japanese term, meaning “food education”. Japanese military doctor, Sagen Ishizuka, introduced the idea in the 1800s because he believed that being healthy and healing your body was entirely dependent on how you take care of your insides. He went on to practice Shoku Iku with his patients for so long, that it was a widely familiar idea across Japan.
In the early 2000s, the Japanese government became very concerned for its citizens, afraid that they may be influenced by American culture. In America, it was (and still is) common for people to eat fast food multiple times a week, skip breakfast, and eat a ton of processed foods. Japan decided that they did not want this to happen to their country, so the powers that be decided to make Shoku Iku, or food education, mandatory in schools. To this day, Japan remains one of the healthiest countries on Earth.
As of 2020, life expectancy in Japan is at 84 years old, average between all sexes. Life expectancy in the United States is at 78 years old. That’s almost a ten year difference! Many experts link this to the education Japanese children get, as it pertains to nutrition, that American children don’t get as often. Among the top ten healthiest countries, Japan ranks number four, according to a report by CBS News. That’s pretty impressive.
The idea behind Shoku Iku, is that you pay attention to your body. Part of what this means, is learning to notice when you feel full, and not eating past that point. It is recommended with Shoku Iku, that you don’t eat until you are completely full, but until you are about 80 percent full. So, when you feel like you could still eat a little bit more, stop. As long as you don’t feel hunger in your stomach, you don’t need to eat. This is especially helpful for those who are trying to lose weight. When you get your stomach used to holding less food, it will get smaller and leave less room for food. It also helps to learn the difference between hunger and cravings. Hunger is a physical feeling, whereas craving is something that is in your head. Genuine hunger is also easier to ignore than cravings.
While you’re training your body to not overeat, and to only respond to actual hunger, Shoku Iku suggests that you eat whole, nutritionally rich foods. The bright side is, you don’t have to count calories or keep anything (within reason) off limits to yourself. As long as you’re eating foods that have significant nutritional value, you’ll be doing fine. These foods stay in your body longer, leaving you feeling full longer. Once you’re used to eating healthier foods, you will start to notice that you crave unhealthy foods far less often. You will realize that your body feels so much better with better things being put into it. As long as you’re really listening to your body and following its lead, Shoku Iku can be a very successful diet for you.