Food Hero Tuesday: TFT Japan Food Team

Note from the Editor: TFT "food heroes" are people who inspire us, and whose visions align with the values that TFT espouses and promotes. This post is from a registered dietician and member of the Table for Two Japan Food Team, Shoko Ohno, who tells us about TFT Japan's latest campaign and provides us with healthy eating tips. TFT Japan Food Team, we at TFT HK salute you!

Table for Two Japan's campaign, "One Million people to share TFT meal" 

"The Importance of weighing yourself and how to cut calories in your daily life"
Author: Shoko Ohno, National Certified Dietitian and a pro bono TABLE FOR TWO staff member

Your weight changes daily. Though such changes may be as small as by gram unit, watching weight every day is a very important measure to maintain your health by/for yourself.

In Japan TABLE FOR TWO's original campaign called "One Million people to share TFT meal" (Hyakuman Nin no Itadakimasu) started on 16th of October this year. This is the fourth year of this annual, month-long campaign. Participants include corporate cafeterias, restaurants and food retailers and the campaign has garnered a great deal of exposure on national TV.

TFT Japan's campaign on TV!

We are now running a brand new event for this campaign. Under my advisement, two men, one in Japan and one in the USA, are now competing to change their eating habits and lose the most weight during the campaign period. The participant in Japan is Mr. Tohru and the participant in NY is Mr. Aki. Both men are over 100kg (approx. 220 pounds). During the competition, the two men share what they eat, how they work out, and how much weight they have lost over our designated Facebook page. Their friends, supporters, and I give comments, encouragement, and advice.  Most of the news feed is in Japanese, but feel free to follow this link and take a look (you must first send a friend request): www.facebook.com/challenges.tft

So far during the first week, Tohru in Japan has already lost 2kgs (4.4 pounds). In an effort to change his overeating and consumption of unbalanced meals, Tobru weighs himself daily and bravely reports it on FB. In fact, according to OMRON, one of the leaders of measuring instruments in Japan, it is better to weigh oneself not only in the morning but in the evening, too. OMRON says that this practice allows one to see how various eating habits influence one's body; this, in turn, leads to faster weight loss.

For those smart phone users who want to make watching ytheir weight more fun, I would like to recommend this "kawaii (cute)" application called "SIMPLE DIET"! According to a source, this has already won great favor in Japan, China, Korea and Taiwan;

If you are also a good home cook, please find some hints to cut calories of what you eat! Food is not only a way to supply us with nutrition. It is also one of the joys of life. Learning to enjoy eating sensibly and without stress ensures that one will not simply gain weight back after dieting.

Let's Change
Avoid fried foods. Either broil, bake or steam. If you are an enthusiast of dessert, replace a part of it with fresh fruits.

Let's Add
Take in 5 or more servings of vegetables a day. Taking a glass of milk or yogurt in the morning also improves your diet

Let's Subtract
Refrain from eating snacks every day; cut the frequency of snacking to 3 times a week. If you really crave “junk food”, allow yourself a small splurge once a week.

Small changes are very worthwhile, because each change accumulates and each day of small changes accumulates too. The result is better health and weight loss.