Hara Hachi Bu
I still remember how I overate when I was a student. I used to buy so much food that my friends often thought I was shopping for at least two meals. But that was not the case. I ate a lot, I overate very often and everything was just wonderful.
Even more clearly, however, I remember the day I stopped overeating. It was the beginning of summer and I had to go out with my friends. But I couldn't. Because I wanted to read an extraordinary story that inspired me to change my diet.
How important it is how we eat
We have all heard part of John Rockefeller’s story - one of the richest people and philanthropists of all time. He had been working since he was a child and he really liked to work. At one point, however, in his mid-50s, John was exhausted.
Endless commitments and stress have drained the ambitious entrepreneur. Doctors warned him that if he does not slow down, he would hardly work for a long time. And then John made the decision to take care of his health.
The doctors imposed three rules to John to follow in order to restore and maintain good health:
Never worry about anything.
Perform regular outdoor exercises.
Eat so that you do not overeat.
Everyone knows how harmful stress is and how useful sport is. But is it so important how we eat? It turns out that this is true. When we overeat, the digestive system is overloaded, which slows down many other processes in the body.
But John Rockefeller took control of his body and lived for almost 100 years.
Hara Hachi Bu
When we talk about people who live about 100 years we should mention the Japanese. There are many studies that seek answers to the question, why there are so many centenarians in the land of the rising sun? And one of the reasons is related to nutrition again.
If you visit the island of Okinawa, the place with the most centenarians in Japan, one of the most common expressions you will hear is hara-hachi-bu. The locals use it before and after meals and it literally means "my stomach is 80% full". They consider overeating extremely harmful and therefore they constantly remind themselves how important it is to eat the right way.
The Japanese culture is actually so focused on proper nutrition that they even use small dishes to avoid eating huge amounts of food. In addition, they eat more often during the day, not 3, but 5 times.
New habits for a new life
When we eat without overeating, our body manages to process the food we eat better and faster. This allows other organs to work better because the stomach does not press on them. But how do we achieve all this?
The easiest way to fight overeating is to determine the amount of food that is best for us. And this is the amount that allows us to feel light and pleasant in our own body. If you can eat something else right after breakfast, lunch or dinner, this is a sign that the goal has been achieved. With a little patience and a lot of tests you will be able to find the balance and be a hara-hachi-bu.
Perhaps this diet is not the main reason for the long life of John Rockefeller or the large number of centenarians in Japan. But it certainly helps, because it directly affects the way our body functions. And if we take proper care of the body, it will certainly take care of us.