Job Discussion Forums

[Apsara]

To answer azarashi sushi, the mercury in whales thing is something I'm particularly concerned about because due to nationalistic issues this info is not widely publicised in Japan.

I obviously am concerned about the health aspects of meat and the use of pesticides but that information is widely available these days- people usually know something about the topic, and then make their own decisions. There wouldn't be many people around these days that still thought McDonalds was a healthy choice.

Most people however don't seem to be aware of the toxic levels of mercury in sea mammals so you still get people asking "what is the difference between eating whale meat and beef, it's all meat, right?" Wrong.

Too much McDonalds will cause obesity, diabetes, heart disease etc., for sure, but very small amounts of mercury can cause irreversible brain damage and damage to unborn babies, and it is a very insidious poison- people often aren't aware they have been affected until much too late.

Anyway, I've said about all I plan to on the topic now. As Mahik said, there are scientific reasons why whale meat is about the worst you can eat in terms of toxins. Anyone who still wants to eat it, go ahead, but know what the risks are so you can make an informed decision.

[Quibby84]

Apsara, I am super interested in eating healthy and living healthy. We marked McDonalds (and all other fast food resturants) off of our list a long time ago...I cook a meat (normal portion size) and vegetables with brown rice every night...so we live a decently healthy life, still I am interested in being more healthy. So my question is...what sorts of foods do you eat? If you dont eat fish what else do you eat? And how do you afford to be a vegetarian in Japan? In the states you can always shop at Whole Foods (which is about the same price as a normal grocery store in Japan) but if I had to find that kinds of foods in Japan I would be pennyless by now...So if you can, give me a list of the foods you eat, what you consider healthy and what you dont? (you can private message me if you think that this is off topic...I have a tendency to change the subject, and not only on forums...sorry....)

Ok, carry on!

[Apsara]

Might as well hijack the thread!

How do I afford to be a vegetarian in Japan? It's meat that is expensive here , not veges! Tofu, miso and other soy products, all kinds of mushrooms like shiitake and shimeji and most vegetables (excluding tomatos and peppers) are really cheap.

Wholegrain pasta, pasta sauces, soba, udon etc are all pretty reasonable as well. Bread doesn't cost much, and in some cases organic vegetables, noodles etc are similarly priced to non-organic or only slightly more.

Bananas and mikan or whatever cheaper-end fruit happens to be in season aren't that expensive. I almost never drink soda as my father pretty much banned it from our household when I was a kid and I never developed a taste for it. It took me a few years to get used to green tea, oolong tea, barley tea etc. after I came to Japan but now I love them, and they are much cheaper than soda.

The secret to eating cheap here is to eat more Japanese food. I still have sandwiches, pasta, cous cous, oatmeal etc. but we eat plenty of soba, udon, miso soup, rice, somen (in summer), nabe (in winter) etc. Since you still haven't been here that long you are probably still trying to recreate what you would eat in the States- that gets expensive. You need to explore more as far as eating at home goes and not just stick to what you know.

The internet is full of info in English about Japanese food and how to cook it.

Incidentally, I do go to McDs a couple of times a year and have a salad and maybe fries and/ or a shake- that won't kill me. With food and nutrition it doesn't usually hurt to eat something occasionally- I even eat meat occasionally if I am visiting someone who doesn't really understand vegetarianism and I feel I would offend them if I didn't eat their food. I don't really like to eat meat but I would rather eat a bit on the odd occasion than make a nuisance of myself.

It's when McDs and KFC become a staple that it starts to be a problem- an ex-boyfriend of mine started to eat at least 2 fast-food meals a day, every day, and that started to show really quickly.

The big exception to what I just said is of course contaminated food- no amount of mercury is good for you, therefore it is better to avoid eating things that contain it.

[Quibby84]

I dont drink soda either, my parents didnt buy it because it was more expensive than water (which in their minds was free..lol). I cant drink it, unless I am really thirsty and it is a sprite (or lemon flavored) but that is like, literally, once a year. I cant imagine drinking coke, I have a very vivid imagination and when I think of drinking coke I can see it inside of me eating away at my organs...lol.
I cooked mushrooms (the japanese kind) for the first time in Japan..I was suprised that they were so good, I put some olive oil and white wine and garlic, oh and chicken because my husband always says "wheres the meat?". You are right, I have been cooking something somewhat normal to us since we have been here. But lately I look to see what vegetable is on sale. The tomatoes here are super (in taste I mean) and I blend them up (in my super cool chopper upper) and put cook it with fish. That is a really big spin off from a food in Louisiana, really big spin off..lol.
Two things I cant do though is the tea and tofu. I have tried REALLLLLY hard to like the tea and I just cant. But one thing I can drink is Japans juice, it may be my imagination but their 100% juice is the best I have ever had..it is the same brand as the states but SOOO much better...I cant understand. So we drink juice, water, and milk. I dont like the texture of Tofu...it reminds me of Jello and I could never eat that either. I really wished I liked it but I just dont...ya know?
Oh, another thing to remember is that I have no real stove, only one hotplate, so everyting has to be in one course. I hope to get a bigger place soon that I can cook better stuff.....
Anyways, thanks for the response, I really like talking about health...lol.
ok, carry on!