Why is it worth adding Asian dishes to your little ones' diet?

In 2016, the World Health Organization presented the results of a multi-year study ranking countries by healthy life expectancy. This measure shows the expected number of years children born today will live in full health. According to the analysis, a child born in Japan will live longer in health than one born in any other country in the world. While Japan ranks first in this ranking, Poland ranks 38th, just behind the United States and Albania. Experts identified several reasons for this result. On the one hand, the Japanese have a well-developed healthcare system that places a strong emphasis on preventative care, and on the other, they have an exceptionally healthy approach to diet and physical activity. Let's take a look at how this plays out in practice.

Vegetables are the foundation of a typical Japanese meal. Japanese children primarily eat plenty of green beans, red peppers, zucchini, eggplant, onions, beets, radishes, carrots, lettuce, sweet potatoes, and shiitake mushrooms. These foods provide plenty of vitamins, minerals, fiber, and antioxidants while being low in calories, helping children develop strong immunity, maintain a healthy body weight, and avoid constipation.

Rice is another important component of a Japanese meal. It's worth introducing brown rice into a child's diet, for example, for dinner, replacing white pasta, or for breakfast with stewed apples, instead of sweet cereals. Brown rice gives a greater sense of satiety, leaving no room for salty snacks and sweets. Furthermore, it's rich in minerals such as magnesium and manganese, which have a positive effect on the nervous and skeletal systems of developing children. Brown rice is also an excellent source of B vitamins, which positively affect concentration and mood, and reduce fatigue, translating into a child's better well-being and academic performance.

It's also worth noting that Japanese children consume moderate amounts of dairy products, significantly less than children in the Western world, including Poland. Nevertheless, their diet includes many foods rich in calcium or containing substances that improve calcium absorption. It's worth learning about them and diversifying your child's diet during this period of intense bone development. These include seaweed, sesame seeds, toasted sesame oil, miso paste, green vegetables, and cabbage.

The diet of Japanese children is also rich in iodine and omega-3 fatty acids, which are sourced from marine algae such as kombu, wakame, nori, and fish. These nutrients play a crucial role in proper brain development, growth, and immune system function, and their deficiency is often observed in the Polish diet due to low fish consumption.

It turns out that the traditional lifestyle of a young Japanese child is consistent with current Polish and global nutritional recommendations, with particular emphasis on eating more vegetables, fruit, whole grains, and less saturated fat, meat, dairy products, and sugar, while also remembering about regular daily physical activity.

Need ideas for tasty, healthy meals for kids? Try our recipes for sushi for children i miso soup.

Clinical Dietitian Monika Wodyczko