- Meals should look beautiful with small portions and multiple colors arranged mindfully
- Hara Hachi Bu means eating until 80% full to prevent overeating and aid digestion
- White rice is eaten daily in small portions paired with protein, vegetables, and miso soup
If there is one thing many of us are guilty of, it is rushing through meals without paying much attention to how we eat. While most weight-loss advice focuses on cutting calories or following strict diets, the Japanese approach to eating is much simpler. It is built around mindful eating, balanced portions and enjoying food without overdoing it.
Curious to see if these habits could make a difference, one Indian mom decided to follow the Japanese way of eating for 21 days. What started as a simple experiment soon turned into a journey that helped her lose weight and rethink her relationship with food. In a post shared on Instagram, Mansi wrote, "So I decided to copy their exact way of eating for 21 days. No modifications. No shortcuts. Exactly the way they eat in Japan."
Here is what she changed and the results she experienced along the way.
Rule 1: Eat With Your Eyes First
"Japanese people believe a meal should look beautiful before you eat it. Small portions. Multiple colors. Everything arranged mindfully," the influencer explained. According to her, this alone helped slow down eating and prevented overeating.
Rule 2: Hara Hachi Bu
This is a traditional Japanese and Confucian-inspired practice that means "eat until you are 80% full". It serves as a gentle approach to mindful portion control and may help digestion while preventing overeating by giving the body time to register satiety. "I practised this at every single meal and my portion sizes naturally dropped without feeling deprived," she added.
Rule 3: Rice At Every Meal, But In Smaller Portions
Mansi claimed that she ate white rice every day, but in small portions and always paired it with protein, vegetables and miso soup. "This combination keeps blood sugar stable and prevents fat storage around the belly," the influencer noted.
Rule 4: Miso Soup Before Meals
Miso soup contains fermented ingredients and is often associated with gut health. According to Mansi, it became a regular part of her routine. "I had it every single morning and before lunch," she said.
Rule 5: No Snacking Between Meals
According to Mansi, eating between meals is not a common habit in Japan. Instead, the focus is on having three proper meals a day with nothing in between. She believes this gives the digestive system time to rest and helps people become more mindful of hunger cues.
The takeaway is that eating mindfully and paying attention to portion sizes can be just as important as what is on your plate when it comes to building healthier eating habits.