Dig Deep #8: Dumbing Up to Slim Down

As a woman, I am no stranger to the diet. I have tried many and given it my best shot, at least for a day. But, with America's unhealthy obsession with bloated portion sizes and cavity catalytic sweets, I was convinced the fat kid inside of me would live forever. 

Be that as it may, consider the fat kid one who is also unable to read or write, which has brought me to the ultimate diet: illiteracy. Not being able to read many of the labels, nutrition facts and mere ingredients has limited my diet to only foods that are explained by picture or that are noticeably what they are. For the most part, I am eating fresh fruits, veggies, fish and the occasional meat product along with rice. 

Of course, there has been that more-than-common attempt to try new Japanese sweets and pastries, but even then the sugar amount is lower and the portions are merely bite sized. I also drink green tea (matcha) frequently, which helps my metabolism and also acts as an astringent and keeps my breath tea-time fresh. 

In Japan, they diagnose people that carry even the slightest bit of extra weight with "metabolic syndrome." This is in fact an actual "disease" that affects many people, but for Japanese, it is the same severity as cancer and people will fight tooth and nail to prevent it from happening to them. 

This society takes so much pride in keeping their bodies cleansed and thin that you would literally have to be sedentary for the majority of the day while constantly eating and refusing sunlight or fresh water to gain weight.

In other words, illiteracy has helped stave off unwanted processed foods, but for the most part, being immersed in a society that understands portion control and sugar intake is the first real diet that has worked.