Another thing I am not sure about in the top 10 healthiest foods ranking is blue-skin fish which came in 2nd. Blue-skin-fish is recently in the limelight since it contains omega-3 fatty acids EPA and DHA and these omega-3 fatty acids are said to be vital for proper fetal development, including neuronal, retinal and immune function. Fish is very much part of the Japanese diet, and it probably contributes to our longevity since other parts of the world in Blue Zones such as Sardinia Italy and Ikaria Greece also have fish in their diets.
MA GO WA YA SA SHI I which is a basic principle in Washoku cooking recommends fish as part of our regular diet.
What is MA GO WA YA SA SHI I? Watch this.
In the macrobiotic diet, too, fish is eaten occasionally. Especially blue-skin-fish since they are small enough to be eaten as a whole, which is important from the concept of ICHIBUTSU ZENTAI SHOKU. ICHIBUTSU ZENTAI SHOKU means to eat food as a whole. When you eat fish, it is better to eat small fish because you can eat the whole thing instead of eating a part of a big fish.
So how does the Ikigai Diet regard fish?
First, the Ikigai Diet doesn’t set any rules, so you can eat anything you like whether it is meat or fish. Nevertheless, I don’t encourage people to eat meat, and fish for a certain degree. If you want to eat fish, it is better to eat blue-skin-fish from the concept of ICHIBUTSU ZENTAI SHOKU. It is also better to eat wild-caught fish than farmed fish.
There is another thing that needs to be considered in Japan, which is never mentioned on TV: It is a big taboo. That is the effect of radioactive materials in the sea after the accident of a nuclear power station in Fukushima. Yes, the ocean is contaminated, and we don’t know how much since the government doesn’t provide accurate information.
The problem in our country is that we can’t trust our government. You know, our prime minister lied about Fukushima in front of our eyes in order to bring the Olympic Games to Tokyo in 2020. He said Fukushima was under control, but everybody in Japan knew that wasn’t true. As a matter of fact, a few days later, Tokyo Electric Power Company reported that they still had some problems there.
Personally, I try not to eat fish as much as possible, and it seems to be the case among many naturally conscious Japanese people including macrobiotic people. The concept of MA GO WA YA SA SHI I was established before 3.11.
Another problem I have with the TV program which held the Top 10 Healthiest Foods Election selecting blue-skin-fish to be number 2 is that they were recommending canned fish such as canned mackerel. They introduced an episode that one of the celebrities appeared on the program reduced her cholesterol level by eating 2 to 3 cans of mackerel a week for 1 year.
I don’t know what they think of the effect of canned food on our body and our environment.
Well, there was another TV program introducing miso soup with canned mackerel to be healthy, and after that, the production of canned mackerel was increased to double because canned mackerel was soon sold out.
I am not against canned foods; in case of natural disasters they can be useful, but eating them on a regular basis is a different question.