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Hello my friends,
Welcome to Part-3 of Foods and Habits That Boost The Immune System!
It’s been quite a while since I posted the Part-2 of this series.
I hope you will enjoy this new topic as I do.
Shoku-iku
I am blessed to have met nice beautiful friends from Japan. We had neighbors back home some 30 years ago. They were Christian missionaries from Japan who dwelt among us for many decades. They became friends not only to my family but to almost everybody in our small tribal village. We learned a lot from them, not only from their christian living, but also from their healthy living – what and how they eat and all about their food and habits..
Have you ever heard about ‘shoku-iku’ ?
If you have, and love to share your thoughts, you are most welcome to do so, and leave them on the comments section below this article.
You might be wondering why I mentioned my Japanese friends.
Here is why..
Before I came across some articles on Shoku-iku, I had witnessed the food preparation and results in the health and lives of our Japanese missionary friends back then.
From the book of Makiko Sano, a Japanese chef and author, I learned that Shoku-iku is a Japanese word which means “food education”. It is an approach to food, according to Dr. Sagen Ishizuka, a military doctor in the late 1800s, whose belief is that the secret to health and healing is to strengthen the body from the inside.
It is amazing to note how the Japanese government took action in June 2005 on the negative effects of Western fast foods on families and the young generation. It passed the Basic Law of Shoku-iku, declaring it compulsory to educate children about nutrition, origin of food, and food pairing.
A vital component of Shoku-iku is to advise to “never skip meals in order to lose weight”. It is rather advised to consciously monitor your nutritional intake with every meal on a daily basis.
Shoku-iku and Immune System
Covid19 seem to linger for some more time.
Because of this, we need to be on the offensive side. Not all the time defending ourselves from attacks of Covid19 and other viral and bacterial infections.
We have to boost our immune system by applying the principles of Shoku-iku.
In Makiko Sano’s book, she mentioned that the basic rules of Shoku-iku include the “Power of Five”.
-Eating foods from five groups: GRAINS – VEGETABLES – FRUITS – PROTEIN – DAIRY
-that appeal to your five senses: SMELL – TASTE – TOUCH – SIGHT – HEARING
-that contain five tastes: SWEET – SOUR – SALTY – BITTER – SAVOURY “UMAMI”, and
-which aim to reflect five colors: GREEN/BLUE – RED/ORANGE – WHITE – BLACK/BROWN – YELLOW
The principles of Shoku-iku include:
-Pairing of: food, meals, drinks
-Balancing the food nutrients: Fat, Carbohydrate, Protein, Vitamins & Minerals, as in the Food Pyramid 
-No starving – no skipping meals
-Eating smaller meals that are heavy on vegetables and light on refined sugars
-Timing: when to eat certain kinds of food and food products
Applying the principles of Shoku-iku
Let us now apply and give few examples:
-Pairing of food
* Iron is well absorbed when paired with vitamin-C. So it is best to squeeze lemon on iron-rich vegetables or other iron-rich foods
* Vitamin-A is well absorbed when paired with oil. So it is best to add oil (olive, corn, or vegetable oil) to vitamin A-rich foods. This could be vegetable salads (vit.A-rich veggies)
* Food pairing is a MUST if one is on weight-loss or weight-gain program. [We will talk more on this in another article on weight management].
-Timing
* When is it best to drink water – drink 2 glasses of water upon waking up, 1-2 glasses of water 30 minutes before meals, and consume more than 8 glasses of water a day
* When are fruits best eaten – nutrients in fruits are best absorbed 30 minutes before meals or between meals
* Happy foods are not advisable to be eaten or drunk just before bedtime. Those foods may keep you awake. Examples of happy foods or energy foods: Banana, mango, blueberries, strawberries, yogurt, green tea, coffee, olive oil, mushroom, grapes, dark chocolate, turmeric….and many more.
Note: For weight-watchers, there is best time to eat certain foods, but we will talk about this in another article on weight management.
-Balancing
* The food pyramid is the best example and explanation – the top tier of the pyramid represents the fats, sugars, oils which should be taken sparingly; the bottom tier of the pyramid represents carbohydrates which we could consume in larger amount; and the next large tiers represent the vitamins and minerals, and protein, which can be consumed in large amounts.
* We need to eat foods rich in anti-oxidants after a fast-food meal in order to flash out the unnecessary fats, sugars, and sodium.
* If we ate much in one meal, we should eat less the next meal.
These are but few doable examples we could apply in our daily living.
It is very vital to know the nutrient contents of each food product we buy or grow in our backyard gardens or farms. By this, it will be easy for us to pair food items during meal preparation.
Promoting the principles of Shoku-iku
The staple food in Japan and other southeast Asian nations are different from the other nations, but everybody can always adapt and promote the principles of Shoku-iku on any meal planning and preparation.
The List below is from the website of Japan Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries (https://www.maff.go.jp/e/policies/tech_res/shokuiku.html). Let us learn from this:
Dietary guidelines for Japanese
- Enjoy your meals.
- Establish a healthy rhythm by keeping regular hours for meals.
- Maintain the proper weight with adequate exercise and well-balance meals.
- Eat well-balanced meals with staple food, as well as main and side dishes.
- Eat enough grains such as rice and other cereals.
- Combine vegetables, fruits, milk products, beans and fish in your diet.
- Avoid too much salt. Attention should be paid to the quality and quantity of fat ingested.
- Take advantage of Japanese dietary culture and local food products. Preserve local dishes.
- Conserve food resources and practice dietary habits for minimizing leftovers and food waste.
- Develop your understanding of food and review your dietary life.
Encouragement
Shoku-iku-based diets tend to aid the body in losing extra fats naturally without you and me even planning to. Hence, promoting health, and longer life.
We may not have access to fresh vegetables, fruits, and other food products, especially this time of strict quarantine rules all over the land. But we can always search online for food supplements bearing in mind the Shoku-iku principles in choosing the best products.
God, the Almighty Creator of Heaven and earth be glorified for His marvelous works. He has provided everything man could ever ask for.
Let us ask wisdom from God as we start our Shoku-iku meal planning and preparation.
God bless us all.
Enjoy!
Chuna
If you wish to read books on Shoku Iku recipes, many great books are available at Amazon.com. Click here to open in separate tab.
When you click on my Amazon affiliate link, and purchase products from there, I earn commission, but there is no additional cost to you. It helps pay for hosting and server costs. Thank you!
“myoverallfitness.com is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, and affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Thank you.”
Sariyah
says:Hey thanks for this post!
It’s important for us to look after ourselves especially since the pandemic , immune systems need to be in tip top condition. I actually learnt quite a lot from reading through this, I’m going to take note of these points too. I didn’t know bananas are energy foods, I usually eat them towards the end of the day maybe that is why I can’t go sleep sometimes.
I am going to take a look at weight management too as this is of my interest!
Thanks
admin
says:Hi Sariyah,
I am happy you learned something from this post, as I did the first time I came across Shoku-Iku.
The effects of bananas are not the same for every person. Some sleep well even after eating banana before bedtime, and some experience the opposite.
Thank you for the nice comment.
God bless you,
Chuna
Abel
says:I was watching Yuki Kobayashi the other day (journalist and Japanese cooking teacher in Spain) He was sharing that he remembered when he was a child, at school in Japan. There were workshops related to food, and there was a subject for learning about the whole home environment, and they even learned to cook at that young age. So, it has been my belief that the fact that Japan is the longest-living country with the lowest obesity rate in the world is connected with how they eat.
admin
says:I agree. How Japanese people grow and prepare their food result to their amazing national health statistics.
It always fascinates me when I read or watch Japanese cuisine.
Thanks for sharing your experience and comment.
God bless you, Abel
Claudia
says:Hello Thak you fornsharing this post on Shuku-ku diet. Know for a fact that it’s important not to skip any meal and that thus diet works because my mother weight over 200 pounds and now she weights 150. It’s realy not a diet but changing your eating habits as a way of life. It make you stronger, healthier, and gives you more energy. Thank you forba very educational post on nutrition and health
admin
says:Hi Claudia,
I’m happy about your mother.
Healthy eating habits as a way of life is really what everybody should know and practice, not only for weight loss.
I hope you will visit often.
God bless you,
Chuna
Cassandra
says:I agree with the smell, taste, touch, sight, and hearing, I have a three-year-old twin grandaughter whom every time I offer her food she put the food through all of the above, and she has been doing that since she started eating solid foods, I found it to be very unique due to the fact none of my other 10 grandchildren nor my 4 children have never done the Power Of Five, good topic.
admin
says:Hi Cassandra,
Kids like colorful foods. It adds to their appetite. It is always nice to apply the Power of Five to our food preparation, both for family nutrition and for healing of diseases.
Thank you for the comment. I look forward to more of your visits to my website.
God bless you,
Chuna
Joseph
says:Excellent article Chuna. I have never heard of Shoku-iku before but from the very beginning when I started reading the article and you were talking about food preparation and healthy living habits, my mind immediately went to all the terrible fast food that people eat in America. Can you believe there are people in America who only eat that junk? it’s gross. The Shoku-iku principles also seem very wise considering all the covid concerns.
admin
says:Thank you, Joseph.
I try my best to teach and influence people I meet with the Sholi-iku principles because it really is beneficial and practical. It is really a sad fact that many people prefer and enjoy fast foods and junk foods than healthy ones.
God bless you
admin
says:Thank you, and I hope you read my other articles.
God bless and keep you safe,
Chuna
Jay
says:This is literally the first time that I am learning about this and I didn’t know that there was a way like this one that one could really use to boost ones immune system. This is a good thing and I am very happy to be able to learn about how to boost my immune system. I’m happy to see this. Thank you very much for sharing.
admin
says:Hello Jay,
Your words are kind and inspiring.
Thank you so much for dropping by and sharing your thoughts.
I’m happy that you find this article helpful.
And yes, we can boost our immune system by ‘food education’ – shoku iku.
Stay healthy and God bless you,
Chuna
Antonio
says:Hi Chuna
I am a great believer that you can learn something from every culture and one of the best way to learn is from the food that they eat and prepare. I think it is great that the government did something about the bad eating habits that was creeping in, as this is better in the long run. A balance diet is always what you are trying to seek and I think the Japanese have nailed it. I got to admit it is a term I have never heard, you can say that you have educated me. Do you think that this can be adapted to Western cuisine with ease?
Thanks
Antonio
admin
says:Hello Antonio,
Yes, my friend, the principles of Shoku-iku can be adapted to Western cuisine with ease. I read several reviews on Shoku-iku diets and meal plans, and most of the cons are that the ingredients are not always or never available in some places.
Because of this, we could only adapt the principles – The Power of Five – in our meal planning, with the ingredients that are available in our neighborhood.
The principle is to balance, combine or pair, the 5 basic food groups, using the 5 senses, adding 5 colors and 5 tastes to make the food or meal attractive and appetizing.
Thank you so much for visiting and for contributing your mind.
I’m happy that you find this article worth reading.
God bless you more,
Chuna
Justin
says:Hello Chuna, it’s really not my thing to go on the internet to search for food, but on seeing the benefits of this particular food I was really glad and knowing the situation the world is, anyone would get any food that helps the immune system no matter the cause. This is the first time I am seeing this food and it’s really good
admin
says:Hello Justin,
Thank you so much for dropping by, and leaving your nice comment.
It is always the best practice to cook our own food, grow our own vegetables, and prepare meals bearing in mind the Shoku-iku principles.
Now-a-days though, people tend to search the internet for food supplements due to non-availability of fresh food items in the groceries as a result of pandemic quarantine rules.
God bless you,
Chuna
Ismeglamour
says:Hello there, thanks for sharing this awesome article i know it would be of great help to the public as it has been of help to me. I have had Skoku Iku a few time and i must tell you it one of the best i have immune system booster i have ever taken as the changes were so evident in a short period of intake… although it has some side effects but i varies by person.
admin
says:Hey Ismeglamour,
Thanks for dropping by, and for the nice comment.
Let us continue practicing the principles of Shoku-iku to boost our immune system.
God bless you,
Chuna
Joy
says:Hello there! This is an amazing article you have got here. I am sure this informations in your review will be of great help to any one who come across it as it is to me. My favorite principle of shoku iku is Forget calorie counting While many weight loss or heart-healthy diets encourage calorie counting as a way to control your eating, this strategy has proven ineffective for many people. Thanks!
admin
says:Hello Joy,
Indeed, and better yet to remember the Power of Five.
Thank you so much for visiting and for the encouraging words.
Blessings,
Chuna
Lucas Moore
says:Insightful websites as this are hard to find.
If you’re looking for ways to prevent colds, the flu, and other infections, your first step should be a visit to your local grocery store. Plan your meals to include this awesome recommendation from this website. I wish i had some Japanese friends that would have earlier on introduced me to this immune booster.
admin
says:Hello Lucas,
You are right. Food pairing and balancing is the best when preventing or even curing infections. I love the Power of Five principle of Shoku-iku.
I have high regard for the Japanese government and how they take care of their nation’s and people’s health, and high respect for my Japanese friends. They are a treasure.
Thank you so much for the visit and the kind inspiring words.
I look forward to more of your visits.
Blessings to you and your family,
Chuna