Meet the amazing Takishi Mamika, the incredible 92-year-old fitness instructor from Japan. She's Japan's oldest fitness instructor who is still active, and she's such an inspiration to all of us. You might be wondering how she keeps herself healthy and energetic at her age.
Well, we're here to take a deep dive into Takashima's diet and find out what she eats daily to fuel her energy. So, let's go! The first thing Takashima does in the morning is wake up before 4 a.
m. , drink a glass of water, and go for an exercise at 4 a. m.
She walks four kilometers, then in the opposite direction, she jogs three kilometers and then walks another one kilometer. This takes about two hours, and it's an impressive way to start the day. After a good workout, she has breakfast at about seven o'clock in the morning.
Her breakfast is a well-balanced meal rich in proteins and fermented foods that provide her with probiotics. Let's explore the specific items in her breakfast. One of the key items in her diet is natto.
Natto is a traditional Japanese dish consisting of fermented soybeans and is characterized by a slimy, sticky, and stringy texture. It has many nutritional benefits and is extremely popular in Japan. The smell may be surprising to newcomers, but natto is packed with nutrition.
Just eating a 100-gram portion, you can enjoy 67% of the daily value of manganese, 48% of iron, 27% of magnesium, and zinc, and also moderate levels of vitamin K, calcium, potassium, and selenium, among others. Natto contains more probiotics than non-fermented soybeans, which reduces unpleasant digestive symptoms and helps your body absorb nutrients more easily. You may think natto is hard to obtain, but in fact, it is easy to make at home.
All you need are soybeans and fermented soybean powder. The fermenting process can be easily made in a yogurt maker, but for those who prefer not to do it from scratch, you can also buy it easily in a Japanese food store nearby. Along with natto, she also enjoys yogurt, which contains a lot of calcium—a mineral necessary for healthy teeth and bones.
It's also high in B vitamins, particularly vitamin B12 and riboflavin, both of which may protect against heart disease and certain neural tube birth defects. One cup also provides 28% of your daily phosphorus, 10% for magnesium, and 12% for potassium. These minerals are essential for several biological processes, such as regulating blood pressure, metabolism, and bone health.
Takashima highlights that yogurt is good to wash down the taste of natto, and she enjoys yogurt with honey. Let's further explore a comprehensive breakfast spread. She enjoys a refreshing salad with lettuce and broccoli, which she highlights is in season, together with many tomatoes and lean ham, which is cooked without oil in a pan.
It is truly a balanced diet of fiber, vitamins, and protein. Another Japanese secret recipe in her breakfast is tsukemono—Japanese pickles that are served with practically every traditional meal. I'm sure you have encountered them in your last visit to a Japanese restaurant.
Specifically, she enjoys nukazuke, which are common household pickles fermented in a mixture of roasted rice bran, salt, and kombu, which is a Japanese term for kelp seaweed. Whole vegetables are stirred into the mash and allowed to cure anywhere from a day to several months. The resulting crisp, salty, and tangy pickles are then rinsed clean, sliced, and served.
Nukazuke are rich in lactobacillus and are said to aid in digestion. There are so many different ways to preserve veggies, so why not go and pick your recipe to make your own vegetable preserves, which are rich in probiotics to boost your good health? In between her meals, if she is resting at home, Takashima ensures to add some exercises.
Even when watching TV, Takashima sits with her back completely straight and her stomach drawn in, and she always walks around the house on tiptoe. How inspiring is that? Now, let's talk about Takashima's lunch.
She keeps it light and refreshing with just one banana and a probiotic drink called Yakult. By not overeating during lunch, she avoids feeling sluggish and tired throughout the day. The banana is a fantastic source of potassium, providing about nine percent of the daily recommended intake.
Potassium-rich foods like bananas help manage blood pressure by helping the body excrete excess sodium. Not only that, but bananas are also a source of prebiotics, which feed the good bacteria in our gut, making them a perfect match for Yakult. Yakult, or Yakuruto, is a Japanese sweetened probiotic milk beverage fermented with the bacteria strain Lactobacillus casei Shirota.
And if you're worried about blood sugar levels, eating less ripe bananas is also an option. So let's take a page out of Takashima's book and keep our lunch light yet nutritious and delicious. Let's talk about Takashima Mika's hearty dinner.
After a long day of teaching fitness classes, she knows the importance of nourishing her body with a healthy, balanced meal. Her typical dinner consists of lean protein such as fish and chicken thigh, curry with carrots served with rice cooked with salmon flakes. She also includes tofu, boiled spinach, Korean kimchi, and natto.
She enjoys a lettuce salad with tomatoes and chicken, but with no dressing. To complete the meal, she enjoys miso soup and some beans along with rakkyo, pickled Japanese scallion. Each item on Takashima's plate serves a specific purpose in keeping her healthy and energized.
The lean protein in her dinner provides her body with the necessary building blocks to repair and build muscle after a day of physical activity. Fish is a great source of omega-3 fatty acids, which are important for heart health and reducing inflammation. Chicken is high in protein and low in fat, making it a great option for maintaining muscle mass while also supporting weight loss goals.
The rice cooked with salmon flakes adds extra protein and omega-3s. Three fatty acids to the meal, as well as some additional flavor and texture. Tofu is a great source of plant-based protein and contains all nine essential amino acids.
It is also high in calcium, iron, and other important nutrients. Boiled spinach is packed with vitamins and minerals, including vitamin A, vitamin C, and iron. Korean kimchi is another fermented food in her meal that is rich in probiotics, which help to support good health and digestion.
The spice goes very well with fish. For dinner, Takishima enjoys navo. Again, natto is another fermented food that is high in protein and contains a unique enzyme called nattokinase.
This enzyme may thin the blood and help break up blood clots, which might protect against heart disease and conditions caused by blood clots, such as stroke, heart attack, and others. The lettuce, tomato salad with chicken provides a fresh and crunchy addition to the meal while also supplying fiber and essential vitamins and minerals. By skipping the dressing, Takishima keeps the calorie count low and avoids adding unnecessary fat and sugar to her meal.
Finally, miso soup is a staple in Japanese cuisine and provides a warm and comforting addition to any meal. Miso paste is made from fermented soybeans and is rich in probiotics, as well as essential amino acids and minerals. Overall, Takashima's dinner is a great example of a balanced and nutritious meal.
By including a variety of protein sources, vegetables, fermented foods, and whole grains, she is able to provide her body with the fuel it needs to stay healthy and strong. By following a healthy and balanced diet, she is able to maintain her energy levels and continue teaching fitness classes well into her 90s. We can all learn something from her example and strive to prioritize our own health and well-being through the foods we eat.