Japan is
often referred to as a country that should serve as example for teaching
healthy eating habits, especially to children. To attempt to understand the
basic principles that have been guiding the Japanese nutritional philosophy, one
has to be familiar with a key term – "Shokuiko". Literally translated
as "Health Education", this term emphasizes the need to educate
people to eat properly healthy food.
The
concept of Shokuiko was coined in the early 20th century by Japanese
doctor Sagen Ishizuka who stressed the need for a healthy balanced diet.
Japan had
the means to implement policies of healthy eating education from an early
stage, since school meals are a long-established practice, going back to the
roots of the country's modern school system in the 19th century. At first,
school meals were aimed at supplying food for children whose families did not
have the means to prepare meals at home, but as early as the 1920s, a strong
emphasis was given to school meals as a means of encouraging healthy life
through healthy nutrition. This policy continued during and after World War II
as means of fighting malnutrition among children.
From the
1950s, the practice of meals provided by schools started finding its way into
state laws, and as the country began its slow movement from post-war poverty to
economic prosperity, these laws again emphasized promoting healthy eating habits
and letting the public understand the processes behind food production and
consumption. Over the next few decades, local rice began supplementing bread,
professional nutritionists began working in schools overseeing meals, and school
children began being involved in the process of preparing and serving the food
for their friends – giving an even greater weight to the social aspect of the
practice, and to healthy eating as an individual responsibility.
Today,
when Japan is among the world's richest countries, the school meal programs
still have dominant presence in the life of children with over 10 million
children participating in them. The economic prosperity and the busy daily life
of both young and old people in the country has brought many changes to the
national eating habits; a 2005 study has shown that 20% of the schoolchildren
in the country tend to skip breakfast, and that many of them purchase dinner at
convenience stores (participation in after-school activities does not leave
time for a proper dinner). In view of these changes, schools stress even more
the importance of school meals as an educational tool – not just for healthy
life, but also for proper behavior.
In 2009, the Japanese School Lunch Law was updated and defined the following principles as the aim of school meals:
1)
Sustaining and improving health through proper nutrition.
2)
Fostering understanding, decision-making and eating habits for an appropriate
diet.
3)
Livening school life and encouraging an actively social and considerate spirit.
4)
Furthering appreciation of the gifts of nature that support us, fostering
respect of life and nature and encouraging a spirit of environmental
conservation.
5)
Acknowledging how the food industry is supported by the activities of many
people and respecting their hard work.
6)
Furthering understanding of the traditional cuisine of Japan and the local
region.
7) Promoting
a correct understanding of the mechanisms of food production, transportation
and consumption.
The
understanding of the importance of proper nutrition, not just for healthy
growth but also for a healthy social function, has been the basic principle for
Japanese child nutrition – and other countries would do well to follow Japan's footsteps.
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