![]() Not every meal has to meet precise caloric guidelines. ![]() ![]() Though Japan’s central government sets basic nutritional guidelines, regulation is surprisingly minimal. Most schools employ nutritionists who, among other tasks, work with children who are picky or unhealthy eaters. But Japan also invests heavily in cultivating this mind-set. Children are taught to eat what they are served, meaning they are prone to accept, rather than revolt against, the food on their plates. When it comes to food, Japan has some deeply ingrained advantages. Japan’s children will live on average to 83, longer than those in any other country, according to the World Health Organization. But there is virtually no malnutrition resulting from poverty. Japan does struggle with childhood and adolescent eating disorders, and government data show a rise in the number of extremely skinny children. According to government data, Japan’s child obesity rate, always among the world’s lowest, has declined for each of the past six years, a period during which the country has expanded its dietary education program. Japan’s system has an envious payoff - its kids are relatively healthy. Barring dietary restrictions, children in most districts can’t bring food to school, either, until they reach high school. They get identical meals, and if they leave food untouched, they are out of luck: Their schools have no vending machines. Mealtime is a scene of communal duty: In both elementary and middle schools, students don white coats and caps and serve their classmates. The meals haven’t changed much in four decades. They’re balanced but hearty, heavy on rice and vegetables, fish and soups. Schools in Japan, by contrast, give children the sort of food they’d get at home, not at a stadium. But even the healthiest choices are generally provided by large agri-food companies, cooked off site, frozen and then reheated, and forced to compete in cafeterias with all things fried, salty and sweet. In the United States, where obesity rates have tripled over the past three decades, new legislation championed by Michelle Obama has pushed schools to debut menus with controversial calorie restrictions.
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