You may be asking “Hara Hachi Bu WHAT”????  Let me fill you in!!  Hara Hachi Bu is a term in Japan used to describe only eating until you’re 80% full!  It originated in the city of Okinawa located in the south west. The people of that city boast some of the lowest rates of illness in the country, as well as being some of the longest living community members.

Obviously we live in societies these days whereby we consume far more than needed to fuel our bodies on a daily basis, and obesity is a major health issue globally, eating less therefore comes as no real surprise. But how does this principal actually work?  Well, you need to stop eating when you feel only slightly full!

The key to this working is to actually be mindful of what quantities you are putting on your plate.  When dishing up, you actually need to look at your plate and decide what amount you think will make you full, then either take away 20% of that, or only place 80% on the plate in the first place.  The second and step to this, is to “SLOW DOWN!” Did you know it takes 20 minutes for your stomach to send messages to your brain to say you are full, give your body time to recognise its full!

If you would like to read more on the benefits of the Hara Hachi Bu method, please click here to access further information.