Secrets of the Japanese diet that will help you lose weight (PHOTOS)

This is typically the first item I’ll ask for when I go out for Japanese. Since it has caffeine though, although less than regular tea and sodas, I avoid it at night.

Everyone (but my gringo) seems to love this healthy and nutritional appetizer. Boiled or steamed soybeans are usually served in the pod. I personally like them sprinkled with salt. I guess you could eat the whole pod but we only eat the small, green beans inside.

This basic stock is made by boiling dried seaweed and fish broth (Dashi). White miso paste and scallions are usually added to the mix. My kids, husband and I all love this soup. It’s light and doesn’t taste fishy.

Sticky white rice, seasoned with a mixture of rice vinegar and sugar combined with raw fish, seafood, and/or vegetables. The roll (maki) is the most popular type of sushi. It consists of a sheet of dried seaweed (nori), wrapped around the rice and raw fish (or another type of filling) in the center. California Rolls (an American invention) are the most common and the first roll my kids tried. These are made with avocado, imitation crab, cucumber, and tobiko (flying fish roe). You can either pick sushi up with chopsticks or using your hand. Dip each bite-sized roll in sauce provided. My favorite rolls are spicy crunchy tuna, spicy lobster, and spider (soft shell crab) roll.

Fresh, thinly-sliced raw fish served on a platter with garnishes such as shredded daikon (white radish), carrots, cucumber, seaweed and/or some type of edible flowers. My favorite sashimi is tuna, yellowtail and salmon. Typically you eat Sashimi with chop sticks and you dip them into a mixture of soy sauce and wasabi or some kind of vinegar.

These are the most common condiments that they’ll bring along with your sushi or sashimi platter. Mix in some of the wasabi paste (green and strong Japanese horseradish) into the soy sauce (shoyu). Dip each piece of sushi or sashimi in the mixture. ¡Cuidado! I remember the first time I ate wasabi I thought it was avocado and thought I was going to die! I’ve acquired taste over the years for gari (thin strips or shavings of pinkish, pickled ginger). They say you should it these between different types of sushi or sashimi to clean your palate.

If you have room for dessert then try this. Mochi is a Japanese rice cake. The rice is pounded into a paste and then molded into usually a small, rounded shape. Different flavors of ice cream are used as filling. We usually order different flavors!

We usually order 1 Sushi roll (six rolls come in one dish) and 1 order of Sashimi (minimum of two pieces per dish) per person. We then share our rolls and sashimi (as long as they are all different). Enjoy your Japanese outing and let me know how it goes!