Japan has the highest child health, obesity and the lowest mortality
According to law media, Japan has achieved a very low obesity incidence rate while ensuring children's health and adequate nutrition intake, the secret of which is school lunch.
According to Agence France Presse reported on October 15, the report released by the United Nations Children's Fund on October 15 shows that Japan ranks first in the world in terms of children's health, with low mortality and very few people who are thin. Japan is also the country with the lowest childhood obesity rate among the 41 developed countries of OECD and EU.
Experts pointed out that several related factors played a key role, including the Japanese special attention to health, school lunch and regular physical examination of children.
"All primary schools and most junior high schools in Japan provide lunch with a menu determined by a nutritionist," said Hara Guangyan, a pediatrician and professor at the University of Tokyo Institute of home economics
Lunch is compulsory at school. Students are not allowed to bring their own dishes and fast food. Most lunches are not free, but the subsidy is high.
According to the report, each student lunch in Japan contains 600 to 700 kcal calories, with a balanced mix of carbohydrates, meat and vegetables. Take the school lunch in qunma County as an example, including rice, fried fish, spinach bean sprouts, pork miso soup, milk and prunes.
"Experts have found that school lunches should be supplemented with nutrients that may not be enough to eat at home," explained seimi Ueda, an official of the Ministry of education, culture and sports
Moreover, school lunch is not only for children to eat, but also to educate them. Yuan Guangyan pointed out: "the school will send a radio notice every day to explain to the children the nutrients contained in lunch every day. This is a good way to educate children. "
Ueda said that the government will study children's nutrition and eating habits every year and adjust school lunches according to the survey results.
The school lunch system in Japan can be traced back to 1889, when children from poor families were given rice balls and fried fish in Yamagata Prefecture. After World War II, the system was extended to other parts of Japan for the malnutrition of children during the period of severe food shortage.
The report said that the results are clearly reflected in the data: Japan is one of the countries with the lowest child mortality. The proportion of overweight and obese children aged 5 to 19 is 14.42%, much lower than that of most developed countries. The proportion of overweight and obese children in the United States is the highest, 41.86%.