Japan's Changing Food Culture ”Dramatic Decline in Dietary Fiber Intake”

Dietary fiber, which is attracting attention as the sixth nutrient, has traditionally been thought to have only a bowel movement effect, but research on intestinal flora has advanced in the 2000s, and research reports have shown that it has effects on myocardial infarction, stroke, and cancer in addition to diseases of the large intestine.

　Against this background, the Japanese government's Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries has decided to raise the target dietary fiber intake from 20 g/day to 25 g/day.

　However, the dietary fiber intake of the Japanese people has been gradually declining since 1950, influenced by Western food culture, and has now fallen to 14 g/day. The gap between the target level and the current level is getting wider and wider, and we are in a situation where urgent measures must be taken.

The main reason for the decrease in the amount of dietary fiber consumed by the Japanese is thought to be the decrease in the amount of grainss consumed. Specifically, the amount of rice, which is the staple food, eaten has decreased dramatically since 1962.

The dietary habits of the common people, who used to eat a lot of rice with rather small side dishes such as fish, vegetables and pickles, have changed to an era where they eat side dishes that are both substantial in terms of quality and quantity, using meat and dairy products, and as a result, the amount of cereals consumed has decreased, as shown by the statistical data.

From the next post, we will introduce the actual situation in more detail.