{"id":201075,"date":"2025-06-14T07:34:25","date_gmt":"2025-06-14T07:34:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/yogaesoteric.net\/?p=201075"},"modified":"2025-06-13T20:08:03","modified_gmt":"2025-06-13T20:08:03","slug":"im-a-japanese-nutritionist-and-i-never-eat-western-desserts-these-5-foods-satisfy-my-sugar-cravings","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/yogaesoteric.net\/en\/im-a-japanese-nutritionist-and-i-never-eat-western-desserts-these-5-foods-satisfy-my-sugar-cravings\/","title":{"rendered":"I\u2019m a Japanese nutritionist and I never eat Western desserts \u2013 these 5 foods satisfy my sugar cravings"},"content":{"rendered":"

Growing up in Nara, Japan, I always loved eating \u201cwagashi<\/em><\/a>,\u201d or traditional Japanese sweets. My favourite was pudding and cakes made with \u201canko<\/em>,\u201d which is sweet red bean paste.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Wagashi<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

But when I moved to the U.S. and became a nutritionist, I couldn\u2019t believe the dessert selections at the grocery stores. They were too heavy and sugary for me. So I started making recipes inspired by my childhood.<\/p>\n

Now when people ask me how they can get rid of their sweet tooth, I tell them they don\u2019t need to. By being more careful and making small adjustments, sweet treats can actually be a healthy and even medicinal part of your diet.<\/p>\n

Here are some my go-to desserts when I need a sweet fix:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Japanese sweet potatoes<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    There are two types of Japanese sweet potatoes that I like: \u201csatsumaimo<\/em>,\u201d which has a purple skin and a pale yellow flesh, and \u201cmurasaki imo<\/em>,\u201d which has purple skin and flesh. You can typically find both at western supermarkets.<\/p>\n

    Japanese people are crazy about baked sweet potatoes, called \u201cyaki imo<\/em>.\u201d I bake a medium-sized sweet potato in the oven for about 60 minutes at 425 degrees Fahrenheit (220 degrees Celsius).<\/p>\n

    \"\"
    A delicious sweet potato fresh out of the oven<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

    You can adjust the cooking time depending on the size. These sweet potatoes are so concentrated in flavour that they don\u2019t need much else to be delicious.<\/p>\n

    I also make sweet potato wagashi<\/em> from steamed or baked sweet potatoes, dried fruits, chestnuts, cinnamon, matcha and a bit of sea salt. These ingredients are packed with nutrients!<\/p>\n

    \"\"
    My sweet potato wagashi<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

    Sweet adzuki bean paste<\/strong><\/p>\n

    I\u2019m a huge fan of adzuki paste, or \u201canko<\/em>.\u201d You can find it at Asian supermarkets or online. Typically, anko<\/em> is made with a lot of sugar, so when I make my own, I use alternative natural sweeteners like dates, goji berries, cinnamon or persimmons.<\/p>\n

    To prepare anko<\/em>, I soak red beans overnight, drain them, then combine all my ingredients \u2013 beans, a 2-inch (5 cm) piece of konbu seaweed, dried fruits, chestnuts, cinnamon and sea salt \u2013 in a rice cooker and set it on the brown rice setting.<\/p>\n

    \"\"
    Some anko with mochi<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

    It can be used in a variety of desserts, including \u201can-pan<\/em>,\u201d a soft bread with anko<\/em> filling, \u201cohagi<\/em>,\u201d a rice cake covered with anko<\/em>, \u201czenzai<\/em>,\u201d a sweet adzuki bean soup, and \u201cdorayaki<\/em>,\u201d an anko<\/em>-filled pancake.<\/p>\n

    Adzuki beans are also frequently used medicinally and ritually in Japan. We like adding them in recipes meant to promote health, peace and wealth. They are high in fibre, protein, magnesium, potassium and vitamin B.<\/p>\n

    The dried fruit aids digestion and overall gut health, and the cinnamon can help boost metabolic and immune function. When it comes to beans as surprising desserts, I\u2019m also a big fan of edamame paste, called \u201czunda<\/em>.\u201d It pairs perfectly with tofu mochi, which is made with tofu and rice flour.<\/p>\n

    \"\"
    Some anko, zunda and persimmon<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

    Dates and dark chocolate<\/strong><\/p>\n

    Dates are naturally sweet and high in vitamins, nutrients, fibre and magnesium. Dark chocolate provides us with antioxidants that are great for heart health and fighting inflammation.<\/p>\n

    The way I prepare it is simple: Just cut down the middle of a dry Medjool date and stuff it with a small piece of sugar-free dark chocolate and a walnut. That\u2019s it! You can try different combinations of fruits and nuts, too.<\/p>\n

      \n
    1. Rainbow berry jam<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

      Berries are filled with polyphenols, which are antioxidants found in plants that can help defend against inflammation and boost cell health.<\/p>\n

      \"\"
      Cooking my mixed berry jam<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

      I don\u2019t add any sugar to my jam. Depending on the season, I use a handful of frozen or fresh organic berries (usually a combination of raspberries, blackberries, strawberries and blueberries) mixed with apple sauce, a slice of organic orange with the peel still on, a little bit of dried goji berries, flaxseed and cinnamon powder.<\/p>\n

      I start with medium heat. After the mixture starts to boil, I immediately reduce it to low heat, then let it simmer for about 40 minutes with the lid on. I\u2019ll occasionally stir it to keep it from burning. Then I turn off the heat and let it sit for about an hour with the lid on.<\/p>\n

      You can keep it in the fridge for about a week or two. I like serving it with dark chocolate, vegan matcha cake or chia seed pudding. This jam tastes heavenly when spread on a slice of whole wheat bread, too.<\/p>\n

        \n
      1. Chia and flax seed pudding <\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

        This is one of my favourite puddings, as you can add whatever you want to personalize it. I enjoy this dessert because it is packed with protein, fibre and omega-3 fatty acids.<\/p>\n

        \"\"
        Chia pudding topped with my berry jam<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

        My go-to recipe:<\/p>\n

          \n
        • 3 tablespoons of chia seeds<\/li>\n
        • 1 tablespoon of ground flax seeds<\/li>\n
        • 2 cups unsweetened soy milk (or any non-dairy milk)<\/li>\n
        • 2 ripe bananas<\/li>\n
        • 1\/4 cup choice of dried fruit \u2013 goji, mango, date, apricot or any of your favourites<\/li>\n
        • 1\/2 tablespoon of cinnamon, matcha or unsweetened cacao powder<\/li>\n
        • a handful of frozen or fresh berries or walnuts (as optional toppings)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

          Put these ingredients in a mason jar, combine well, and place into the refrigerator overnight.<\/p>\n

          Author: Michiko Tomioka<\/em><\/p>\n

           <\/p>\n

          yogaesoteric
          \nJune 14, 2025<\/strong><\/p>\n

           <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

          Growing up in Nara, Japan, I always loved eating \u201cwagashi,\u201d or traditional Japanese sweets. My favourite was pudding and cakes made with \u201canko,\u201d which is sweet red bean paste. But when I moved to the U.S. and became a nutritionist, I couldn\u2019t believe the dessert selections at the grocery stores. They were too heavy and […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1317],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-201075","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-healthy-food-4260-en-health-en-health-en"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/yogaesoteric.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/201075","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/yogaesoteric.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/yogaesoteric.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/yogaesoteric.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/yogaesoteric.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=201075"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/yogaesoteric.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/201075\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":201111,"href":"https:\/\/yogaesoteric.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/201075\/revisions\/201111"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/yogaesoteric.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=201075"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/yogaesoteric.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=201075"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/yogaesoteric.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=201075"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}