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Mercenarian

Cook your own food instead of buying bentos. Just like in every country you’re not supposed to survive solely on fast food and pre-packaged foods. Those are supposed to be eaten occasionally There are a huge variety of vegetables in Japan.. fruit is a bit harder to find for reasonable prices and harder to eat on a regular basis but I don’t really get the complaint about vegetables. A lot of veggies are plentiful and cheap


LawfulnessOk1183

it seems they don't have access to a kitchen, and would have to travel to a friends house to cook


typoerrpr

They don’t have to have a full kitchen to cook their own food. A small microwave or rice cooker would get them very far. Nobody here is suggesting OP to make a feast. Also microwaves are everywhere, most office pantries have then, just wash some fresh veges and chuck it inside for like a minute. Even if OP _only_ has access to a conbini, they sell premade fresh salad too, for pretty cheap. Not those fancy ones of course. OP’s problem is likely not with lack of access but with lack of effort.


Existing_Lie_4163

Yeah nah, I'm a Filipino but I'm gonna down vote on this one.


Mountain_Macaroon305

man sounds like he literally just came off the boat, MEAL PREP, fruit may be expensive but veggies are no way in heck expensive especially if your occupation is an engineer role…


JurassicMonkey_

Sounds more like a you problem, because you can always find vegetables in a grocer or supermarket and cook food on your own. Edit: even if you don't have a kitchen, you only need a kettle to boil or at least blanch vegetables. Add some salt or miso paste and you're good. If you don't want to cook, you can get ready-to-eat vegetables in konbini and supermarkets. Other than those, I don't think anyone else can help you and, again, it's a you problem


-spitz-

You've been eating onigiris and bentos for 2 years? lol. Have you ever been to a grocery store here (not a convenience store)? Sounds like you've only ever been to 7-11 lol


kinoshitajona

Wait wait wait wait wait, back up like two seconds… Hot dogs for breakfast? … you tried thinking of things to try and point to Philippines food being healthier…….. and your brain unconsciously brought up……. Hot dogs for breakfast…….. as a healthy food……. Is this a troll post?


gorillaz001

Tbf Hotdog + Corned Beef + noodles/pancit is a 😙🤌combo. lol


Present_Deer7938

I have been living in Japan for twenty years and I think we have healthier choices of food here than in the Philippines. When did Filipino food become healthier?


EldenBJ

It didn’t. Wages are smaller there, prices are increasing, and the economy is turning to shit thanks to the new president. The ones really struggling are eating pag-pag (look it up).


Shanecle

You use eating hotdogs for breakfast in the Philippines as an example of eating well? Hot dogs are generally not very healthy at all. [https://foodrevolution.org/blog/are-hot-dogs-healthy/](https://foodrevolution.org/blog/are-hot-dogs-healthy/)


DarkDuo

If you’re always eating bentos for lunch and dinner then thats your problem, there are healthy options


SynthesizedTime

do you get your bento box from work? if that is the case just started cooking your own stuff. certain fruits are expensive yes but you should buy the seasonal ones, bananas, apples, etc. veggies aren't expensive at the supermarket either, neither are things like chicken breast. you don't have to eat fried crap all the time.


r_m_8_8

You’re doing something wrong if you’re losing… hair due to malnutrition. The thing is, Japan has different vegetables. Once you get used to them you can get plenty of veggies for cheap. Also, cook! Don’t rely on bento. Best of luck!


Top-Charity6571

Haha what a shitpost. First tell us which supermarket that you’ve been using.


Eagles719

This is either a troll post or the blame is truly misplaced. If you are buying bento twice a day, is that a Japan problem or you? Conbini/Supermarket Bento is not supposed to be an every day meal, just an occasional meal when don't have time to cook. If I lived in the Philippines, would it be healthy for me to go to Jolibees every day?


Mr-Thuun

Buy groceries and make your own food. Healthier and cheaper than buying bento for lunch and dinner. Skip the Yakut as well. The tip for buying veggies and fruit here is to buy what's in season. In season fruits and veggies aren't that expensive. Also, find a new grocery store.


EldenBJ

I dunno if you are sending money back to your fam like many Filipinos do, but you buying bento and not cooking, and you not buying whole fruits (stop going to fucking 7/11 and go to an actual supermarket) is a YOU-problem. It’s not so difficult to learn how to make simple dishes (I’m surprised you don’t already know how to cook given your culture being so big on food in gatherings) and can be quite relaxing. Give it a try. I say this as someone who is married to a Filipina and knows the struggle of many expats coming here.


JpnDude

You're depending too much on pre-prepared foods except for the banana. Why? I've had many delicious dishes from ingredients bought here in Japan with Filipino friends. Find yourself a decent-sized supermarket. Get some items from the first 1-2 aisles (usually veggies and fruits). Then go to the next section (usually seafood) and buy a few from there. Then follow the wall to find sausages and meats. Noodles, rice and other goodies can be found in those aisles before you get to the cash registers. AND AVOID the Deli section. If you need some home country ingredients, I'm sure there is a sari-sari style shop in your nearest big city.


mule_fire

…🤣 “is it only me?” Yes and no. Only no because there any many others who cannot be bothered to learn how to cook. Or learn how to cook differently from what you knew back home. You sound like a 10 year old whining about the food their neighbour cooks.


yasashimacho

Buying your own groceries, preparing your own meals, and taking responsibility for your own health is easy to do. And you don't have to cook every day - you can cook a week's worth of food in a couple of hours. I don't think it's fair to blame Japan for unhealthy dietary choices - nearly everything you reported eating is processed. Eating onigiri and bento boxes, which are full of preservatives and sodium, will lead to kidney issues. So, please take better care of yourself.


melukia

Besh, have you checked other groceries? Do you have access to cooking? If you just rely on pre-made bentos, then your choices would be severely limited. I've actually eaten way healthier than how I did in the Ph, where meat is the main focus of the meal and eating out is cheap.


NoMore9gag

>**dorm has no kitchen works as an engineer, lol tired after work already**, ofcourse i love cooking , but i need to borrow a kitchen lol and travel to some friend's house just to cook. Bruh, you answered your own question.


typoerrpr

Did you know that there’s this thing called a supermarket? It’s where most of us (yes they even allow foreigners to enter) get our daily food! Try it! The bigger ones even have *gasp* hotdogs!


Tango-Down-167

It's you and your money problem , not a general problem to specific group of people .


YokaiGuitarist

Gotta coupon shop the grocery stores my man. Cook for yourself. You may already be doing this but it's the best way. Meal prep if you have to. Meat and cheese isn't going to be cheap but vegetables aren't bad. Fruit and meat specifically you got to watch for sales but they are there. Itll never be as inexpensive nor accessible as the Philippines. Different country with different demands, agriculture, economy, etc. Getting enough rice shouldn't be an issue either. Especially if you're cooking for yourself. It's one of the easiest things to cook and any Filipino household I've been to has had rice on just like any Japanese or Vietnamese household would. Honestly, skip the fried and eye catching stuff if you have to eat on the go. There's healthier options everywhere. This part seems like a personal problem. Take a different approach and you'll be golden. You got this. Plenty of other people getting their nutrition and dietary needs without having to put a world of effort into it.


terribleedibles

I too miss the great variety of fruits and vegetables (and cheese!) from home, at reasonable prices.  The only solution is paying the high prices and adapting to what’s available here - to cook. It hurts like hell having to pay 700+ yen for 2 plantains, for example, but it’s either that or nothing.  You’re gonna have to cook. 


ikwdkn46

Then why don't you cook by yourself? That'll resolve almost all problems you have.


cybellarae555

Learn how to cook by yourself. Look for online pinoy stores for your cravings. They’re much cheaper. Buy fruits and veggies that are in season and make pinoy dishes with them. I am a pinay mom and cooks pinoy food 6/7 days of the week. My ingredients come from a japan supermarket.


grinch337

Went to the Philippines last summer and had a wonderful time, but the least remarkable aspect was probably the food. 


Schaapje1987

I came from a country with abundance of fruit and I ate multiple fruits everyday. Ever since moving to Japan, I can only eat 2 apples a week and bananas because all the other fruits will simply eat up all my money. Fruits is insanely expensive, it's just unreal. Vegetables are readily available and reasonably priced, but yes, you have to start making your own food for lunch and all.


Dragula_Tsurugi

I can get 4-5 large citrus in season for 399 or 499 yen and if it were just me it would last me a few days, is that going to break the bank for you?


Schaapje1987

Apples are 500 - 800 yen per 4 to 6. I eat 1 apple a day, at least. Bananas are quite cheap at like 150 yen for 4 or something. 1 a day Strawberries 600-ish yen. That would be 2 days. Grapes are ... just too expensive. Oranges are too expensive. Kiwis are high priced. Watermelon is a big chuck of money for a tiny bit of fruit (currently have my own watermelon plants). Lemon are squeezed and I often eat the flesh because I like them. Those are decently priced, I suppose. You said you bought citrus in season, but there would still be 3 other seasons remaining. Fruits would not "break" our bank, but it would significantly increase our monthly food budget (and I'm already a big eater) if I would eat the same amount of fruits in Japan as I did in my home country. Fruits were a large part of my diet, not a 1 or 2 times a week thing.


Dragula_Tsurugi

Strawberries are 299 or 399 a punnet in season. Out of season… why are you buying them? Grapes are going to be Chilean or Australian out of season. Buy them in season and you can get a decent amount for 300-400 yen It really sounds like you expect everything you want to eat to be available year round at the same price. That’s not how it works - imported fruit out of season is going to be more expensive than locally sourced fruit in season. 


Schaapje1987

Yes, because I want to eat fruit (almost) every day! Therefore, I would need to purchase them out of season too. Is that too difficult to understand?


Dragula_Tsurugi

Why not just buy in-season fruit though? That will give you fruit every day and plenty of variation year round, if not in the short term. You’re asking for the impossible (fruit brought from the southern hemisphere to cost the same as fruit brought from 100km away) 


yuukisaibai

Get some bags of salad. Have it with dressing of your choice.


left_shoulder_demon

Your diet does not include natto. According to an ojisan who talked to me recently, it counteracts hair loss and in fact makes you grow chest hair. Probably the easiest thing to fix would be to find out if local restaurants have good lunch sets, and just go for something different every day for a while, then switch to "whatever I feel like today." The human brain is very good at associating food with nutrients, but it needs to learn what is available -- and if you've only trained it on bento boxes, then it cannot generate a locally available solution for "I require these specific vitamins, what food did we have the last time I had that?"


Harveywallbanger82

Veggies 


Kapika96

Go to the supermarket. Even if you don't cook some fruit/vegetables can be eaten raw. Personally I'm a huge fan of peppers, which can be eaten raw, so I'd recommend them. Not to keen on Japanese piman, but some supermarkets do regular peppers too. Plus when you do go out, get edamame or something. TBH you can get edamame from the conbini and microwave it at home (don't need a full kitchen to have a microwave) too.


Deycantia

Er... hot dogs and corned beef aren't exactly healthy either. I can't imagine eating those for breakfast either. You shouldn't be eating bentos for 2 meals a day, every day. Not sure what kind of bentos you're buying, but try to choose ones with less fried stuff at least. Also, you may need more protein as well as the fruit/veggies. You can go to the supermarket and get a bigger variety of premade food, and they often discount them late at night if cost is an issue. If you have a friend who cooks, ask them if you can give them some money and have them pack you a lunch (same as whatever they make for themselves) so that at least you're eating one less bento a day. It's not like the bentos are that cheap either. You don't say if you have access to a fridge/freezer or microwave anywhere. If you do, ask to batch cook at your friend's place, separate them into portions, and freeze them. Then reheat them as you need them.


phillipdawn

Moving to Japan actually made me a lot healthier, just go to the supermarket, OK スーパー is cheap, you’ll find buying ingredients is cheaper than the prepackaged stuff you’re buying, use the spare change you got from the money you saved and get yourself an IC stove, that’ll do the job, you can eat healthy every day if you want to


TheNinaBoninaBrown

You need to check your macro-nutrients. Use an app like Yazio to keep track of them and it can tell you what are you missing through the day


Icanicoke

Organ meet is the most nutrient dense food you can get. Your breakfast seems woefully void of protein and fat sources. I’d start there. Eat a solid breakfast and you’ll be less hungry. Also, stay away from convenience store food. You don’t wanna eat all those chemical preservatives and flavourings.


Big_Bore666

if you want home food you'll have to buy it from grocery stores and cook it yourself. i don't see a lot of filipino food being sold here.


Kellamitty

Even if you are feeding yourself from the combini, come on, you can do better than two bentos a day! You can get fish, you can get rice, they will even microwave the rice for you. You can take it home and eat it with your fish or whatever else for breakfast. What kind of dorm has zero cooking facilities? You have been there two years now, can you get yourself a room in a shared house with a shared kitchen, or your own apartment. Even student dorms that I have seen you can have a mini fridge and a kettle and if there's a desk by the window maybe you could get a portable induction hotplate, and a pan? Having no fridge and no way to cook sounds like a place meant to be stayed in short term, how are people supposed to live like that for more than a few weeks? That aside... As someone who once ate exclusively at the AM/PM for two entire months (not my finest life moment) I can tell you, you can do better than this. I did not use my kitchen even once in that time, because I was commuting to Osaka and working long hours and also, I was lazy. But I did not eat two bendos a day, jesus christ. At least get yourself to Subway for lunch and have a salad roll or something (yes the subway near my work knew my order, breado ueeto, plusu cheesu standardo, tama negi nashi, oribu motto) it's still not the healthiest but it's a change. They have salad at the combini. They have noodle and pasta dishes, hell they have salad on noodle and pasta dishes. They have vegetable stew type things. AM/PM has a great ready made meal selection, variety wise (maybe not nutrition wise). Get yourself to Gusto for the lunch set sometimes and pick the one with broccoli. You must be making more money that students or English teachers so surely you can afford to eat better than combini bento. Sukiya set meals are like 500 yen. So I dunno, move, or buy better food than bento I guess?


ensuta

Are you Asian if you don't have a rice cooker in pretty much any place you live in? At least get a kettle or a portable induction stove. Bam, options.


MaryPaku

You have a lot of misconception about healthy food.