Some of the healthiest and longest-lived people in the world follow the practice of hara hachi bu, a dietary philosophy based on moderation. This practice comes from a Japanese Confucian teaching that indicates eating only until you feel approximately 80% full.
More recently, it has gained popularity as a weight loss strategy. While hara hachi bu emphasizes the importance of eating in moderation and stopping before you are completely full, it should not be considered a method of dietary restriction. Rather, it represents a way of eating that helps us cultivate awareness and gratitude by eating slowly.
Research on hara hachi bu is limited. Previous studies evaluated the general dietary patterns of those living in regions where this eating philosophy is more common, not the “80% rule” in isolation.
However, available evidence suggests that hara hachi bu may reduce total daily caloric intake. It is also associated with less long-term weight gain and a lower average body mass index (BMI). This practice also aligns with healthier eating habits in men, who choose to consume more vegetables and fewer grains in their meals by following hara hachi bu.
Hara hachi bu shares many similar principles with conscious or intuitive eating. These approaches, mindful-based and non-diet-focused, encourage greater connection to internal hunger and satiety cues. Research shows that both approaches can also help reduce emotional eating and improve overall diet quality.
Hara hachi bu can also have many benefits that go beyond weight loss.
For example, its focus on mindfulness and intuitive eating may offer a gentle and sustainable way to support long-term health changes. These changes are much easier to maintain in the long term, which can improve health and prevent regaining lost weight, a risk for those who lose weight on traditional diets.
The hara hachi bu philosophy also makes a lot of sense in the context of modern life and can help us develop a better relationship with the food we eat.
Evidence suggests that around 70% of adults and children use digital devices while eating. This behavior was related to higher caloric intake, lower fruit and vegetable intake, and a higher incidence of eating disorders such as restriction, binge eating, and overeating.
As a dietician, I see it constantly. We idealize food, we obsess about it, we talk about it, we post about it on social media, but all too often, we don’t really enjoy it. We’ve lost that connection and that appreciation for food.
Being more aware of the foods we eat and taking the time to savor, enjoy and experience them fully, as hara hachi bu emphasizes, can allow us to reconnect with our body, promote digestion and choose more nutritious foods.
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Try the hara hachi bu
For those who want to try hara hachi bu or take a more mindful and intuitive approach to improving their relationship with food, here are some tips:
1. Connect with your body before eating
Ask yourself: Am I really hungry? And if so, what type of hunger is it: physical, emotional or just habitual? If you’re physically hungry, depriving yourself of food can only lead to stronger cravings or lead to overeating later. But if you feel bored, tired or stressed, take a moment to reflect. Giving yourself space to think can help you prevent food from becoming an automatic defense mechanism.
2. Eat without distractions
Stay away from screens and pay full attention to food. Screens often distract us from satiety cues, which can contribute to overeating.
3. Eat slowly and savor each bite
Eating should be a sensory and pleasurable experience. Eating slowly allows us to know when we are full and should stop eating.
4. Seek to feel satisfied, not full
If we consider that being hungry is a one and being so full that you need to lie down is a ten, then eating until you feel about 80% full means that you should feel satisfied, but not stuffed. Eating slowly and paying attention to your body’s signals will help you achieve this.
5. Share meals when you can
Connection and conversation are part of what makes food meaningful. Connection over meals is uniquely human and key to longevity.
6. Seek to nourish yourself
Make sure your meals are rich in vitamins, minerals, fiber and energy.
7. Practice self-compassion
It is not necessary to eat “perfectly.” The goal of hara hachi bu is to be aware of your body, not to feel guilty about what you eat.
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It is important to note that hara hachi bu is not intended to be a restrictive eating method. Promotes moderation and eating in tune with your body, not “eating less.”
When considering a method for losing weight, you run the risk of triggering a harmful cycle of restriction, dysregulation and overeating – the exact opposite of the balanced and intuitive approach it purports to represent. Focusing solely on eating less also diverts attention from more important aspects of nutrition, such as food quality and intake of essential nutrients.
This practice is also not suitable for everyone. Athletes, children, older adults, and people with medical conditions often have higher or specific nutritional needs, so this eating pattern may not be appropriate for these groups.
Although often boiled down to the simple rule of “fill 80%,” hara hachi bu reflects a much broader principle of conscious moderation. In essence, it is about connecting with the body, respecting hunger without excess, and appreciating food as fuel: a timeless habit worth adopting.
*Aisling Pigott is a lecturer in dietetics at Cardiff Metropolitan University.
This text was originally published in The Conversation
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