Hi guys,
I’m doing a semester abroad in Japan and I work out a lot. Unfortunately, it is not possible for me to take protein powder except vegan protein powder, otherwise it will give me a lot of acne… That’s why I usually get all my protein from what I normally eat during the day. So for those who workout a lot or just people with healthy diet: When you came to Japan, did you find any tricks to get e.g. more protein in your diet?
26 comments
Donki gas vegan protien powder.
On iherb and rakuten (shopping site) you can get vegan Pescience protien powder
Don’t ever buy protein bars, buy salad chicken which is usually cheaper, is actual meat and general has the same level of protein or more.
[Here is an example from 7/11](https://7premium.jp/product/search/detail?id=7480). 13g for about 150 JPY. You can even get bigger pieces of [salad chicken that give over 20 grams of protein](https://7premium.jp/product/search/detail?id=7543).
Just eat it straight out the packet. If you wanted, you can pair it with a rice ball or two so you get literally a chicken and rice meal that can be eaten straight away without cooking and no utensils to clean up.
Soy protein is cheap and easily available
also my protein ships to Japan
Try HEUL, 11,000 yen two pack black edition will last you 34 meals. Per meal is less than 350 yen. It’s healthy and time saving.
Tuna, tofu, chicken, eggs, soy beans in the easily snackable form of edamame… There’s not much to hack. Cheap proteins are plentiful in Japan.
Meal prep is damn simple as well. Cook brown rice (genmai) in the rice cooker. Stir-fry your protein of choice with veggies in a pan. You’ll have balanced bento for life and this can be cooked in the tiniest flat with a single stove burner.
Tofu. at gyoumu super 37 yen for 23g of protein
My daily fixed diet. (Protein only )
Tofu ( 150 grams ) : 10 grams of protein
4 eggs : 24 grams of protein
SAVAS : 430 ml 20 grams of protein
150 grams of chicken or beef : 40 grams of protein
In total of 94 grams of protein
I’m a 58 kg female. Going gym 2-3 times a week.
Get bulk dog food
Start eating natto.
Fish can be a really cheap source or protein. You can buy a whole saba for like 200 yen sometimes and cook it yourself. Just be aware they’re really fishy tasting and smelling.
Also you can go to the grocery store right before they close and get discounted fish and meats
I literally run a gym here. Get more omega-3. Seaweed is your friend and don’t trust 99% of advice regarding recommended protein powder.
And the real hack is to add more nuts to your diet here. Any convenience store meat will hack up your insulin levels.
Edit: because I was already asked, omega 3 fatty acids specifically from Whole Foods like seaweed help with the solubility of proteins. No need to urinate all that extra protein out as that would be money down the drain, literally.
If you need help reading labels, protein is written as タンパク or 蛋白 on nutrition labels.
If you’re looking for plant-based stuff, I suggest also looking into beans/lentils/chickpeas which you can get in a store or online if you can’t find any.
I haven’t seen Hanamasa mentioned yet but that’s a huge help because they sell 2kg bags of chicken meat, both breast and thigh. They also have a huge meat and seafood selection for when you want some variety.
Otherwise find your local Gyomu (業務スーパー) or OK supermarket as they’ll have plenty of protein foods for cheap. (Chicken, fish, pork, beef, eggs, tofu.)
Be aware there’s not really lean ground meat here and a lot of the ground meat will be pork or a mix so you’ll need to check the label.
Myprotein for vegan protein powder and a much cheaper alternative to Huel.
Tempeh is also available online and in some stores (eg frozen at Gyomu).
I’m the opposite, allergic to soy which is in everything.
I get those beef/pork/sheep slices from the supermarket meant for yakiniku, bag them in 1 meal’s worth baggies, and throw them in the freezer. Every night I cook a hearty soup or curry full of veggies (horenso, carrot, potato, sweet potato, onion, etc) and towards the end of cooking, toss in sliced pork/beef/sheep and an egg or 2. Then in the bowl I pour unsalted seaweed on top.
Eggs, chicken breasts (in 1kg+ bulk packs), and tofu are hands down the cheapest and best options here.
Egg prices have increased a bit lately but it’s still cheap compared to other countries I believe.
Back when I was in college my diet was essentially entirely the above lol
Don’t buy supplements from amazon.jp unless they have a huge sale. Iherb.com is where it’s at. I hate the salad chicken other ppl mentioned, tastes disgusting. Canned tuna, eggs, and beans can be bought for cheap. Rice for carbs. Bananas are cheap to mix in with your protein shakes. For the gym if you are on a budget go to the city hall gtms, they are usually about 2-300yen a visit. Or anytime fitness or joyfut for about 8000yen a month, it has everything you need, although most are small and crowded. Golds gym if you can afford it.
Sashimi
SAVAS Soy protein powder + Marusan soy milk.
My dude, honestly, it’s about the same as everywhere else. You’re going to eat a lot of chicken, a good amount of your choice of carbs (potatos are my go-to), salad, eggs, and possibly milk.
I personally like moyashi (bean sprout) and edamame (green soybean), and they have a decent amount of protein for what they’re worth, so that could count as a tip.
Other than that, protein yogurts are not too overpriced in Japan compared with where i’m from (and compared to “regular” yogurts), so if you can have that, there you go. I like Oikos, but Savas is not too bad.
Check your labels and use google translator camera to check the macros, just like you would in other countries.
Chicken breast …. Lots of it. They sell those 1kg packs
Tofu is a great source of protein and is so adaptable, readily available and cheap. It takes on the flavor of whatever you season it with (if you choose to season it). No, soy does not affect male hormones. That is a myth and has been disproved over and over and over.
I’m not bulking, nor do I work out much, I was doing keto and looking for ways to take the taste away from Greek yoghurt (not a big fan of sour stuff) and I saw hemp powder. It’s not as good as whey powder in terms of bioavailability, but you can get it from Amazon in Japan (it’s massively marked up in the stores on the high street) but unless you don’t like the taste…. It might be worth a try.
I also stumbled across pumpkin seed powder too, which was delicious but too expensive.
shout out to the fancy lawson snacks with super high protein. thinking of the ume/shiso chips…