Nagatomo Yuto was a star performer at the 2022 FIFA World Cup. His personal chef, Kato Tatsuya, supports Nagatomo’s conditioning through his diet.
We asked Kato about diets for optimal performance he discovered while helping world-class athletes that are also very effective for regular people to maintain their health. He also talked about the benefits of miso, amazake [a sweet drink made from koji rice malt], and other fermented foods that are essential in an athlete’s diet.
Control, not restrict, carbohydrates and take in the optimal amount
When Kato became Nagatomo’s personal chef, Nagatomo, who was playing in Italy at the time, was struggling both with poor performance on the pitch and with injuries. The two of them began working to improve Nagatomo’s diet to keep him in the sport as long as possible. To their initial progress, they added the dietary theories of Professor Yamada Satoru from the Kitasato Institute Hospital attached to Kitasato University, and the three of them devised what they termed the Fat Adapt diet.
“The Fat Adapt diet lowers the intake of carbohydrates to an amount suitable for your physique, which suppresses rapid spikes in blood sugar levels and limits both the conversion of carbohydrates to fat and the accumulation of fat. Excessive intake of carbohydrates needs to be watched, as it increases body fat and is a factor in saccharification, which contributes to aging.”
The phrase of “restricting carbohydrates”, however, has become so prevalent that many people have the impression that carbohydrates should be avoided full stop. This is why Kato uses the word “control”, not “restrict”, to caution people about not getting enough carbohydrates.
“Nagatomo used to follow a strict carbohydrate-restricted diet. However, that’s like having a car with no gasoline. If you don’t get sufficient carbohydrates, your body will tap into your muscles as a source of energy and deplete your muscle mass. Carbohydrates are one of the three major nutrients, so you need to take in the right amount that matches your activity levels and metabolism. Nagatomo’s performance improved after he started eating the right amount of carbohydrates.”
The order in which you eat your meals is also important. “If you eat carb-rich foods such as rice or bread first, your blood sugar levels are more likely to spike. Just as you stretch first to avoid injury, try feeding your body first with soups and salads with lots of vegetables and then eating meat, fish, or other proteins, and leave the carbs for later.”
Add fish to your meals to get good-quality fats and proteins
Another benefit of the Fat Adapt diet is that controlling carbohydrates has your body switch its source of energy from carbohydrates to fats. This cycle makes it easier for your body to lose weight. In order to burn fats more effectively and generate more energy, Chef Kato says that you should strive to consume good-quality fats.
“Before I became a chef for athletes, most professional nutritionists advised athletes to avoid consuming oils whenever possible. It is better, however, to take in a moderate amount of good-quality oils and fats. If we use a bicycle analogy, oils and fats are like chain oil. Just as oil lubricates the chain for smoother motion and prevents it from deteriorating, getting quality oils and fats into your body can guard against cell oxidation.”
Examples of good-quality oils and fats are saturated fatty acids such as those contained in beef and eggs; omega–9 fatty acids such as those found in olive oil and rice oil; omega–6 fatty acids such as those contained in sesame oil; and omega–3 fatty acids such as those found in flaxseed oil, perilla oil, and oily fish.
“Fish is especially attractive because it provides good-quality protein alongside good-quality fat. Protein is an essential nutrient for building and maintaining muscle, and I’d like to see not only athletes but also ordinary people proactively eating fish.”
The time spent enjoying delicious food helps you recover mentally
As a chef for top-class athletes, Kato emphasizes the functionality of food, but he values the enjoyment of food too.
“Top athletes have to struggle with constant training and pressure that can drain their spirits. Eating delicious food can certainly lower stress levels to some extent. So when I’m providing meals to an athlete, I let them have one thing they want to have and include it on the menu along with the functional foods. And we set aside cheat days when they can eat whatever they want with their family and friends. In today’s stressful society, I think it’s safe to say that everyone needs those times to enjoy food and be comforted.”
Fermented foods made with koji are helpful in supporting athletes abroad
When assisting athletes playing abroad, Kato makes sure to always bring miso and other fermented foods from Japan.
“I suspect everyone knows that fermented foods are very effective at regulating the intestinal microbiome. But not everyone knows that stress directly impacts the intestines. There are athletes afflicted by bad stomach conditions because they unfortunately can’t cope with the pressure overseas. Fermented foods that comfort the intestines of Japanese people are very helpful in cases like these.”
One of his favorite miso products is Marukome’s Koji Bijin Miso. “It’s really the only choice because not only is it highly functional — as it is additive-free and fresh and contains extra koji made from 100% Japanese rice; it’s also incredibly delicious. The balance of richness and koji sweetness is exquisite.”
The package’s taglines caught Kato’s eye the first time he saw Koji Bijin on a store shelf.
“For sure, I bought it because of its packaging, but I’m glad I came across it.”
The best way to understand Koji Bijin’s goodness is to make miso soup with it.
“Many miso products become salty when added to miso soup. But with Koji Bijin, just a little bit brings out a wonderfully deep umami flavor and richness. You can sense its flavor from the very first sip. Having miso soup while overseas seems to soak into your body and soul. Nagatomo has loved miso soup made with this miso since his time playing abroad.”
Koji Bijin uses twice as much koji as Marukome’s regular miso, and the grains of koji are still visible
While Nagatomo was touring abroad representing his country, Kato sometimes supplied meals to other overseas players on his team. Their most common request and favorite was the tofu and wakame seaweed miso soup he made.
“In Italy, where salt and olive oil are the basic seasonings, it was a revelation to find that players found the flavor and umami of fermented foods like miso to be delicious. On the other hand, although these are common seasonings in Japan, I think that by incorporating them into non-Japanese recipes and sharing them, I can create opportunities for people to rethink Japanese food culture.”
Kato came up with a vegan tan tan ramen [spicy Szechuan noodles] using Marukome’s Daizu Labo Minced Soy Meat retort packs and Koji Bijin miso that turned out to be very popular. “I’d like vegan athletes, who are increasing in number every year, to try this ramen too.”
“Koji Bijin is perfect for soy meat miso in my vegan tan tan ramen, where I want the umami and sweetness to come out,” says Chef Kato
The power of koji plays a big part in daily diets and assistance
Salted koji plays a huge role in helping athletes get a good, tasty intake of protein from meat and fish, because it makes use of the action of living enzymes.
“The clumps of fat in meat tend to turn white and harden even once inside the body, so I always remove them when cooking. This unfortunately makes the meat dry out easily, so I often marinate the meat in salted koji and then cook it at a low temperature.”
Kato also sees the amazing benefits of koji amazake in regulating the internal environment of the body every day. “My wife makes and drinks smoothies with koji amazake every morning. She likes to use Marukome’s Plus Koji Koji-Amazake LL Koji Rich. She says that it helps her to have regular bowel movements, probably because it contains 1.2 times the amount of koji of regular amazake. This is another place where you can feel the power of koji.”
Mix 50 mL of Plus Koji Koji-Amazake LL Koji Rich, 200 mL of unsweetened almond milk, one banana, and one egg in a blender to make a koji amazake smoothie. You can add in protein powder as well if you prefer.
