Yuzu's 6 Standard Balances

"Nutritional Balance" is important for healthy meals. For our "Anti-Aging Bento Box", we care about choosing 6 healthy foods as shown below. Taking in a variety of foods little by little is Yuzu's standard healthy balance!!

1. Grains
Main source of energy. We blend a few kinds of rice as well as red and black rice which are known as "Ancient Rice" with unpolished brown rice, either five grain rice including barley and beans. There are lot of Vitamins, Minerals and Fiber that your body needs. In plain white rice, there is only starch which invites weight gain. However, with unpolished brown rice, you could expect "Detox" effects.

2. Root Vegetables
These vegetables have rich minerals from the earth. Lotus Root and burdock are not familiar ingredients among American people. These are good for constipation and also increase your body temperature. In the winter season and in air-conditioned rooms, your body becomes cold, thus taking in these root vegetables warms you up from the inside out.

3. Beans
Good and rich quality for protein. Soy products are also a good source of iron and contain vitamins and an essential oil-linoleic acid, one of the Omega-3 fatty acids. At Yuzu we use many kinds of beans and organic Tofu.

4. Green and Yellow Vegetables
They are rich in vitamins and minerals. Japanese pumpkins, and spinach and many others have a lot of Vitamin A which is an antacid. At Yuzu we use seasonal and fresh vegetables.

5. Seaweeds and Mushrooms
Seaweed is a rich source of iodine, an important nutrient. Seaweed is also rich in fiber. Mushrooms are low in calories and rich in minerals which is good for your diet, and they are a good source of Anti-Cancer. At Yuzu we use seaweed (such as hijiki, sea moth, etc.), and mushrooms (such as Shitake, Elingi, Enoki, Portabella, etc.).

6. Animal Protein
There are 9 kinds of Amino-acids and healthy fat which is in fish which is useful in controlling blood pressure. At Yuzu, we serve salmon filet which has Omega3 and eel which has antacids. For side dishes, we serve tiny dried fish and shrimp which are rich in Calcium. For good quality protein and low fat, we serve Chicken breast and Turkey meat. We do not use beef, lamb, ham and pork which are low in fiber and high in cholesterol. (We do not incorporate any kind of meat products for vegetable bento box.)

Yuzu's 7 Policies.

We are concerned about a healthy eating lifestyle. So we make sure to take time to prepare our food. Also, we use water and ingredients that are better for your body.

1. No Frozen Precooked Foods
We think Frozen Foods are convenient but less nutritious than fresh. There are many additives in them. Even if we take longer to prepare, we believe that hand made dishes are much better.

2. No Trans Fat Oils
Today, people realize that Trans fat increases bad cholesterol in blood and also increases risk of heart disease. At Yuzu, we use 0g Trans fat oils such as Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Canola Oil and Sesame Oil.

3. No High Cholesterol Mayonnaise, Margarine, Butter, and Cream
Aging of the blood vessels begin as early as 20 years of age. If you are in the middle to elderly age, you should not have those high cholesterol foods. If your cholesterol is high, there is higher risk for symptoms from bad lifestyle habits than average adults.

4. Better Ingredients for Cooking
We use sea salt which rich in minerals, and unbleached brown sugar, and pure honey for a milder taste. We use natural bonito broth instead of chemically preserved soup stock. We use turmeric, parsley, basil, thyme and other varieties of herbs which have anti-bacterial properties.

5. Purified Water for Cooking
We are concerned about the safety of water. So, we filter our water to remove harmful substances out of it as much as possible.

6. Using "Environne Fruit & Veggie Wash"
This soap is developed only for washing fruits and veggies. This is designed to remove chemical residues from the surface of produce. This soap is made from natural ingredients. "Eat healthy, the way nature intended!!"

7. For Beauty of the Earth
Yuzu respects LOHAS (lifestyle of health & sustainability) and proudly selected containers which consist of polypropylene and tulc which can control dioxin emission in the process of recycling. It can be safely heated in microwave. (When you heat in microwave, you should take off the cover and heat in less than 2 min.)