The Okinawan diet (the Okinawan or Japanese diet) has long been at the center of discussions among nutritional scientists and other health-conscious people.
This diet is named for an island located at the southern tip of Japan in the Pacific Ocean, and is due to both geographic location and certain eating habits.
Why do people in the East, especially the Japanese, live longer than their counterparts in other parts of the world? On average, typical Okinawans live about 110 years of healthy, productive life, longer than anywhere else in the world. And this is only partly due to the genetic component!
Recent research by the scientific community on population has shown that the most important factor affecting their longevity is the food that Okinawans have eaten for centuries. Therefore, the name "diet" is rather arbitrary. The inhabitants of the island adhere to consistency in their food, and do not connect to a certain diet from time to time.
Let's take a closer look at the peculiarities of Okinawan national cuisine!
First, a limited number of calories. The islanders' diet has 20% fewer calories than the average Japanese diet: no more than 1 calorie per gram, and on average Okinawans have a body mass index of 20.
Second, food is rich in antioxidants. The Okinawan diet contains mainly green, orange and yellow vegetables, fruits, roots and tubers. These foods are good sources of antioxidants and vitamins such as C and A, as well as polyphenolic flavonoids such as beta-carotene and minerals such as calcium, iron and zinc.
Third, it is low in fat and sugar. The Okinawan diet is low in fat, with only 25% sugar and 75% grains. And low in fat and sugar can help prevent coronary heart disease and stroke.
Fourth, vegetarian and seafood dishes. The traditional islanders' diet includes relatively few fish and slightly more soy, low-calorie vegetables, and legumes. Meat, eggs, dairy products are almost not used or completely excluded. Soy (in the form of tofu), in addition to being a good source of protein, promotes health through the presence of compounds such as soluble dietary fiber, antioxidants and tannins.
Okinawan Diet advocates (Bradley Wilcox M. D., D. Craig Wilcox M. D., and Makoto Suzuki M. D.) categorized foods into four categories based on their calorie content as follows:
1. Food groups that contain less than or equal to 0.8 calories per gram. Citrus fruits - like oranges, low-calorie vegetables like spinach, cucumbers, etc. They can be eaten in multiple servings a day without major problems.
2. "Light" foods. This group includes foods with a caloric density of 0.8 to 1.5 calories per gram. Some fruits like bananas and vegetables like potatoes are examples from this category. They should be used in moderation.
3. "Medium" foods: a food group having a caloric density of 1.5 to 3.0 calories per gram, such as grains such as wheat, legumes, and lean meats. It is reported that they should only be consumed with close monitoring of portion size, i.e. in small quantities.
4. "Heavy" foods: foods that provide 3 to 9 calories per gram. This category includes many oils and fats, nuts, oilseeds and red meats that are recommended to be eaten only occasionally.
It remains to be noted that among the population of the island, as well as among all Japanese, there are quite a few overweight people and obviously being overweight is clearly not a national problem for them!
Well, maybe it's time for us to adopt such a diet in order to prolong our active longevity?
