The magic Okinawan
diet is based on variety and small portions.
The Japanese diet
has been in the spotlight for years, ever since Japan made a name for itself as
the country with the longest life expectancy. That being said, people live even
longer in Okinawa province. To find out why, Makoto Suzuki, a heart specialist
from Ryukyus University in Okinawa, did several studies on the Okinawan diet,
beginning in the 1970s. Here's what he found out:
First, the
Okinawan diet contains an incredible variety of foods. In fact, locals of this
island eat up to 206 different foods on a regular basis, including a number of
herbs and spices. For instance, every day, they eat five separate portions of
fruits and vegetables. They like to determine that they're getting enough
variety by ensuring their plates contain all the colors of the rainbow.
It could be thanks
to this variety that the Okinawan diet is otherwise quite plain. The base of
the diet is grains, like rice or noodles, while seasonings like salt and sugar
are used sparingly. In fact, Okinawans eat 60 percent less sugar and 50 percent
less salt than other Japanese natives, who already eat a diet that's relatively
healthy by global standards.
So, variety is
important, but so is small portion size. To abide by this second aspect,
Okinawans say that you should stop eating when you're around 80 percent full;
in other words, you should remain a little bit hungry.
There's even a
word for this concept in Japanese. It's called hara hachi bu, and simple ways
to achieve it include avoiding dessert or reducing portion size.
To practice the
latter, Okinawans typically serve their food on small plates, with portions of
rice, vegetables, miso soup and a small snack, such as edamame beans.
They instinctively
know that eating less is good for you, and modern science has actually
confirmed the benefits of calorie reduction. By eating fewer calories, you can
limit the level of a protein known as insulin-like growth factor 1. When too
much of this protein exists in the body, cells age faster. As a result, eating
less directly correlates to a longer life.