| On average, why are the
Okinawans some of the longest living group of
people? Is it simply phenomenal genes
that allows so many of them to reach ages in the triple
digits or is it their lifestyle that is so truly healthy.
There is a level of disagreement, but for Drs. Bradley
Willcox, D. Craig Willcox, and Makoto Suzuki, the Okinawan
lifestyle is the next best thing to the fountain of
youth.
By simply eating the way the Okinawan elders eat, Americans
would be able to significantly lower their risks for:
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Various cancers |
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Heart attack |
|
Stroke |
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Type 2 Diabetes |
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Obesity |
|
Senility |
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Arthritis |
In fact, Okinawa has the highest concentration of centenarians
in the world with 40 of every 100,000 reaching ages
of 100 and above. In actuality, the Okinawan
elders are biologically younger than their age
lets on. Their blood vessels have great elasticity for
their age and their hormonal output often exceeds the
levels of those 30 years younger. On the other hand,
America is a place rife with disease where over 50 million
are categorically obese and only 10 of 100,000 ever
reach the ripe old age of 100. The truth is devastating,
but can the Okinawan success all be attributed to healthy
eating?.
What Are The Benefits Of The Okinawa
Diet?
According to its proponents,
the Okinawans are healthier due to their diet
and their diet alone. More westernized
Okinawan transplants find themselves in the same predicament
as Americans once they abandon their traditional diet.
So, what is it that makes the Okinawan diet so special?
It may sound contradictory, but the special ingredient
is caloric restriction. Some scientists are now attributing
the long life spans to restricted caloric intake. However,this
doesn?t mean going hungry for the sake of a longer
life. The plausible scientific explanation for caloric
restriction ensuring longer life centers around the
number of free radicals found in the body. Free radicals
are produced when food is metabolized for energy. The
less food one eats, the less free radicals there are
to diminish cellular function and ruin the ?engines?
inside your cells. If you keep revving those engines
by eating more food and elevating your metabolic rate
to the extreme, then eventually you are going to wear
that engine out, so to speak. So, while the traditional
Okinawan diet focuses on a macronutrient
balanced diet of the traditional
1800 calories a day, the typical American
eats a tremendously disproportionate amount of fat and
carbs that amounts to 2500 calories a day. That caloric
surplus adds up to a pound a week in unnecessary calories.
Another concept that reigns supreme in the Okinawan
Diet is the concept of caloric density. Caloric density
refers to the number
of calories in a specific amount of any given
food. Essentially, the fewer calories in 1 gram
of food, the more you can have that food and still maintain
a healthy weight.
What Foods Should I Eat?
Food is broken down into four different categories
according to their caloric densities.
Featherweight Foods
Featherweights are food with a caloric ensity, or CD,
less than 0.7. These
are foods that can be eaten in virtually limitless amounts.
Foods like peaches, berries, apples, water-based vegetable
soups, tofu, yogurt, and broccoli fall into this category.
The next step up are Lightweights.
Lightweight Foods
Lightweights have a CD ranging between 0.8 and 1.5.
These are foods that need to be eaten in moderation.
In other words, they can be eaten in medium-sized portions
a few times a day. These food include white flaky fish,
pasta, rice, sushi, and beans.
Middleweight Foods
On the next step sit the Middleweights. They have a
CD ranging between 1.6 and 3.0. These foods need to
be eaten in smaller portions. Examples include foods
like hummus, red fatty fish, whole-wheat bagels, and
raisins.
Heavyweight Foods
Last of all are the Heavyweights. These are foods with
a CD above 3.0 that need to be eaten sparingly. Examples
include full fat cheddar cheese, bacon, butter, smooth
peanut butter. All of these foods are either high in
fat and sugar or low in water content and fiber. Another
vital concept needed for Okinawan dietary success is
called the 3 to 1 rule. This basically states that your
plate should be filled with three parts fruits, vegetables,
or unprocessed grains and only one part animal protein.
This can be done for the three main meals of the day.
It need to be known that there are also mid morning
and mid evening snacks that are basically structured
as one low calorie snack coupled with your favorite
tea, so the 3 to 1 rule obviously doesn?t apply.
Still, there is more to this diet that needs to be clarified.
There are essentially ten notable principles that need
to be followed for one to live the Okinawan life.
How Can I Follow The Okinawa Diet?
The 10 principles of the Okinawan Diet are simple in
concept but must be applied for one to truly glean all
of the fantastic health benefits that the Okinawan elders
enjoy:
Rule #1: Build
All Meals Upon Featherweight Foods.
The first principle of this diet is to build all meals
upon featherweight foods. So, one needs to fill 75%
of each plate with either featherweight or lightweight
foods and leave the other 25% for middleweights or heavyweights.
Thus, you will feel satiated due to the abundant low
CD foods on your plate and not the heavier foods, while
in the U.S. this scenario is quite the opposite.
Rule #2: Eat a
Low CD Protein with Every Meal
Principle number two is to make sure all meals incorporate
a low CD protein. The Okinawan Diet requires that you
get 0.4 grams of protein daily for every pound of bodyweight.
This will help ensure that you maintain the much needed
muscle when losing the bodyfat. Do this by choosing
lean, low CD protein sources. This can be done by eating
a lot of plant sources such as tofu, cooked beans, nuts,
and whole grains. Of course, remember to incorporate
white,flaky fish, low fat dairy, and lean red meat as
well, but try to work in as much vegetable protein as
possible. Plus, protein helps to keep you satiated for
longer, even longer than carbs or fats. Roughly 15 to
20% of one?s diet should come from protein sources.
Rule #3: Make Soy
Your Primary Protein Source
The third principle is a continuation of the previous
point. Try to make soy a principle protein source. Soybeans
contain all of the necessary amino acids that are needed
to synthesize muscle tissue. The older Okinawans consume
as much as 60 to 120 grams of soy a day which could
very well play an integral role in their low death rates
from heart disease and cancer.
Rule #4: Balanace
Fat Intake and Choose Good Fats
The fourth principle is that one needs to balance their
fat intake and make sure they are the right fats. Try
and avoid trans fats at all costs and keep saturated
fats to a minimum. On the other hand, unsaturated fats
found in tree nuts, fish, and olive oil are recommended
for their numerous roles in the body, one of which are
their cholesterol reducing effects. However, even the
heart-healthy unsaturated fats have twice the CD of
carbs and protein and therefore should only make up
for 10- 25 % of one?s daily caloric intake.
Rule #5: Eat Only
The Good Carbohydrates
The fifth principle advises those to make better carbohydrate
choices. As mentioned earlier, most fruits and vegetables
are low CD featherweight carbs and should be eaten in
copious amounts. Also, when eating pasta, bread, or
rice, remember that
brown is better for you than white.
The ?brown? versions of pasta and rice tend
to be lightweight foods and can be made even lighter
by eating them in vegetable sauces. Even though brown
bread is healthier than white, it still falls into the
middleweight category, so only eat grains in moderation.
Another tip for making good choices with carbs is to
eat sweet potatoes
instead of white potatoes. Sweet potatoes
won?t cause as dramatic of a spike in blood sugar
which can serve as a preindicator to type 2 diabetes
like insulin resistance if left unchecked. It is recommended
that carbs comprise of about 50-60% of the calories.
Rule #6: Eat Plenty
Of Fiber
Next, one should eat plenty of fiber. Since the body
is unable to absorb fiber, it has no calories. Therefore,
this makes food high in fiber also low in fat and calories
as well as a viable cancer/heart disease preventative.
Not only can fiber reduce a food?s caloric density
but it helps satiate sooner. Fiber
is found anywhere from vegetables and whole grains to
legumes and fruit, but not in animal
tissue. Many professional health groups recommend getting
20 to 35 grams of fiber daily.
Rule #7: Eat Water-Rich
Foods
The seventh principle is to eat water-rich foods. The
more water in your foods, the
more you can eat, and the leaner you will be.
These are all featherweight foods, but will keep you
full. Plus, the more water there is in a food, the lower
its caloric density.
Rule #8: Eat Herbs
and Spices
Principle eight says to eat herbs and spices not only
to help season food, but to
lower the caloric density of the food
since they are virtually calorie-free. Furthermore,
herbs and spices are chock full of nutrients and cancer-fighting
antioxidants as well. Some of the best herbs and spices
include:
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Marjoram |
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Cilantro |
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Mint |
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Dill |
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Ginger |
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Cumin |
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Oregano |
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Thyme |
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Rosemary |
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Tarragon |
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Chili |
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Fennel |
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Mustard |
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Pepper |
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Nutmeg |
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Turmeric |
For the penultimate principle, one should learn to
graze and not gorge. Eat
5-6 small meals a day instead of 3 square meals.
This will help keep blood sugar levels from skyrocketing
and keep insulin levels low.
Rule #9: Don't
Skip Breakfast!
Remember to eat a hearty breakfast; those who skip
breakfast end up eating more later in the day to make
up for it and this causes spikes in insulin levels.
Also, those who skip
breakfast have a tougher time losing weight
than those who do since their metabolic rate is kicked
into high gear later in the day.
Rule #10: Avoid
Sweets and Alcohol
Finally, for the tenth and final principle, one should
consume sweets and alcohol sparingly. First of all,
alcohol has a high caloric density with 7 calories per
gram and one alcoholic drink has the counterproductive
capability of slowing the metabolic rate down for as
long as 48 hours. As for sweets, if cravings occur,
try to eat better sweets like angel food cake, meringues,
and sherbet. Of course, it goes without saying to lay
off of the butter. And interestingly enough, it?s
been advised to drink chocolate instead of eating it.
The high water content of hot chocolate lowers it caloric
density considerably. So there you have it, the Okinawan
Diet in a nutshell. Eat plenty of vegetables
and fruit, tofu, and some protein several times
a day and couple this with some moderate physical activity
and you yourself could very
well be living
to see that 100th birthday!
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