The Okinawa Way

Hello All,

I just returned from a trip to Hawaii, another “island paradise” similar in spirit and atmosphere in many ways to Okinawa. The reason for my trip was that we are doing comparative research between Okinawa and Hawaii to discover genetic and lifestyle factors common to these islands that allow the inhabitants to live such long and healthy lives. Both island states (actually Okinawa is a prefecture) have among the longest average life expectancies for men an women in their respective countries.

Hello All,

It has been awhile since I have blogged …in these lush temperate islands, life simple unfolds at its own pace…it’s called Okinawa Time…and although it may be a stress reliever and perhaps one of the secrets of the long-living Okinawans, other lifestyle factors are also important, such as the low glycemic index traditional diet. Recent research from Australia on low glycemic index diets seems to back up the effectiveness of low G.I. diets for staying lean (as the older Okinawans did) and losing weight as well…..and we all know that staying lean helps one to live longer…..read on (below) and get with the program !

Last week I posted a comment on a well-written article titled: “Oriental Secrets to Slowing Aging” where the nutritious staple of the traditional Okinawa diet (sweet potato) was discussed along with the life extending effects of a low calorie diet. Therefore it is timely that just one week later, the following article (see below) should appear concerning the perils of the new obesity-promoting lifestyle that is being increasingly adopted by modern Japanese. The article shows that the world’s longest-lived people (the Japanese) are not immune to the problem of obesity brought on by dual nemesis of higher caloric intakes and lower levels of exercise as seen commonly in the West. The report showed that almost a third of Japanese men aged 20-60 were now overweight, up approximately 5% from just five years ago, and that both men and women were not achieving health ministry-set targets for daily exercise. As discussed in our book: “The Okinawa Diet Plan” (page 22-23), younger Okinawans too are experiencing an epidemic of obesity having gone from the thinnest of the Japanese to the heaviest within a generation.

The following article appeared recently in the London Times. The writer has correctly identified the sweet potato as the staple of the traditional Okinawa diet and a nutritonal powerhouse. Not only is it is loaded with vitamins (A, C, E, B6, riboflavin, thiamin, pantothenic acid, folic acid) minerals (calcium, potassium, iron) and other phytonutrients(anti-oxidants, flavonoids, polyphenols) but a medium sized baked sweet potato (114 grams) has only about 100 calories–real value in weight-watching terms ! Plant polyphenols (especially resveratrol found in red wines) and flavones activate enzymes called sirtuins that have been shown to mimic the effects of a very low calorie diet in lower organisms (such as yeast).