What's so special about Okinawa islanders' diet?
People may wonder how East Asians, especially Japanese, live longer than people in other parts of the world. Located in the vast Pacific Ocean at the southernmost tip of Japan, Okinawa islanders have an interesting diet plan. At the same time, it is reported that the life expectancy of Okinawa is second to none. According to the report of real Research Institute, there may be many residents whose average age is over 100 years old living in Okinawa.
Many theories believe that the secret of centenarians lies in their genetic makeup. However, recent community research on Okinawa's population shows that the most important factor affecting life expectancy is the simple food structure they eat, which is also the knowledge that their ancestors have taught them for hundreds of years.
Okinawa diet has the following characteristics:
Calorie-restricted diet: The diet of Okinawa people consumes 20% fewer calories on average than that of Japanese people. Their average food usually does not exceed one calorie per gram, while the average body mass index (BMI) of Okinawa people is around 20, which can be said to be relatively healthy.
A diet rich in antioxidants:? ? Okinawa's diet mainly includes green/orange/yellow (GOY) vegetables, fruits, roots and tubers. These foods are rich in antioxidant vitamins, such as vitamin C, vitamin A, carotenoid polyphenols and so on.
Vegetarian and rich seafood: the traditional diet of islanders includes relatively small amounts of fish, more soybeans and low-calorie vegetables, such as? Bitter gourd and other beans.
?