Tuesday, 25 November 2008
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A Japanese Island Holds The Fountain of Youth
This is a guest blog submitted by AmberBelen
I read an article recently about the islands of Okinawa, Japan. Apparently the majority of the world’s centenarians, estimated in 2006 to be about 740, 90% of which are women, inhabits these islands. A group of researchers did a study as to why this "unusually large number of centenarians were in extraordinary healthy shape.”
According to the article, "the researchers found that the subjects tended to be lean and fit, that their arteries were clean, and that they had remarkably low rates of cancer and heart disease." What's the secret?
Aside from the obvious one, genetics, some of the major factors included avoidance of tobacco, moderate use of alcohol, and a good diet which is low in calories, high in vegetables and fruits, natural fiber, and omega-3 and monounsaturated fats. The Okinawans also have a habit of eating only until they are about 80% full. They also tend to be very physically active - daily walking, gardening, traditional dancing, etc. Personality tests revealed they tend to be optimistic, adaptable, handled stress well, and the women manifested a strong social integration.
Intrigued by this article, I surfed on the web for some Japanese recipes and come across this little gem: Easy Japanese Meals. I haven't tried any of the recipes yet, but some of them sound very interesting, such as Edamame Potato Salad, Soy Milk Fruit Juice Recipe, and Maguro and Avocado Rice Bowl. I've also added "Visting Japan" on my list of Things To Do Before I Die, so if I ever get the chance to do that, I'll definitely post a blog about it ;)Would you ever consider eating a Japanese diet? Why or why not? Is Japan on you list of places to visit?
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Comments (23)
i love japanese food and would love to be able to have access to it more often. i have always wanted to visit japan. i feel like it is a nation that has a lot to offer.
Asian food is actually really healthy. I think it's considered the healthiest diet. Don't think about those take-out places. A lot of places think Chinese cuisine is greasy, but Chinese take-out isn't really authentic... When I first started seeing my boyfriend, who's white (I'm Chinese-American), I took him to Chinatown in NYC for a family gathering and he had no idea that the food is so much different than if you were ordering from that take-out place on the corner.
I've read that rates for illnesses, such as cancer and heart disease, is relatively low in Asia. It's due to diets similar to the one described in this entry. (However, I read there's going to be a surge in these rates due to Asia picking up Western habits, like drinking, smoking, and eating junk food.)
Since I'm Chinese, I do eat Chinese food (not take-out. :), but I wish I had time to make/eat other foods, like Japanese food. :/ I wouldn't mind incorporating their diet with mine (or cuisines from other cultures for that matter).
Interesting post. Thanks for the links!
yes & yes :)
One of the things I've been wanting to do before I die is to walk the length of Japan.
no because it includes fish and i'm a vegetarian but if i wasn't i would totally think about adapting a japanese diet :)
mmmm.... I LOVE japanese food. My meals before coming to america:
Breakfast: Fish, Rice, Miso soup, side item for rice (furikake/takuan)
Lunch: onigiri/bento or some small sandwhich
Dinner: Rice, goood veggies/salad, miso soup, fish/chicken(meat in general). Or tonkastu. Or curry rice. or Mabo0dofu. mmm.
i miss japanese food so much, so i make them in the dorms and everyone wonders what i'm up to. waaay better than american food, i say ;)
@methodElevated@xanga - wow that would be awesome
I learned about it in a nutrition class and saw it on tv, too :)
it also said stuff about true love in your 80's! im waiting for mine...hahahaha
@methodElevated@xanga - YES! I'd love to do that too, but walking takes too long. I think I'll bike it out. I wonder how long it would take...
okinawa is part of japan, technically, but if i'm not mistaken, they consider themselves a separate entity? with a separate language/dialect, religious beliefs, and cuisine. so if okinawans' long living way of life interests you, maybe visit there, instead of japan.
We can learn from the Japanese and their diet. I love eating Japanese food myself and have started to eat more fish and less meat.
I'm not a big fish fan but Japanese food is delicious. I love my Mediterranean dishes as well (the veggie ones). Oh boy. I wish I can fly to Okinawa right now!
I would definitely love to incorporate more Japanese food into my diet, especially fish (that's where I'm really lacking) but at the moment it's not to be... I live in Germany, and there's no fresh fish to be found!
I'm a pescetarian (vegetarian who consumes fish), and I really love sushi. I would really love to try a Japanese diet sometime.
I think it's really interesting that Africa and Asia have so much more fish included in their daily diet than most of the Western continents and countries. I learned that in my environmental science class this semester. I live in land-locked Oklahoma, so I don't have the best access to the freshest fish around.
@practicetolerance@xanga - While it's true that seafood is a staple in some Asian diets, and it is healthy, consider the fact that sea life is being contaminated with mercury. :/ There was a program I was watching on sharks (during Shark Week last year on the Discovery Channel) and the final scene showed a Japanese dock or something. They were slaughtering sharks and the narrator mentioned how they don't even use the entire shark. They tied this in with something they talked about earlier, mercury contamination, and ended the program with something about how the sharks, without even knowing it, are exacting their revenge on the human race. Something like that. I might be making it sound more ominous or silly than they did. Haha.
Anyway, Japan, in particular, relies heavily on the ocean for sustenance. Most of the land, I believe, is not arable, so their diet has a lot of seafood in it.
It all makes sense to me, and those same findings have been reported elsewhere (like in France, where there are also a lot of people living unusually long). If only it were that easy...haha.
doesn't sound bad.. actually pretty interesting.
Japanese food is healthy.
I didn't used to like it as much as I do now!
I snack on sushi when I'm hungry, instead of cookies.
yep, us Asians eat lotsa fish.
But, heart disease is low in the East Asian (Korean, Japanese, Chinese) community, but where I come from, the Chinese have more cases of Hepatitis B than anyone else.
The South Asians (Indians, Ceylonese etc) & the Malays have high rates of heart disease. I guess it's coz of teh genetics and some of the food.
I read a similar article on this subject on a Jehovah's witness magazine...I think it was the watchtower or maybe Awake! i forgot.
I would follow the diet but I like junk food once in a while. I have no will power when it comes to that unfortunately. I really should try it out though.
Japan is on my list of places to go visit! I do not know too much about visiting Okinawa though.
I would consider a Japanese diet, minus the raw fish. But Japanese diets are very healthy in general :)