What Is The Okinawa Diet?
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The Okinawa Diet
Every season new fashion trends hit the runway and new diet trends are not far behind. From Paleo to the Lemon Detox and even the Baby Food Diet, we’ve heard them all!
When you think of Japan, your first thought may be a diet rich in rice, but what if there was a Japanese diet consisting of smaller rice quantities and heavier portions of veggies and seaweed? In steps the Okinawa Diet.
With the largest number of centenarians, Okinawa, Japan, is one of the five regions in the world known as a blue zone, where people live exceptionally long. In these zones the rate of chronic illness such as heart disease, cancer, and obesity are so low they raise up the country’s life expectancy rate.
TTS Insider: The Okinawan culture inspires us to follow mindful eating practices, linking food and traditional Chinese medicine, which uses herbs and spices such as turmeric, for natural healing.
The Okinawa diet is more of a lifestyle, rather than a diet plan. All of the colorful veggies make the diet high in carotenoids, vitamins. and antioxidants which lower inflammation and improve the immune system. Meat and seafood are eaten in limited quantities and not essential in the diet. Instead, the plant-based lifestyle relies on a 60 percent vegetable intake.
Throughout history, Okinawa’s geography made it difficult for a wide variety of foods to be accessible, making the Okinawan sweet potato, bitter melon and jasmine tea all staples in the diet. Some experts claim one of those staple foods is a superfood as it slows the aging process by protecting cells from free radical damage. The sweet potato provides a healthy dose of fiber and essential nutrients like calcium, potassium, and vitamins A and C.
TTS Insider: Whatever diet you choose to try, you can kickstart it with ELEMIS Invigorating Cal-Metab Plus Body Enhancement Capsules which cleanse the blood and encourages the body to burn off excess fat.
The Okinawa diet can have a few downsides too. Aside from the high intake of soy, there is the potential of lacking nutrients like Vitamins B and D, calcium, and iron, since meals are low in meat, dairy, and whole grains. In moderation, the ideals on which the Okinawa diet is based, positively encourages the consumption of nutrient-dense superfoods high in antioxidants, but certain people may need to leverage some alternatives for their own wellness.
Okinawan sweet potato anyone?
