Traditional Okinawan Diet Gives Okinawans Long and Healthy Lives, But This Is How They Eat Groundnuts for Their Health

Nutrition*** Pen The traditional Okinawan diet has allowed Okinawans to live long and healthy lives, but with 85% carbohydrates? What's going on here? The low-carb and ketogenic diets that have become popular in recent years are diets with a very low percentage of carbohydrates, but maybe that's to simplify matters! Sometimes carbs are labeled as the villain, as if they are responsible for all health problems... but they are innocent! The other day I saw a post on FB about a friend who was visiting Okinawa, probably because I keep seeing Okinawa, and suddenly I remembered reading about the diet of Okinawan people years ago, which was related to their longevity and health. I vaguely remember that their diet is more plant-based, with a high proportion of carbohydrates... Before I get into the topic, I want to emphasize that the diet that Okinawans eat nowadays is a bit different from the traditional Okinawan diet, such as the staple food has changed from groundnuts to rice or bread, or they eat fast food more often. Okinawan people live a long and healthy life The reason why the traditional Okinawan diet will receive attention is partly due to the fact that the number of people who have lived for more than one hundred years in this place is a bit high, with 68 people per 100,000 people, which is three times as many as that of the United States, 4.85 times as many as that of Taiwan, and quite a lot more even when compared with the other places in Japan. Okinawan people not only live long, but more importantly, they are still physically strong, and are still very energetic when they are over 90 years old, and diseases related to aging are also slower to appear. Genetics, living environment, and diet may all have something to do with their longevity and health, but this article will focus on diet. So, what exactly is the traditional Okinawan diet like? Characteristics of the Traditional Okinawan Diet The Traditional Okinawan Diet is actually a name given by researchers, and for the locals in the past, it was a diet that ate whatever the living environment gave it, as the smart ones of you should associate it with! The Mediterranean diet is a similar diet that is just eating in response to the environment. The study analyzed the diet of traditional Okinawan people and finally concluded that it has the following characteristics: Low calorie intake Consumption of large amounts of vegetables: especially root and yellow-green vegetables Consumption of large amounts of beans: mostly from soybean sources Moderate intake of fish Consumption of fewer meat products: mostly pork, which is lower in fat, and fewer dairy products Less fat intake: higher ratio of monounsaturated fatty acids and polyunsaturated fatty acids; because of the more frequent consumption of seafood, Omega-3 intake is higher than Omega-3 intake, which is higher than Omega-3 intake. Omega-3 intake is higher than Omega-6 intake Low GI carbohydrates: mostly from groundnuts High dietary fiber intake Moderate alcohol consumption Nutrition*** Pen The traditional Okinawan diet has helped Okinawans live longer and healthier lives, but carbohydrates are as high as 85%? What's going on here? The low carb and ketogenic diets that have become popular in recent years are diets with a very low percentage of carbohydrates, but maybe that's to simplify the issue! Sometimes carbs are labeled as the villain, as if they are responsible for all health problems... but they are innocent! The other day I saw a post on FB about a friend who was visiting Okinawa, probably because I keep seeing Okinawa, and suddenly I remembered reading about the diet of Okinawan people years ago, which was related to their longevity and health. I vaguely remember that their diet is more plant-based, with a high proportion of carbohydrates... Before I get into the topic, I want to emphasize that the diet that Okinawans eat nowadays is a bit different from the traditional Okinawan diet, such as the staple food has changed from groundnuts to rice or bread, or they eat fast food more often. Okinawan people live a long and healthy life The reason why the traditional Okinawan diet will receive attention is partly due to the fact that the number of people who have lived for more than one hundred years in this place is a bit high, with 68 people per 100,000 people, which is three times as many as that of the United States, 4.85 times as many as that of Taiwan, and quite a lot more even when compared with the other places in Japan. Okinawan people not only live long, but more importantly, they are still physically strong, and are still very energetic when they are over 90 years old, and diseases related to aging are also slower to appear. Genetics, living environment, and diet may all have something to do with their longevity and health, but this article will focus on diet. So, what exactly is the traditional Okinawan diet like? Characteristics of the Traditional Okinawan Diet The Traditional Okinawan Diet is actually a name given by researchers, and for the locals in the past, it was a diet that ate whatever the living environment gave it, as the smart ones of you should associate it with! The Mediterranean diet is a similar diet that is just eating in response to the environment. The study analyzed the diet of traditional Okinawan people and finally concluded that it has the following characteristics: Low calorie intake Consumption of large amounts of vegetables: especially root and yellow-green vegetables Consumption of large amounts of beans: mostly from soybean sources Moderate intake of fish Consumption of fewer meat products: mostly pork, which is lower in fat, and fewer dairy products Less fat intake: higher ratio of monounsaturated fatty acids and polyunsaturated fatty acids; because of the more frequent consumption of seafood, Omega-3 intake is higher than Omega-3 intake, which is higher than Omega-3 intake. Omega-3 intake is higher than Omega-6 intake Low GI carbohydrates: mostly from groundnuts High intake of dietary fiber Moderate alcohol intake Maybe it is because of the popularity of drawing pyramids at the time of the study, there is a traditional Okinawan dietary pyramid in the literature I referenced, so I simply recreated the "Traditional Okinawan Dietary Pyramid" by hand. What are the differences in the proportions of carbohydrates, proteins, and lipids in this dietary pyramid and the diet we usually eat? Traditional Okinawan Diet Nutrient Ratios The table below lists the nutrient composition of the traditional and modern Okinawan diets, as well as the DASH diet and the Mediterranean diet. While the ratios for the Modern Okinawan Diet are similar to those recommended by the Taiwan Dietary Guidelines, the ratios for the Traditional Okinawan Diet, which is the main focus of this article, are a bit more surprising. If you take the carbohydrates of the traditional Okinawan diet and match them with the fats, it should be 87% similar to the ketogenic diet. Before looking at what we eat in detail, many people would shake their heads at the 85% of carbohydrates, is there really a problem with this ratio? Traditional Okinawan Diet Beneficial Health Elements Judging from the longevity and health of the older generation of Okinawans, not only is this ratio not a problem, but it may be one of the reasons why it promotes good health, but it's not as simple as nutrient ratios, so why? A study has compiled a list of healthful elements of the traditional Okinawan diet: Eat lots of healthful ingredients Flavonoid-rich tofu and other soy products, bitter melon, konnyaku, shiitake mushrooms, burdock, loofah, seaweed, herbs and spices. Groundnuts are a major carbohydrate source Although groundnuts are a major carbohydrate source, they also contain a variety of vitamins and minerals, as well as a lot of fiber, and have a lower glycemic index (GI) than refined starch foods such as white rice, bread, or white pasta. Also, if you see that groundnuts have a low GI and are rich in nutrients, don't eat them out of hand! Remember, the traditional Okinawan diet has a lower total energy intake than our regular diet. Do Okinawans eat groundnut leaves? Yes, groundnut leaves are also used in Okinawan cuisine, such as as a side dish or cooked in miso soup, are very common. Note: Even if we *** make starchy food, we can change the order of eating, eat part of the vegetables and protein food first, and then eat starchy food to slow down the digestion of starchy food, or go for a walk after the meal to avoid the blood glucose rising too high after the meal. One thing to keep in mind is that the GI value is for a single food, and does not take into account the interaction between mixed foods and human activity, which means that there is a lot of variability in what a person actually eats.