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Published on 30/01/2019 16:12 by Halls UK

Eat Healthy

Okinawa Diet - How to make the Okinawa diet

A little less than a year ago, we knew the news of the death of Jiroemon Kimura , the oldest man in the world with 116 years.His predecessor in the title, Misao Okawa, did it at the age of 115 years. By their names we can find out that they are Asian, specifically Japanese. And it is not surprising, since Eastern countries have completely different habits of life and food than we can find in the West, it is believed that this combination of a healthy lifestyle and a partially vegetarian diet are the key to longevity and of the state of health enjoyed by Asians. Today we are talking about the Okinawa Diet, which could well be the secret of eternal youth.

The Okinawa Centenary Study with Dr. Makoto Suzuki at the head, focused on one of the most important blue areas on the planet, the city of Okinawa, which, in addition to having the highest life expectancy, its inhabitants enjoy vitality and present a youthful and energetic state. In addition, this area has the lowest rate of diseases of metabolic origin (diabetes, cholesterol, cardiovascular diseases ...) and the cancer rate is almost zero.

Characteristics of the Okinawa diet

It is a healthy and balanced diet, which contributes around 1500 kcal.
In the pyramid of this diet we find vegetables, algae and cereals.
Moderate consumption of pork, rice, soy products and fish is acceptable.
The meals have a very low caloric density , that is, despite seeing overflowing dishes, their caloric intake is very low.
It is an ideal diet for weight loss regimens, since it is a satiating diet.
More than a third of the total vegetables are consumed raw , so the vegetables retain all their properties: antioxidants and vitamins and minerals.
The usual ratio is to consume 6 pieces of vegetables and a piece of fruit.
Canola oil or rapeseed oil is used as the main fat.

What foods are allowed in this diet if I want to lose weight

This diet, in addition to making you enjoy an incredible state of health and vitality during old age, can make you lose weight. If this is your end, I leave you a list of the foods allowed during the regime.

Fruits: limit your consumption to a single piece a day. You can use pineapple or payaya that have slimming properties.
Eat blue fish three times a week, preferably blue fish, food rich in Omega 3
You can consume lean cuts of pork once a week
Consume 7 portions of preferably whole grain ; and that at least 3 of them are rice.
One of the main drinks of this diet is green tea, characteristic because it has not fermented preserves all the properties of tea, water and rice wine (also in the form of seasoning)
In this diet, the two medicinal spices par excellence of Asian popular wisdom: turmeric and ginger could not be missing either.

How can I change my western life to be more long-lived

We always think it is too early to "start taking care of ourselves" but the younger we are when we acquire the good habits the less it will cost us to adapt to them, here are some tips to reach 90 years of good health.

Your diet should be healthy and natural. You can follow the Mediterranean diet by reducing the consumption of meat and increasing that of raw vegetables.
Walk 30 minutes a day: You will stay active and absorb the vitamin D needed for your bones.
Carpe Diem: Live happy and enjoy the small pleasures of life.
Always learn: Keep your mind active, learn a language, a new recipe ...
Do not self-medicate and avoid medications as much as possible
Get a check up a year: you can always detect early and stop a disease.
Sleep at least 8 hours: good sleep prevents us from suffering from heart disease.

Secrets to ward off disease

There are people who always maintain a good state of health and hardly get sick, in their lifestyle and in their food we can find the secrets of their "superhealth"

Living without stress because numerous studies have shown that episodes of stress interfere with the proper functioning of the immune system, which is why episodes of anxiety expose us to viral and bacterial infections. Walking for 20 minutes decreases anxiety and helps manage episodes of stress. And you will also get in touch with nature, another way to disconnect and restructure our mind and body.
Moderate caloric intake a healthy and balanced diet lengthens life and prevents us from suffering diseases, for example excessive and uncontrolled intake causes major overweight risk factor in cardiovascular diseases.
Staying active not only we talk about physical activity, but also about the brain; since people who also read or do crossword puzzles, sudoku ... have a healthier and disease-free life.
Some medicinal plants how echinacea favors and strengthens the immune system, also dispensing with the medication whenever we can. EYE! medicines save lives every day and are necessary but we should get rid of the habit of pulling ibuprofen and paracetamol, replacing infusions or complexes of natural plants.
Purify: making purifying cures with diuretic or diuretic juices in capsules helps us eliminate toxins and make our liver and kidneys work better. You can also try to follow a depurative or detox diet.
Sleeping well: the hours of sleep and rest are directly related to our physical and mental recovery in a total way.

Menopause in Asia

There are many differences between East and West, especially if we look at the eating habits and routines on both sides of the globe. It is believed that this is one of the reasons that Asians do not have such aggressive symptoms during menopause.

In Asia, sports are understood in a different way than we know in Europe or America, in Asian countries women practice yoga and Tai-Chi regularly, these exercises maintain a more stable physical and mental state throughout their lives. In addition this type of sports where the game enters the body and mind, maintain more stable levels of hormones (estrogen and progesterone).

The key is in the consumption of phytostrogens these plant pseudohormones are found in foods such as soybeans and goji berries; so in Asia the consumption of them increases to 60 milligrams, for the 15 that are consumed in the Mediterranean area. The ideal intake is around 50 milligrams, that is, the closest intake is Asian.

It is not only attributed to food and lifestyle that Asians have a lighter menopause, but to the environment of Asian and Western cities, since many Asian emigrants settled in countries like the United States, go on to experience a menopause similar to the western ones. It is believed that pollution in the most industrialized cities has a negative impact on health, especially for women.

Anyway, it is believed that the secret to avoid the annoying symptoms is to lead an active life from youth, a diet in vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and proteins of plant origin such as soy and its derivatives (tofu, seitan ..)

In short, despite the fact that the diet is clearly different in the East and the West, it is not only the diet that is responsible for eternal youth in one of the blue areas of the planet; but also to the lifestyle and environmental factors that surround us.