5 Ingredient Okinawan Bowl 🇯🇵🌱 (vegan) | Blue Zones Recipes - What's in the fridge? (2024)

FAQs

What is the purpose of the Blue Zones in Okinawa? ›

Blue Zones are regions of the world where people regularly live longer than average. Okinawa, Japan is a Blue Zone and home to the longest-lived women in the world. People form tight-knit friendship groups in childhood that support them into old age.

Traditional Okinawan Lunch and Dinner

Stir-fries of bitter melon, cabbage and bamboo would often be served alongside small amounts of fish, pork, tofu or the occasional egg.

Modern Age | Nov 07, 2023

In Okinawa, residents are less likely to develop cancer, heart disease, and dementia than Americans, and the women of Okinawa have an average life expectancy of 87.44 years, nearly 10 years longer than the average American woman.

Okinawa is one of the blue zones regions and has some of the highest life expectancy rates in the world. So what are they eating? Most people assume fish.

Shikuwasa, or shekwasha, is an Okinawan citrus fruit that is rich in citric acid and polyphenols. It is believed to have antioxidant properties, and in addition to food, it is sometimes used in skincare products. Sugarcane, or uji, is the largest crop of Okinawa Prefecture.

That comes down to three main factors—diet, social practices, and genetics—explains Craig Willcox, a professor of public health and gerontology at Okinawa International University and a co-principal investigator of the Okinawa Centenarian Study, which has been investigating Okinawan longevity since 1975.

As proportions of total caloric intake, foods in the traditional Okinawa diet included sweet potato (69%), rice (12%), other grains (7%), legumes including soy (6%), green and yellow vegetables (3%), refined oils (2%), fish (1%) and seaweed, meat (mostly pork), refined sugars, potato, egg, nuts and seeds, dairy and ...

'Hara hachi bu': Everything in moderation

If you've ever been lucky enough to eat with an Okinawan elder, you've invariably heard them intone a Confucian-inspired phrase before beginning the meal: “Hara hachi bu” — a reminder to stop eating when their stomachs are 80% full.

Limited Protein Sources: The Okinawa diet is predominantly plant-based, which means protein sources are primarily derived from plant foods such as legumes, soy, and whole grains.

Beni Imo, a type of sweet potato, is considered by many to be a major factor behind the legendary longevity of the Okinawan people, offering a healthier alternative to rice.

Do Okinawans eat cheese? ›

The diet typically does not include beef, processed meat, eggs, cheese, milk, and processed carbohydrates like sugary sweets and snacks. "While the Okinawan diet is low in refined carbohydrates, that doesn't mean the diet itself is low-carb," Sassos says.

The traditional Okinawa diet is low in calories and fat while high in carbs. It emphasizes vegetables and soy products alongside occasional — and small — amounts of noodles, rice, pork, and fish.

Though many Okinawans still saw themselves as Japanese and Okinawan, they began to question their underprivileged position in relation to mainland Japan.

Japan's Okinawa Island is home to more than 400 people who are over the age of 100. It is considered to be the healthiest place in the world, where the average life expectancy of an Okinawan woman is 86, and man's is 78.

Eat less, move more and sit up straight, Japan's 'super-agers' say. A longevity researcher who verifies the ages of supercentenarians, and whose great-grandmother lived to the age of 116, shared four ageing secrets from the longest-living people in Japan.

Blue Zones Project programs are designed to inspire, encourage, and promote well-being within your organization so your employees, members, and customers are more socially connected and equipped to positively impact one another and the entire community.

The Blue Zone regions are home to some of the oldest and healthiest people in the world. Although their lifestyles differ slightly, they mostly eat a plant-based diet, exercise regularly, drink moderate amounts of alcohol, get enough sleep and have good spiritual, family and social networks.

But in Okinawa, too, people eat a bunch of fast food. Okinawa has the highest obesity rate in Japan for young people, and it's because it has become Americanized. I feel like people don't grow up eating the same things that the older generation used to eat.

In fact, a typical Okinawan consumes 70% less sugar than the average Japanese person. With Okinawan food considered supremely high in antioxidants and anti-inflammatory qualities, many of the ingredients used throughout these delicious meals are grown in backyard gardens.