Okinawan Diet

If you’ve ever asked me what diet I recommend, you’ll know my answer is never simple or the same.

Keto? Vegan? Fasting? Mediterranean?

I find the concept of diets frustrating because how can one diet suit many? We are all different. Different body types, lifestyles, environments, ethics... and with no shortage of food, why not tailor diets to the individual?

2019 was all about the ketogenic diet: low-cabs and high-fats. It can be a useful tool for weight loss by forcing your body into a state of ketosis, so stored fats are burned as energy. But what is the long term impact of this high fat diet? (still too new for long term research).

I would like to throw a wrench in it by sharing the Okinawan Diet.

This diet describes the eating habits of indigenous people of the Ryukyu Islands in Japan, which their exceptional longevity, having a 40% higher chance than Americans of living for over 100 years, has been credited to. They also have significantly lower rates of cardiovascular disease, cancer, diabetes, and dementia.

The Okinawan Diet is carb heavy, at a 10:1 ratio to protein. Their diets are abundant in green and yellow vegetables (bitter melon, sea greens, yams and other root vegetables), protein sources primarily being pork and seafood. It is focused on providing dense vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants from low caloric meals.

The diet has its foundation rooted in their traditional medicine similar to that of Traditional Chinese Medicine. Health is deeply connected with nature, must change along with the seasons, and that food is medicine.

To come full circle, the Okinawan Diet isn’t the only reason they have a long lifespan. They also have unique genetics that are preventative against many age related diseases including cancer, cardiovascular disease, and Alzheimer’s. They also emphasize community, so those in their old age are still very active, social, and have support networks, reducing stress.

I went to Okinawa to seek out one of the few that still cooks this traditional diet. To share a meal with her was so inspiring.

Dr. Cristina Allen ND