Why Are Okinawans so Healthy? - Health Secrets from Around the World

While the United States may be a global trend setter in many areas, healthy living is not one of them. With Burger Kings and Taco Bells springing up like weeds and TV sets growing as wide as our waist lines, Americans are becoming the poster children for what not to do healthwise. It wasn't too long ago that Americans who tried to lead healthier lives were called "health nuts," as if there were something mentally unbalanced about the desire to be healthier.

Health Secrets from Okinawa, Japan

Fortunately, with health care reform on the horizon, many Americans are now re-thinking the cost of our unhealthy lifestyle-not only to our wallets, but to our quality of life. Instead of just relying on the latest medical study or miracle pill to improve our health, we can learn the inside health secrets of places like Okinawa, a Japanese island whose people enjoy longer and healthier lives than almost anywhere else in the world.

When you think Japan you may think soy and rice, both of which Japanese food staples have proven health benefits. According to an article in USA Today, the longevity of Japanese people is among the highest in the world, and within Japan, the island people of Okinawa enjoy the longest life spans. In fact, Okinawa has a higher percentage of people over 100 years old than any other place in the world, and fewer old people in Okinawa suffer from dementia or hip fractures than those in the United States. Even such common American maladies as breast cancer and heart disease are considered relatively rare among older Okinawans.

What is Okinawa's biggest health secret?

According to some health scientists, the good health and longevity of Okinawans is linked to their diet. People in Okinawa eat naturally what many nutritionists have been urging Americans to eat for years: plenty of grains, vegetables and fish (especially cold water fish, such as tuna and salmon, which contain a lot of omega-3 fatty acids), and they consume only small amounts of red meat, eggs or dairy-popular American food staples that are loaded with artery unfriendly saturated fat. Okinawans also eat a lot of tofu, a cheesecake textured soy product that contains a high percentage of nutritional superheroes called flavonoids that fight cancer and heart disease.

Hara hachi bu (The 80% Rule)

As healthy as their food choices are, Okinawans still do not go hog wild at meal time. Like other traditional Japanese people, the Okinawans have an eating habit called hara hachi bu, a practice in which they control their caloric intake by eating until they feel 80% full instead of waiting until they feel like an overstuffed pillow.

Role of genetics in Okinawans longevity

Although genetics could play some part in their health and longevity, native Okinawans who leave home do not enjoy the same great health as those who stay put. People from Okinawa who immigrate to carnivorous Brazil, for instance, have an average life span 17 years less than that of Okinawans who remain on the Japanese island-with one important exception. Young people on Okinawa today, tempted by the greasy and salty burgers and fries served in fast food restaurants built to satisfy the McAppetites of the U.S. military families stationed on the island, have much higher rates of heart disease and obesity than their older and wiser grandparents.

Non-dietary health secrets from Okinawa

Four legs of a chair: Apart from food, one of the secrets to the good health of Okinawans could be their ability to balance their healthy diet, with plenty of exercise, positive psychological and spiritual practices, and a strong sense of community-just as four legs balance a chair. According to an excerpt from an article in the U.C. Berkeley Wellness Letter, called "Sweet Potatoes, Not Couch Potatoes," many Okinawans still do traditional dances, walk instead of drive, practice martial arts and grow their own food-a stark contrast to the stereotypical American lifestyle of driving everywhere, eating highly processed foods and watching B-list celebrities dance on TV.

O is for optimism: Because Okinawans suffered a huge loss of military and civilian lives during World War II, burying most of its male population, some health experts have theorized that Okinawans are more stress resistant than people who did not have to overcome such adversity. With the hormonal effects of stress linked to such diseases as cancer and heart disease, the ability of Okinawans to bounce back and see the bright side of life may pay a dividend as valuable to their health as the tofu and tuna on their plates.

Sources:

http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2002-01-03-usat-okinawa.htm
http://www.okicent.org/study.html
http://www.bt.com.bn/classification/life/features/2007/03/23/humanitys_oldest_village_fights_to_stay_fit_in_a_world_of_unhealthy_habits
http://www.wellnessletter.com/html/wl/2001/wlFeatured0901.html