Okinawan Diet
The mortality rate from cardiovascular disease in Okinawa is the lowest in Japan. The Okinawan diet certainly has a lot to do with this. The "Okinawa diet" includes at least five servings of fruits and vegetables each day, of at least seven types. Typical items include tofu, miso, bitter melon, seaweed, soy sprouts, peppers, and green tea. They rarely eat sugar; if they do, it's cane sugar. The average daily intake of an Okinawan is about 1,900 calories, which is significantly less than the average number of calories consumed by a typical American. They also eat almost half as much salt as the rest of Japan. That is 7 grams per day, compared to an average of 12.
Hara Hachi
The Okinawans also practice Confucian teaching called Hara Hachi. Hara Hachi instructs people only to eat until they are 80% full. There is a significant calorie gap between an American saying, 'I'm full' and an Okinawan saying, 'I'm no longer hungry.' This cultural practice of calorie restriction and mindful eating supports Okinawans having the highest percentage of centenarians globally. We can also change our eating patterns and put Hara Hachi into practice for improved health or weight loss.
Ways to get started include:
Eating slowly – Eating faster results in eating more. If we slow down, we will be mindful and allow our body to respond to cues, telling us we are no longer hungry.
Focusing on food – If you're going to eat, eat. This way, you'll eat more slowly, consume less, and savor the food more.
Use small vessels – If you choose to eat on smaller plates and use tall, narrow glasses, your brain believes it's had more portions. As a result, you're likely to eat significantly less without even thinking about it. Don't believe me? Look at the size of your plate next time you're at an all-you-can-eat buffet.
You'll see they're a lot smaller than the ones in your kitchen cabinet.
