How to Apply the Okinawa Diet List?
Okinawa Diet
Okinawa is one of Japan’s largest islands, with people living longer and healthier lives than the rest of the world. It is known as a region where people are not only taller and healthier, but also have lower rates of age-related diseases and cancer. The life expectancy of people in Okinawa can be explained by genetic, environmental and lifestyle factors. However, experts believe that one of the strongest factors is nutrition. The Okinawa diet generally includes a diet consisting of vegetables, legumes, and soy. It is low in calories and fat and rich in fiber. You can decide if it is a healthy choice for you by learning the sample Okinawa diet list for 3 days by meals, the benefits, harms and more of the Okinawa diet.
What is the Okinawa Diet?
In short, the Okinawa diet refers to the traditional eating habits of people living on the Japanese island of Okinawa. The traditional Okinawa diet is low in calories and fat, but high in carbohydrates. 90 percent of the Okinawa diet comes from plant foods, 33 percent from whole grains, 5 percent from legumes, 2 percent from oils, and 1 percent from fish and other seafood. Nuts, seeds, sugar, fruit, eggs, meat and dairy products make up less than 1% of calories.
Okinawa Diet List
The Okinawa diet limits grains such as white rice and noodles and instead includes plenty of vegetables, legumes and especially sweet potatoes. Below is the Okinawa diet list includes 3-day eating plan according to their meals. You can also add water and jasmine tea to these meals. You can also consume soy milk as a snack.
1 day
Breakfast: Miso soup; Mix 1 cup of dashi and kombu with tofu and mushrooms (no eggs).
Lunch: Baked sweet potato (orange, yellow, or purple), 1/2 cup white rice, 1/2 cup edamame (green soybeans).
Dinner: Baked Salmon, Oyster Mushrooms.
2 days
Breakfast: Cabbage and sweet potatoes (with optional fried egg).
Lunch: 1 cup seaweed salad with pickled burdock root, 1 Onigiri Rice Triangle, 1/2 cup natto.
Dinner: 1 cup Broccoli Stir-Fry (broccoli with garlic), 1/2 cup stir-fried tofu
3 days
Breakfast: 1 cup of miso soup with dashi and hijiki, 1 boiled egg
Lunch: 1 cup Kinpira gobo (stir-fried burdock root and carrots), 1/2 cup roasted purple sweet potatoes.
Dinner: Tofu and veggie noodles.
Benefits of the Okinawa Diet
Since the Okinawa diet includes foods that are nutritious and high in antioxidants, it has significant health benefits. The benefits of the Okinawa diet can be listed as follows;
Rich in Antioxidants: Antioxidants can help reduce inflammation and slow aging time by protecting the body against free radicals that cause cell damage.
Lowers the risk of chronic disease: A diet low in fat, low in calories and rich in antioxidants is the main contributing factor to health. The Okinawa diet can also help you lose weight and avoid chronic diseases such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and certain types of cancer.
It can reduce inflammation: Since refined carbohydrates such as sugar are consumed less, they can contribute to reducing the risk of blood sugar spikes, chronic diseases and inflammation.
The Harms of the Okinawa Diet
Although the Okinawa diet has many benefits, it also has potential drawbacks. The harms of the Okinawa diet are as follows;
It is highly restrictive: Because the Okinawa diet restricts important nutrients such as meat and dairy products, this can lead to nutrient deficiencies
Sodium content may be high. The biggest downside to the Okinawa diet may be its high sodium content. Because this diet includes sodium-rich foods such as miso, salted fish or soy sauce, it may not be suitable for some people, especially those with high blood pressure.
The Okinawa diet may not be suitable for everyone. If you choose to follow the Okinawa diet plan, you should know that it has its pros, such as aiding weight loss and fighting inflammation, and cons, such as being restrictive.
