2 Minute Diet - What is the Okinawa Diet? *Blue Zone Diets and Living to 100*
Today’s Video is All About The Okinowa Diet, I break it down as thoroughly as possible in 2 minutes; but if you want to go for an even deeper dive - check out my full article here:
Text Version of the Video:
What is it?
The Okinowa Diet is a nutritional approach based on the typical diet and lifestyle found in Okinowa Japan, known as the land of the immortals. The Okinowa diet is highly focused on food quantity, with one of the guiding dietary principles being Hara Hachi Bu; the philosophy of eating until you are 80% percent full.
Typical food sources on the Okinowa diet are, small portions of fish, Japanese sweet potato, red and yellow veggies, Goya, Sea weed, and algae. Dairy, red meat, and gluten are not purposefully excluded from the diet; but they are very rarely consumed.
How Does it Work?
The Okinawa diet works by focusing on food quantity. The concept of Hara Hachi Bu is very important; because it builds food discipline, which prevents the over consumption that leads to weight gain and health issues. Purposely restricting calories (in people within healthy weight ranges) is also known to extend lifespan and improve many different health markers. The Okinowa diet is also known to optimize FOX03 activity, through its food sources -which is thought to aid in healthy aging and even suppress tumor development.
What are the Pros and Cons?
PROS
A huge pro for the Okinowa diet is that along side boosting life span, it can also naturally help with weightloss due to its lower calorie intake. It is important to note however, that the Okinowa diet is not intended to be a weight loss diet, it just ends up to be lower calorie on average since it has a low fat content and focuses heavily on whole food plant based sources.
CONS
The cons of the Okinowan diet include that it may be difficult to stick to, due to its lower calorie intake and limited food selection. In many countries, Soy - which is the primary protein source for the diet, is not readily available in non-GMO form.
What does the science have to say about it?
Science is very much in support of the Okinowa Diet’s ability to extend lifespan through calorie restriction. By activating Sirtuin’s optimizing FOX03 activity - the Okinowa diet can be a powerful ally for everything from protecting DNA, to encouraging autophagy (or cellular recycling), to even suppressing and preventing tumor growth in the body. These principles have been proven in research; but even more importantly, in the real world, Okinowa is recognized as the place where people live the longest of anywhere on earth.
If you’re looking for a longevity focused nutrition plan - the Okinowa diet MIGHT be right for you. If you do give it a shot, or if you’ve tried it already be sure to let me know what you think.
And no matter what you do; be sure to like this video and subscribe to my channel - it’s good for you.
You can ALWAYS email me with questions, comments, and otherwise at SeanTorbati@
High Performance Nutrition:
Ambrosia Collective:
HealthyBody Nutrition Consulting:
My mission is to support EVERYONE on a journey to improve their health and wellness through proper nutrition, intense and progressive workouts, and my WORLD CLASS NATURAL SUPPLEMENTS!