Okinawa in Japan has the largest population of centenarians – people aged 100 years and older – in the world. The good health and longevity of the people has been attributed largely to their diet. Cancer and other serious diseases is rare in their society. The traditional Okinawan diet includes at least seven servings of dark green leafy vegetables daily, lots of fish, seaweed and soya products. Sounds like the typical Japanese diet? Not quite.

Traditional Okinawan dishes

Foods considered taboo by some health nuts are featured in Okinawan cuisine. Besides vegetables, seaweed, fish and soya foods, Okinawans eat – surprise, surprise – plenty of pork. They also like to use sugar – unrefined brown sugar that is – in their cooking and as a sweet. Sugar! This will gladden the hearts and palates of anyone with a sweet tooth.

The tofu eaten by the Okinawans is different from the soft, silken variety favored in the rest of Japan. Soft tofu has a very high water content, whereas tofu in Okinawa is densely packed. Thus, the soya content is much higher.

The traditional Okinawan diet is rich in minerals, fiber and unrefined foods. In addition, the traditional Okinawan lifestyle is slow, peaceful and rustic, requiring even the elderly to work hard to grow what they need for the dinner table. Read “regular exercise” here.

I like vegetables but I know I’m not consuming at least seven servings a day. I really should increase my intake of soya products and seaweed and cut down on refined foods. I do eat fish several times a week and I also take fish oils daily, so I’m getting my essential fatty acids. I already eat more fruits and vegetables than most people, and brown rice, wholemeal bread, whole grain cereals, nuts and dried fruit are staples, but there’s still room for increasing my fiber intake. Taking Neways’ “Maximol Solutions” daily will ensure that I’m getting enough minerals, as well as multivitamins.

As for exercise, I enjoy going for walks daily, sometimes even doing this two or three times a day. Besides being good for my health, it helps me de-stress. Are you getting enough exercise?