Okinawa Diet

Okinawa is an archipelago off the coast of Japan, known for its population's life expectancy rate; women live on average till 86 and men till about 78 years old. Islanders have a very long life expectancy due to their super-healthy lifestyle and diet. Luckily for westerners their diet is relatively straight forward so anyone can adopt their healthy lifestyle.

Good genes also have great importance in their life expectancy, but the main difference between their diet and westerners is theirs is low in fat and calories. The diet of the inhabitants of Okinawa is semi-vegetarian and contains very little fat (less than 25% calories from fat). This diet not only helps you eat healthy but also lose weight and stay lean. The average calorie consumption by Okinawa's people is only 1,100 calories daily, which is almost half of the average calorie consumption of a western diet.

Okinawa Diet consists of:

A lot of foods whose calorie density is less than 0.7; water, tea, cucumber, endive, oranges, apricots, seaweed, apples, yogurt and nonfat milk are all examples.

And several food types and products whose calorie density is between 0.8 and 1.5; bananas, potatoes, fish, rice, pasta, chicken are all great examples.

Limit consumption of foods that have a caloric density situated between 1.6 and 3; fish oil, bread, beef, dried fruit, pizza and ice cream are all examples of foods you want to stay away from.

And eliminate foods that are saturated with fat and calories, such as nuts, chocolate, butter, peanut butter and oil.

Eating a low-calorie diet main advantage is that you can eat relatively little but also have the sense of fullness. And as time goes by and your body adapts to the lower calorie diet, you're body will not store as many calories as fat and you will burn most of the calories you ate during the day. Another key part to the Okinawa diet is unlike western diets, this diet stresses smaller portions and you to stop before you feel entirely full about 80%.

The Okinawa Diet will help you lose weight, help prevent chronic diseases and keep your body healthy even in the later years of your life. It also greatly reduces the chance of you developing diabetes or blood cholesterol issues and is very good for your overall health.

A Day in the Okinawa diet

For breakfast: Bread, rice, cheese, apples and tea;

Lunch: tofu, pasta, beans, mushroom salad and tea;

At dinner: fish, brown rice, cucumbers, oranges and tea.

The diet can help you feel full very quickly, because it contains fiber and other proteins, and it's been well documented that if you eat less calories than you burn you will lose weight. While you should still exercise daily, even moderate exercise throughout your day will burn the calories you have eaten and result in weight loss. You should keep in mind that it may be difficult at first to get used to the notion of not eating till you're entirely full. Also, it's always best to consult with your doctor or dietician to decide whether such a low calorie diet is healthy for your body. In most cases, it's not advised that you immediately cut your daily calorie intake in half; instead you should gradually start to reduce your calorie intake paying attention to how you're body reacts.

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