Traditional Okinawan Diet

The traditional Okinawan diet is the diet eaten by the people of the Ryuku Islands, which lie between Japan and Taiwan; Okinawa being the largest island in the chain. Known for their exceptional longevity, scientists attribute the traditional diet, along with genetic and lifestyle factors, as contributing to the robust health of these people.

Variety

The traditional Okinawan diet includes as many as 206 different foods, the vast majority of which are plant foods, according to the book, "The Okinawa Program." A typical Okinawan elder consuming the traditional diet eats an average of 18 different foods in one day. These include spices, some of which are known to contain high levels of antioxidants and phytonutrients, and very few calories.

Fruits and Vegetables

At least seven servings of fruits and vegetables, with the emphasis on vegetables, is a hallmark of the traditional Okanawan diet. One serving of fruit per day is most common, with the remaining six servings coming from vegetables, potatoes and legumes. Sweet potatoes are a staple in the Okinawan diet, providing complex carbohydrate and nutrient value together with satisfying sweetness.

Grains

Rice and small amounts of buckwheat and whole wheat are the predominant grains in the traditional Okinawan diet and comprise six or more servings per day. Rice is consumed in greater amounts than any other single food and the majority is consumed as white rice, as opposed to whole grain brown rice; this is the only notable flaw in this otherwise healthy way of eating. Replacing white rice with brown would add more nutrients and further decrease the already low glycemic index -- a measure of the speed at which sugar enters the bloodstream after eating a food.

Complex Carbohydrates

Complex carbohydrates represent a little over half the calorie count in the traditional Okinawan diet, with up to 13 servings of vegetables per day, along with complex carbohydrates from small amounts of fruit. The emphasis on complex carbohydrates makes a considerable health statement in favor of the Okinawan diet, in light of the associated longevity enjoyed by the inhabitants of Okinawa who consume this diet regularly.

Comparison Study

A research study of the traditional Okinawan diet, published in the August 2009 issue of the "Journal of the American College of Nutrition" found that the diet is particularly high in phytonutrients and low in calories. Also, and perhaps just as important, is the conspicuous absence of refined grains, processed sugar, saturated fat and salt. Another unique feature of the traditional Okinawan diet, say the researchers, is its very high levels of high-antioxidant, low-calorie orange root vegetables, such as the Okinawan sweet potato. While the Okinawan diet shares characteristics with other diets being studied for their longevity effects, the Okinawan diet is distinguished by being the lowest in fat and the highest in carbohydrate consumption. An article published in 2001 in the "Asia Pacific Journal of Clinical Nutrition" states that fish -- which represents about 11 percent of the Okinawan diet -- along with soy foods, seaweed and other green vegetables, may contribute to enhanced immunity and prevent people who eat the traditional Okinawan diet from developing chronic illnesses that typically affect other cultures.