5 Ingredient Okinawan Bowl 🇯🇵🌱 (vegan) | Blue Zones Recipes - What's in the fridge? (2024)

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5 Ingredient Okinawan Bowl 🇯🇵🌱 (vegan) | Blue Zones Recipes - What's in the fridge? ›

Okinawa, Japan is a Blue Zone where a remarkable number of people live to 100. Residents live with intention, have life-long friends, and eat lots of vegetables. Blue Zones are regions of the world where people regularly live longer than average.

Okinawa, Japan is a Blue Zone where a remarkable number of people live to 100. Residents live with intention, have life-long friends, and eat lots of vegetables. Blue Zones are regions of the world where people regularly live longer than average.

The Okinawans are a tribe in Okinawa Prefecture, Japan, whose lifestyle of moderation and respect for nature and each other has been upheld as an example by many western cultures. They also have one of the longest life expectancies in the world.

Together, they have what's called a moai. Moais are a friendship tradition from Okinawa, Japan – essentially, it is a friend circle that starts in childhood. Moais offer emotional and moral support, and the effect on people's health can be remarkably positive.

Okinawa is one of the blue zones regions and has some of the highest life expectancy rates in the world. So what are they eating? Most people assume fish.

That comes down to three main factors—diet, social practices, and genetics—explains Craig Willcox, a professor of public health and gerontology at Okinawa International University and a co-principal investigator of the Okinawa Centenarian Study, which has been investigating Okinawan longevity since 1975.

The most traditional and famous Okinawan varieties are yushi tofu (fluffy and unpressed) and shima tofu (the firm “island” version). Tofu is made from soybeans that are ground, boiled, strained, and then pressed into shape.

As proportions of total caloric intake, foods in the traditional Okinawa diet included sweet potato (69%), rice (12%), other grains (7%), legumes including soy (6%), green and yellow vegetables (3%), refined oils (2%), fish (1%) and seaweed, meat (mostly pork), refined sugars, potato, egg, nuts and seeds, dairy and ...

The traditional Okinawa diet is low in calories and fat while high in carbs. It emphasizes vegetables and soy products alongside occasional — and small — amounts of noodles, rice, pork, and fish.

Okinawans tend to eat three times a day, but they stop when they are 80 percent full. It's more about what the meals consist of and how much they eat than when they eat that makes up the health benefits of the diet.

Why are people in Okinawa so happy? ›

By appreciating simple day-to-day pleasures and maintaining a sense of responsibility to keep the mind and body active, Okinawans draw great satisfaction from having a purpose in life.

There are many factors that are thought to support the longevity of Okinawans; especially the subtropical marine climate of the islands, which is warm and stable year round; its diverse environment, from beautiful seasides to lush forests, stony karsts, and other natural features; the healthy eating habits and mindset ...

Ikigai is a Japanese term that blends two words: “iki” meaning “to live,” and “gai” meaning “reason,” which translates to “a reason to live.” It's a concept that encourages people to discover what truly matters to them and to live a life filled with purpose and joy.

Though many Okinawans still saw themselves as Japanese and Okinawan, they began to question their underprivileged position in relation to mainland Japan.

In contrast to western nations, the Japanese eat a lot of seaweed, fresh vegetables, fermented soy, rice, and seafood. Ample amounts of phytochemicals, vitamins, and minerals undoubtedly make a difference in terms of mortality.

Okinawans eat fish, meat, dairy, and grains like rice in much smaller amounts. Some examples of foods common to Okinawa diet include: Vegetables: orange sweet potato, purple sweet potato, seaweed, kelp, bamboo shoots, radish, bitter melon, cabbage, carrots, pumpkin, papaya, and mushrooms.

Okinawans call it ikigai or “reason for being.” Costa Ricans call it “plan de vida.” Most commonly, though, it's simply referred to as your life's purpose. In the blue zones regions of the world, purpose has always played a major role in well-being and the resulting extreme longevity.

Blue Zones Project programs are designed to inspire, encourage, and promote well-being within your organization so your employees, members, and customers are more socially connected and equipped to positively impact one another and the entire community.

The Blue Zone regions are home to some of the oldest and healthiest people in the world. Although their lifestyles differ slightly, they mostly eat a plant-based diet, exercise regularly, drink moderate amounts of alcohol, get enough sleep and have good spiritual, family and social networks.

But in Okinawa, too, people eat a bunch of fast food. Okinawa has the highest obesity rate in Japan for young people, and it's because it has become Americanized. I feel like people don't grow up eating the same things that the older generation used to eat.