[Villages PL]

Originally Posted by senior citizen

Just a refresher article I found.......with regard to the diet itself.
Seems mostly fat free. They are allowed some red meat I noticed.....

We used to have a great Japanese restaurant in our town...and as I recall , the portions were always mini sized, served in teeny tiny dishes.

Our son is a big aficionado of sushi.....and actually, all Asian foods......

Although my husband would never eat the below foods.......I'm including a basic menu plan..........anyone who enjoys veggies and Japanese food could do this diet.

My personal opinion is that we are more than what we eat.

Occupational and environmental "toxins" and such will contribute to poor health.......not just the food we eat......however interesting the study may be.

If they lived on the outermost islands, perhaps a genetic thread ran through the long lived ones...



The Okinawa Diet Plan is based on the eating patterns of a group of elderly inhabitants of Okinawa, which is a collection of over a hundred islands off the coast of Japan. These people are reported to have some of the world’s longest life spans and best health.

Studies show that Okinawans who eat a traditional diet do not gain weight as they age and in addition their rates of heart disease are 80% less and of cancer are 50% less than Americans.

The Okinawa Diet Plan promises dieters that they will become leaner, live longer and never feel hungry by following the ten dietary principles of the Okinawan people. It may even help to reduce wrinkles due to the high antioxidant content of the diet.

The Okinawa Diet Basics


The diet plan is based on four groups of foods that are categorized according to their caloric density:

• Featherweights e.g. green tea and asparagus
• Lightweights e.g. fish and brown rice
• Middleweights e.g. hummus and lean red meat
• Heavyweights e.g. fried foods and desserts

The concept of the diet plan is on limiting calorie intake by emphasizing high volume, high nutrient foods with a low caloric density so the featherweight and lightweight foods will make up the majority of the diet.

It is important to restrict the tendency to overeat as occurs in Western diets. One of the major principles of the Okinawan approach to eating is to only eat until 80% full. If after 10-20 minutes you are still feeling hungry it is acceptable to eat more of the recommended foods if desired.

Okinawans eat on average 500 calories less per day than other social groups however the diet is not simply about calorie restriction but also emphasizes the selection of highly nutritious foods. The recommended foods are low in calories but high in flavor and nutrients. Low glycemic carbohydrates are included and these sustain energy and help keep dieters feeling full until the next meal.

Calorie restriction is a major key to increasing longevity however the authors state that this does not necessarily mean that dieters have to go hungry. Dieters are assisted to gradually phase into the Okinawan style of eating with an eight-week plan. This is designed to limit the feelings of frustration and deprivation that may occur when attempting to change eating habits too quickly and dramatically.

Recommended Foods


Broth based soups such as miso soup are eaten before each meal so as to reduce the tendency to overeat.

Sweet potato is a staple food and is recommended for its high content of antioxidants.

Other foods that are particularly recommended include green vegetables, edible seaweed, tofu, fish, brown rice and green tea.

Sample Diet Plan


Breakfast
Okinawan blueberry pancakes
Green tea
Morning Snack
Apple
Lunch
Sweet and sour mustard baked tofu
Steamed asparagus
Green salad
Baked sweet potato
Afternoon Snack
Raw vegetable crudités
Dinner
Miso soup
Shrimp and broccoli penne

To help put things in perspective, here's a comparison of two of the most important aspects between The Okinawan Elder's diet and the American Diet. Percentages are by weight.

Americans eat much more animal protein:.Total: 52%
Okinawans eat a lot less animal protein:...Total: 15%

Americans generally don't like vegetables: Total 16%
Okinawans eat more than twice as much:..Total 34%

So the key to good health is to eat more plant foods and less animal protein, just like Adventists are doing. And, of course, calorie restriction by avoiding processed foods and desserts.

[FloridaShrimp]

Originally Posted by senior citizen

Food for thought re nitrites and msg in processed meats.....

What is "processed meat" exactly?
Here's the difference:

Fresh meat usually has only one ingredient: The meat! Fresh meat is refrigerated and has a very short shelf life (just a few days, usually). It's usually packaged in simple wrappers, with no fancy logos or color printing.

Processed meat has many ingredients and is usually packaged for long-term shelf life. These products almost always contain sodium nitrite, the cancer-causing chemical additive that meat companies use as a color fixer to turn their meat products a bright red "fresh-looking" color. Processed meat products include:

* Bacon * Sausage * Pepperoni * Beef jerky * Deli slices * Hot dogs * Sandwich meat (including those served at restaurants) * Ham * Meat "gift" products like Christmas sausages * Meat used in canned soups * Meat used in frozen pizza * Meat used in kid's lunch products * Meat used in ravioli, spaghetti or Italian pasta products, etc.

Unless it says "NITRITE FREE" on the front label, you can bet it's made with cancer-causing sodium nitrite!,

(Hint: You will only find nitrite-free meat products in two places in the grocery store: 1) In the fresh meat section where you can buy freshly-ground hamburger, for example, and 2) In the freezer, where you can find "natural" meat products that are nitrite-free.

What are the dangerous chemicals in processed meats? Sodium nitrite is one of the most dangerous chemicals added to processed meats. Please be aware:

* You MUST read the ingredients list to find the sodium nitrite! Meat product companies do not list this ingredient on the front of the package.

* Even ORGANIC meat products and NATURAL meat products can still contain sodium nitrite. So read the labels to be sure, and avoid buying any meat product made with sodium nitrite.

* Be especially careful of food for kids! Virtually all packaged food products containing meat and marketed to children contain sodium nitrite! (Read the ingredients to protect your children.)

Monosodium glutamate (MSG) is a second dangerous chemical found in virtually all processed meat products. MSG is a dangerous excitotoxin linked to neurological disorders such as migraine headaches, Alzheimer's disease, loss of appetite control, obesity and many other serious health conditions. Manufacturers use MSG to add flavor to dead-tasting processed meat products.

Essentially, dead meat products look and taste dead (because they are), so meat companies use the following three ingredients to make them look fresh and taste interesting:

Sodium nitrite makes the meat look red and fresh. (But it promotes cancer.)

MSG makes the meat taste savory. (But it causes neurological disorders.)

Processed salt makes the meat taste more interesting. (But it causes nutritional problems and high blood pressure.)

On top of these three chemical additives, processed meats also contain saturated animal fat that is often contaminated with PCBs, heavy metals, pesticide residues and other dangerous substances.

Protect yourself and your family. Processed meats promote cancer. There is simply no question about the scientific validity of that statement, and anyone who disagrees with it is either working for the meat industry or hopelessly behind the times on their nutritional research.

The processed meat industry, of course, insists that processed meat is perfectly healthy and that you can eat all you want. It's no surprise, of course: Big Tobacco insisted that cigarettes aren't really bad for your health and that nicotine isn't addictive, either. No industry is really willing to admit that its products are hazardous .

I make it real simple- I don't eat meat, mammals, that is. Occasional organic chicken if I have to and I do give in for some turkey at Thanksgiving. I would prefer to give it all up and be a true pescatarian. That takes the worry out of wondering if my meat is safe.

[FloridaShrimp]

Originally Posted by senior citizen

Food for thought re nitrites and msg in processed meats.....

What is "processed meat" exactly?
Here's the difference:

Fresh meat usually has only one ingredient: The meat! Fresh meat is refrigerated and has a very short shelf life (just a few days, usually). It's usually packaged in simple wrappers, with no fancy logos or color printing.

Processed meat has many ingredients and is usually packaged for long-term shelf life. These products almost always contain sodium nitrite, the cancer-causing chemical additive that meat companies use as a color fixer to turn their meat products a bright red "fresh-looking" color. Processed meat products include:

* Bacon * Sausage * Pepperoni * Beef jerky * Deli slices * Hot dogs * Sandwich meat (including those served at restaurants) * Ham * Meat "gift" products like Christmas sausages * Meat used in canned soups * Meat used in frozen pizza * Meat used in kid's lunch products * Meat used in ravioli, spaghetti or Italian pasta products, etc.

Unless it says "NITRITE FREE" on the front label, you can bet it's made with cancer-causing sodium nitrite!,

(Hint: You will only find nitrite-free meat products in two places in the grocery store: 1) In the fresh meat section where you can buy freshly-ground hamburger, for example, and 2) In the freezer, where you can find "natural" meat products that are nitrite-free.

What are the dangerous chemicals in processed meats? Sodium nitrite is one of the most dangerous chemicals added to processed meats. Please be aware:

* You MUST read the ingredients list to find the sodium nitrite! Meat product companies do not list this ingredient on the front of the package.

* Even ORGANIC meat products and NATURAL meat products can still contain sodium nitrite. So read the labels to be sure, and avoid buying any meat product made with sodium nitrite.

* Be especially careful of food for kids! Virtually all packaged food products containing meat and marketed to children contain sodium nitrite! (Read the ingredients to protect your children.)

Monosodium glutamate (MSG) is a second dangerous chemical found in virtually all processed meat products. MSG is a dangerous excitotoxin linked to neurological disorders such as migraine headaches, Alzheimer's disease, loss of appetite control, obesity and many other serious health conditions. Manufacturers use MSG to add flavor to dead-tasting processed meat products.

Essentially, dead meat products look and taste dead (because they are), so meat companies use the following three ingredients to make them look fresh and taste interesting:

Sodium nitrite makes the meat look red and fresh. (But it promotes cancer.)

MSG makes the meat taste savory. (But it causes neurological disorders.)

Processed salt makes the meat taste more interesting. (But it causes nutritional problems and high blood pressure.)

On top of these three chemical additives, processed meats also contain saturated animal fat that is often contaminated with PCBs, heavy metals, pesticide residues and other dangerous substances.

Protect yourself and your family. Processed meats promote cancer. There is simply no question about the scientific validity of that statement, and anyone who disagrees with it is either working for the meat industry or hopelessly behind the times on their nutritional research.

The processed meat industry, of course, insists that processed meat is perfectly healthy and that you can eat all you want. It's no surprise, of course: Big Tobacco insisted that cigarettes aren't really bad for your health and that nicotine isn't addictive, either. No industry is really willing to admit that its products are hazardous .

I make it real simple- I don't eat meat, mammals, that is. Occasional organic chicken if I have to and I do give in for some turkey at Thanksgiving. I would prefer to give it all up and be a true pescatarian. That takes the worry out of wondering if my meat is safe.