The Okinawa Diet Plan: Get Leaner, Live Longer, and Never Feel Hungry

by Bradley J. Willcox, D. Craig Willcox, Makoto Suzuki

In their New York Times bestseller The Okinawa Program, Drs. Bradley and Craig Willcox and Makoto Suzuki explained why the Okinawans are the longest-lived people on earth. Now, they offer a practical diet program rooted in Okinawan traditions so that you too can have a leaner, more “metabolically efficient” body that will stay healthier and more youthful. Conveniently divided into three dietary tracks—western, eastern, and a fusion plan that combines both—their program will help you achieve healthy weight loss without deprivation. With more than 150 recipes, an eight-week phase-in plan, and other unique resources, The Okinawa Diet Plan is an easy-to-follow breakthrough concept in healthy weight loss.

Genres: Health, Nutrition, Nonfiction, Diets, Cookbooks, Japan

432 pages, Paperback

First published April 26, 2005

Reviews

[Jo-anne · Rating 3 out of 5]

More important than the few recipes that I will try out is the better understanding of the chemistry of food. I read all about cell damaging free radicals and now understand how they are generated primarily by metabolizing food for energy- if you eat less food, you generate fewer free radicals. Lower free radical production minimizes potential damage to cellular machinery such as DNA. I have just started hearing more about caloric density which refers to the number of calories in a specific of a given food. The fewer calories in 1 gm of food, the more of that food that you can eat and still maintain your weight. I now can calculate the CD per serving, divide the calorie count by the weight. I loved the phrase Hara hachi bu – “stop filling your stomach when you’re 80% full.” and hope it will remain with me at meal times. It helps me to know that leptin, a hormone that rises in our bloodstream when we gain weight and helps shift metabolism into high fat-burning gear, loses its effectiveness in overweight people. Carbs-whole foods or those in their natural state like fruits, veggies, whole grains etc. have low GI scores (rate of conversion from carb to blood sugar) and induce low insulin levels. Protein helps with a sense of fullness and is essential for preserving muscle tissue. Getting protein from plants rich in folate and B vitamins keeps the amino acid levels of methionine ( a by-product of animal sources) low which leads to slower aging, lower body weight and longer life. It’s recommended we get 0.4 gms protein per day of body weight. Important to get enough protein when losing weight so you preserve muscle and burn fat instead. Our bodies prefer protein for growth and repair, carbs for fuel and fat for long-term energy storage. Lower calorie intake, increases stress hormones which increases resistance to brain injury and produces a marked decrease in many unwelcome changes that normally appear in the aging brain. So I am now armed with the understanding of what I should eat and why....let's see if I can put any of it into practice.

[Synthia · Rating 4 out of 5]

The main idea is eating foods that have a low Caloric Density (CD). The Okinawa diet consists of mainly soy products & other legumes and vegetables. Sweet potatoes are the main carb of choice. Multi-grains and fruit are also consumed in small quantities. Fruits are more likely eaten cooked in their unriped version, liked cooked green (unripe) papaya along with other vegetables. The less ripe a fruit the lower it scores on the glycemic index. The diet is low in fat and protein is largely obtained through non-meat sources.

Dairy is rarely consumed however eggs are now part of the modern diet. Mushrooms and seaweed are incorporated in the diet. Pork is occasionally eaten and seafood/fish is consumed more now than before but still in smaller quantities by our standards, and definitely not daily.

The Okinawans have miso soup with every meal and their veggies are often steamed which allow for more water density. They consume lots of soups and stews. They consume jasmine and herbal teas.

The idea of consuming mostly low CD foods is that you allow your body to work less. The less energy the body uses to break down caloric-ly dense foods like meat, cheese and refined carbs the slower your body will age. In other words there is less wear and tear.

Consuming less fat prevents the body from storing fat. Protein is important to consume to upkeep muscle mass, between 25-35g a day but not difficult to obtain at all. A portion of talapia packs 24g of protein and a cup of cooked black beans has 30g of protein.

The books is filled with charts and diagrams and toward the end there are various recipes which is kind of neat if you're looking to change up your cooking routine.

[Lauri · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Okinawan people are among the longeset living in the world. They have the highest percentage of (active) centenarians. The book can be used as a weight loss guide, but this diet is really for anyone who wants to be lean and live longer. I followed the diet strictly for 4 weeks and, while it was as labor intensive as any points system diet to track the foods eaten, I was NEVER hungry. It is clear that the American diet is way off base, given the levels of obesity and disease that exist in this country. Conversely, the Okinawans have a lower incidence of disease and age more slowly. This book is really onto something.

[Scott Miller]

A lot of misleading info in this book about the Okinawan diet, which is a lot more meat-heavy than these authors want to admit, given their vegetarian agenda.

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you wanted to know how to eat to live a long and healthy life, who would you look to...the people who lived the longest and were the healthiest. Okinawa used to be the place with the greatest number of centenarians. However, with adaptation to the modern western diet, the diseases of modern culture are now plaguing this area of Japan. This book will tell you how the now dying off elderly of this part of the world ate. It in not written in the most engaging way, but many scientifically based books are not. You may struggle with understanding this book if you do not have a scientific background.

[Kristy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Lots of good information about diet, nutrition, and lifestyle. Mostly stuff I already knew, but a slightly different perspective. Reminded me a bit of The China Study, though not to the extreme. Some good recipes as well.

[Peter · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very exciting premise and a great deal of solid research. Unfortunately, a single guy with limited time to cook wont be following this.

[Hoolie · Rating 3 out of 5]

There are many meal options in this diet, vegan, lacto-ovo and omnivorous.

[Fred · Rating 4 out of 5]

We should consider it some.

[John · Rating 2 out of 5]

Interesting, but lacks empirical evidence, too observational.