BRADLEY J. WILLCOX | D. CRAIG WILLCOX
1 Will the Real Okinawan Diet Please Stand Up?
This book and its predecessor "The Okinawa Program" are routinely cited as evidence that low-fat, plant-based diets high in soyfoods are the key to a long and active life. But readers who try to find out how much soy Okinawans eat from the confusing mass of misinformation in these two books will find that the authors are probably just guessing. Is the total amount 60 to 120 grams per day? Or should we trust a Table that shows total legume consumption (including soy) in the amount of about 75 grams per day for the years 1949-1993? Perhaps the people eat an average of three ounces of soy products per day, mostly tofu and miso? Or is it two whole servings of soy, with each serving a mere one ounce? Only one thing's clear -- the Okinawans aren't really big soy eaters.
The failure to come up with a consistent soy story is just one of the many credibility problems with these books. In 2001 Dr. Suzuki reported in the "Asia Pacific Journal of Clinical Nutrition" that "monounsaturates" were the principal fatty acids in the Okinawan diet. For the popular books, this was translated into a firm recommendation for canola oil, a genetically modified version of rapeseed oil developed in Canada that could not possibly have become a staple of anyone's diet before the 1980s. According to gerontologist Kazuhiko Taira, the most common cooking fat used traditionally in Okinawa is the same monounsaturated fat favored in China - lard. Although often called a "saturated fat," lard is 50 percent monounsaturated fat (including small amounts of the health-producing antimicrobial palmitoleic acid), 40 percent saturated fat and 10 percent polyunsaturated. Dr. Taira also reports that healthy and vigorous Okinawans eat 100 grams each of pork and fish each day. So much for the low-fat, plant-based diet!
Finally, the authors share the good news that diet, not genes, is the key to longevity - meaning we too can live long and well if we follow the plans in their books. How is it then that Dr. Suzuki reported in a 1998 Japanese journal that the genes of Okinawan centenarians actually do differ from those of normal individuals and are a factor in their superior longevity?
2 Liked it; Loved the Okinawa Longevity Plan
I really wanted to give this 4.5 half stars and the only reason that i'm not giving it five is that I think that the Willcoxs' first book The Okinawa Longevity Plan is better. It covers total mind body giving a more complete picture of the contributing factors that lead to a longer healthier life. Also included in the longebity plan is what the authors call "east-west fusion" recipes that are more palatable to western tastes.
Now that aside I did like the recipes and half tried almost 2/3 of those. My favorite is the red curry. So often when i'm looking for a curry recipe it calls for coconut milk. I was very pleased to find a curry recipe based on tomatoes. I also like the sweet-sour mustard baked tofu. Talk about Fast! wow! The recipes do really taste good, but I did find that some of the ingrediants were had to find locally in Michigan, but there are very good interet stores that will ship.
So give it a try. I really think that you'll enjoy it.
3 "Eat To Live" makes more sense than ever
The 25-year study upon which this book is based proves the adage that we should "eat to live" rather than "live to eat," which accounts for so much obesity in the U.S. And live these Okinawans do -- the greatest concentration of 100 year old people in the world. Proof of their lifestyle as the reason for this longevity is that when they leave their homeland and adopt a typical western diet, their health and lifespans start emulating those of their new home.
But it's more than just diet, of course. It's exercise, portion size and moderation. In our culture, the fast-food approach permeates every facet of family life. Mom and dad are both working, so the question of "what's for dinner" is often answered late in the day with a stop at Mickey Dees or the pizza joint. At school, the lunches are often served by franchise operators who serve much the same menu. Vending machine cuisine is too often the only thing available when we're all running as fast as we can to keep up with the world.
The key is eating smaller meals more often, carrying emergency foods such as an apple or banana, making better food choices(veggie pizzas on whole wheat crust) and adopting a better lifestyle one step at a time instead of trying to do it all at once. It's all about looking better, feeling better and living longer.
Diet books tend to be serious business, but for those who need a good laugh while they're pursuing a more healthful lifestyle, there's The Duct Tape Diet, which is written by registered dietitian/nutritionist Theresa Malysz. It relates to every frustrated dieter out there who has heard the call of those late-night goodies that cause us to fall off the wagon. The author works with overweight men and women everyday in a hospital setting, and offers up some real-world strategies that make sense to those who've tried every fad diet out there and ended up fatter than ever. Her patients often have to lose weight -- they have no other options -- so the content of the book really works -- and it provides a foundation for long-term weight management.
This is why I highly recommend the Okinawa Diet Plan. It's based on real-world research and provides an effective plan for living a longer, healthier life.
4 Not Bad, But Not Always For Western Tastes
I'm an Okinawan-American...which means that I've eaten all of the recipes in this book and I tend to like the taste of them. Eating traditional Okinawan food is not strange for me, but it can be for people who are not accustomed to it. For example, Okinawans eat a lot of kelp, but the slimy texture and the resultant bowel movements from eating too much at once might turn some people off of this diet.
I don't like the way that the authors try to paint their diet and research as unassailable, especially since there are other diets out there that are also good. If you don't want to spend money on exotic foods from ethnic supermarkets, you can just eat vegetarian and get a good effect. Even though the traditional food of Okinawa is healthy, saying that you will live a long time just because you imitate the habits of a different culture is not so sound. For example, if you eat all Okinawan foods and yet still subject your body to the hectic stresses of daily life, you're not doing much good. I mean, you can eat what the goat farmers of the Steppes eat, but you're not in their environment, so you probably won't see the same results they do.
In short, check the book out at a library, first, and see if the odd foods are something that you can really stick with. Then, follow the advice to destress and get more into family and friend connections. After that, you'll have what it takes to help live a good life, I think.
As for me...I still like hamburgers and fries, every now and then.
5 a. Weiss, author of the Backsmart Fitness Plan
I think this book was well thoughtout and the reader can use this information right away without running around looking for speical foods, etc. Very useful for anyone trying to change the way they eat.
6 Lots of impertinent info and opinions makes a tedious read!
I got this book yesterday and am now on Chapter 4. Even though I have had to do a lot of wasted reading, I have been able to get the information I wanted so far.
I am tremendously impressed with the Okinawan diet and I am very excited to begin following it and making it my way of life, too! It's really pretty simple to follow, and seems to be inexpensive and practical for a busy everyday kind of life! Very healthy, too, as the Okinawan Centenarians have proven! The authors have so far explained it very well, so I am happy with that part of the book. There is some really good information here with data and graphs about the Okinawans and how their health compares to Americans.
It's just having to decipher what the Okinawans actually do and what the authors' opinions are about everything diet-related is very frustrating and annoying! I expected the book to be exclusively about the Okinawans and especially centering on THEIR diet. The authors of this book have done that, but there's so much of their own theories, opinions and recommendations that I am getting frustrated! I want to know how the Okinawans eat; I don't want another dietary recommendation by "experts"! The Okinawans are whom I am interested in because their ways of eating have obviously been proven to be the healthiest!
Here is just one example of the conflicting messages I am having to deal with as I'm reading this book:
"The traditional Okinawan diet contained only 8 to 10 percent protein in the old days,"(That's what I wanted to know!) "and allthough it's now closer to 15 to 20 percent,"(Confusing! What diet is this?) "the protein is still mostly from plants. Ten to 20 percent protein is considered very healthy by most experts," (I don't care what most "experts" think,; that's not why I bought the book.) "and far below the 50-plus percent recommended by some popular diet books." (Now who are you blasting?)
What I want to follow is the traditional Okinawan diet, (the one that has been proven to work for long-lasting health and vitality) not the "experts" recommendations! I've read plenty of diet books written by "experts" and they all disagree with each other.
Furthermore, the authors of this book continually blast every popular diet out there. It's like the authors have some personal agenda to prove everyone else wrong! I wouldn't mind if they did it a few times and left it at that, but they don't! It is just continually blast, blast, blast! All through the long four chapters I have just read.
This is, unfortunately, the only book I have found that explains the Okinawan's diet, so it is better to buy it and learn about the Okinawans than to go on living the deadly Western lifestyle that is our culture. Just be careful to sift between the authors' opinions and what is actually traditional Okinawan.
Believe me, learning about them and their diet is worth having to put up with these over-zealous, self-obsessed authors!
However, If you find a better book that is based solely on the traditional Okinawan diet and lifestyle, buy that instead! I wish I could have!
Meanwhile, back to the grind...
7 More than a diet: A WAY OF LIFE
I am a physician and have an interest in anti-aging medicine and holistic care. This is definitely a book I will recommend to patients. The medical and scientific data presented is sound and done in such a way that it makes sense! The key they say is to healthy eating and exercise as well as spiritual health. We all know that. Here they address some ways in how you can restrict calories yet feel satisfied and eat foods that will make you healthier. The recipes in general are great but I have found a few that I will not do again. The most important thing is that you can take the concepts from the book and apply it. You don't need to follow their plan exactly. There is even room for 1-3 "sweets" a week. To find better health one needs to look at diet, activity level, and mental health. This book encourages that. Highly recommended.
8 A huge relief to find this book!
I've done low carb (Protein Power) for 2.5 years. I lost 30 pounds in the first 6 months, no longer needed any asthma or high blood pressure medications, which I had to take daily before. I gained back 15 pounds and was really unhappy with my eating. My blood pressure went up, my asthma returned (slowly). I had migraine headaches. I truly prayed for some direction - what was I doing wrong? I read plan after plan, Zone, Atkins, South Beach, vegetarian, juicing, but none of it fit.
The Okinawa Diet Plan found me when I was in the public library. I have since ordered my own copy. It was the answer to prayer - simply that. I have been following the Eastern path (there are plans for purely eastern diet or eastern/western mix, or western so even if you want to continue eating only American food this will help you). I love Okinawan food anyway, so this is a perfect fit for me.
I found the explanations in the book to be very clear and easy to understand, the voice with which the authors speak is relaxed and friendly and knowledgeable. I would recommend this book to anyone who is tired of being fat, sick, low in energy.
The examples of the Okinawa centurians is the final proof - we don't have to guess IF this way of eating works!
Tipping my cup of jasmine tea to your health,
:> earthmom
9 I lost 31 pounds !!!
After yo yo dieting for most of my life with no lasting success and trying Atkins', the Zone, South Beach and several other diets I finally found a diet plan that teaches me healthy weight loss (31 pounds!!!) AND how to keep it off eating healthy and delicious food.
Like the authors said--on the 8 week plan I learned how to get the fat off and keep it off WITHOUT hunger. I just wore my high school graduation dress (size 6) for the first time in 20 years last week !!! I can't believe how energetic I feel and how the Okinawa Diet Plan has changed my life for the better. I think my husband is even more impressed than me since we just left for a second honeymoon!!
Thank you Drs Willcox and Suzuki !! You changed my life !!
10 Five pounds down...
A wonderful book!!!
I have been following the basic ideas in this book regarding diet, exercise, focusing on vegetables, fiber, and ways to classify foods (I admit I haven't had a chance to try the actual recipes, not being much of a cook, but when I read them they seem manageable, and I intend to try some soon.) I have already lost five pounds in half of a month - without feeling hungry or cranky. Even if you're a microwave meals in minutes type, the basic ideas in this book can work. In accord with the author's suggestions, I just substitute soy burgers for hamburgers, nonfat or soy cheese for regular cheese, bean burritos for regular, up the veggies and fruits and cut down on the desserts - and it is pretty much painless.
I strongly recommend this book, and it seems much better than the wacko diet of the week books that seem to be dominating the market. And you can't argue with results - the examples of the Okinawan centurians are inspirational, and show that with proper diet, exercise and attitude, old age can be an enjoyable and healthy part of life - disability and sickness are not inevitable.
I would also recommend the companion book, The Okinawa Program. From my experience so far, I believe these two books together can change your life.
11 Okinawa Diet Plan by Willcox
The author describes both macro and micronutrients. Macronutrients provide energy for the body. Micronutrients
deliver vitamins and mineral content for our health. Carbohydrates, protein , fats and alcohol are also macronutrients. A PWV index was devised to measure increased blood flow through the arteries. Cardio biomarkers are anti-oxidants, veggies and Vitamin E. Omega 3 lowers LDL and increases the HDL. Conversely, deep fried foods increase LDL and
decrease HDL. The author describes how eggs increase protein levels, B12, D and folate. Tumeric eliminates excess fat and
acts as a powerful antioxidant to reduce inflammation.
This book is a treasure chest of alternative medicinal information written for the benefit of the layperson.
12 quite interesting
I just got this book today. It is quite inspiring. I am a techie with a new-age edge. The scientific foundation established for the claims in this book really gets one excited about acting on some of its suggestions... now all I have to do is do it. For what it is worth I am not significantly overweight, I am just approaching 30 and want to start taking care of myself more.
Take care!
