Okinawa is the largest of the Ryukyu Islands, the semi-circular archipelago of over 150 islands stretched between southern Japan and Taiwan.
So, what do they eat?
What they do eat is healthy. The traditional Okinawan diet emphasizes nutrient-dense but low-calorie foods, like sweet potatoes and soy products. Seaweed, or konbu, is said to contain 45 important minerals, in addition to dietary fibre and essential fatty acids. They eat an average of half a serving of fish each day, and pork figures prominently in the menu. By eating dishes made from the skin of the face of the pig or from its intestine, for example, Okinawans get a big dose of collagen and elastin, which support healthy skin. It's interesting to note that SOL Strong collagen peptides, although not made from pig are from grass fed Brazilian cattle that are pasture raised. Known as some of the healthiest bovine available. Although Okinawans make use of the whole pig - from snout to tail - much of the unhealthy fat is removed before cooking. Our bovine hydrolyzed collagen peptides include bones and skin, which also helps with bone and teeth strengthening.
What are the other secrets?
Eat light and stop eating when you are 80% full. Few calories equals longer life
- Eat lots of vegetables
- Enjoy fresh fruits
- Consume more fish
- Discover beans and other legumes
- Go light on red meat and if you eat it make sure it's hormone free
- Don't be afraid of seaweed and sea vegetables
- Fermented foods
- Less refined sugar and carbs
- Fewer polyunsaturated fats more omega 3's
- Lower sodium
- Less dairy
- Fresh is always best
What about the Guinness World Records' oldest people, what have they eaten? Jiroemon Kimura (Japan's supercentenarian, the oldest man in history -116 years old) recommended porridge, miso soup and vegetables. His motto "eat light to live long".
10 tips from the oldest person to ever live:
- Exercise every single day
- Eat small portions
- Let adversity make you strong
- Read the news everyday
- Eliminate strong preferences - be easy
- Live with out attachment
- Stay close to nature
- Have gratitude
- Laugh often
- Break life into small parts
The second oldest person in the world, 115-year-old Misao Okawa, reportedly celebrated her new title with her favorite dish of mackerel sushi (an Osakan speciality, heavy on the vinegar). The oldest person ever to have lived, French woman Jeanne Calment, who died in 1997, aged 122, was a noted chocoholic who doused her dinner in olive oil and drank red wine daily. The man the Russians once claimed as their oldest, sawmill worker Magomed Labazanov, who died last year, aged an undocumented 122, recommended wild garlic. Britain's oldest person, 113-year-old Grace Jones of Bermondsey, is quoted as preferring "good, English food, never anything frozen" and enjoys a glass of sherry with friends from time to time. And Britain's oldest man, 109-year-old Ralph Tarrant smoked until he was 70 and likes a whisky. For the record, his favourite meal is cottage pie.
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