Last night, I went downstairs to grab something when I noticed that there was a documentary on the television. Just as I passed through the room, the voice, speaking in Norwegian, began talking about Okinawa. It was such a surreal experience for me to listen to a voice describing the people and culture of Okinawa in the Norwegian language. It felt like two wildly different parts of my life colliding. I couldn't help but think what a small world we live in.
The documentary was about longevity. This part of the documentary focused on Okinawa, because Okinawans are on average the longest-lived people in the world. The highest percentage of centenarians per capita live on Okinawa. Women live an average of 86 years and men until 77, and they apparently do so with much less cancer, heart disease, and cases of Alzheimer's than in the West. The scientists were trying to discover why. The documentary mentioned a few things, so I thought I'd share them here. Hey, why not, right? That's why you love reading my blog. . .the wealth of knowledge I bestow upon you.
Secret 1. Eat a 'rainbow' diet of colorful fruits and vegetables. Okinawans eat a lot of vegetables, including a very purple sweet potato. They also eat a lot of tofu -- more than even the mainland Japanese.
Secret 2. They are active in old age. My grandmother is a good example. She used to walk a lot. She broke her hip and after that began walking much less. Her health began to deteriorate pretty quickly after that. I remember I went to visit when I was 19 or so. We had gone shopping, and I was carrying a relatively heavy bag of groceries. I think I must have looked hot and sweaty or something, because my 60-year-old grandmother grabbed the bag away from me and began walking with it. When I tried to take it back, she absolutely would NOT let me. I felt terrible. I was young and strong and my GRANDMOTHER was schlepping our groceries around.
Secret 3. Hara hachi gu. This means something like "80 percent full." Basically, don't stuff yourself until food comes out of your ears. It is bad for your health. It's kind of funny. I had never heard this expression before. It's a common one, and I lived on Okinawa for eight years as a child. I came to Norway to learn it. Amazing what you learn on the television.
There you have it. The secrets of the Okinawan fountain of youth.
Who I am
- Miki
- I am a 29-year-old mother of two. Oh, did I say 29? I meant 32. Uh, 35. My kids are Nicky (5) and Laney (3). I'm American. My husband Seven is Norwegian. We live in Norway. I was born in Washington State, graduated from high school and college in Hawaii and lived in several other places in between and after. I've lived in five states, three countries (on three different continents). I speak one language fluently and two others brokenly. Here's a riddle for you: My mother's Japanese, my father's American, my kids are Norwegian, so what does that make me?
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