Sample Meal Plans for the Okinawa Diet Recipes: Okinawa Longevity And Healthy Aging In Blue Zones

Does the word "diet" immediately make you think of an unpleasant weight-loss regimen?
If it did, you are probably not alone. For example, consider the use of the term "diet" in marketing food products-it usually describes foods low in calories, such as diet soda.
But there is another meaning of this word. Diet can also refer to the food and drink a person consumes daily and the mental and physical circumstances connected to eating. Nutrition involves more than simply eating a "good" diet-it is about nourishment on every level. It involves relationships with family, friends, nature (the environment), our bodies, our community, and the world.


Okinawa is a prefecture southwest of mainland Japan comprised of 160 islands,1 48 of which are home to the highest rates of centenarians in the world, with as many as 40-50 people per every 100,000 living to be 100 years old or more. The majority of Okinawans reside on Okinawa Island, but the entire region is known as a "blue zone," a place where people not only live longer but also healthier, with fewer age-related diseases.