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

This is the new (2004) book from the authors of the best-selling The Okinawa Program.

In 2001, The Okinawa Program jumped onto bestseller lists,
lauding the healthy habits of a group of elderly Okinawans who have
some of the world's lowest mortality rates and best health. (Since
then, it's been reported that younger Okinawans' weight has been
increasing, due in part to the popularity of McDonald's on the island.)
Now the authors return, expounding on the Okinawan key to longevity: a
healthy, balanced diet. For Willcox, Willcox and Suzuki, "limiting
calorie intake is the healthiest approach to eating." The authors
present a moderate, easy-to-follow plan, beginning with a guide to
their four categories of food, according to calorific density:
featherweights (e.g., green tea, asparagus), lightweights (e.g., red
snapper, cooked brown rice), middleweights (e.g., hummus, broiled lean
beef rib steak) and heavyweights (e.g., cheesecake, butter). They then
move on to the 10 principles of the Okinawan diet, from featherweight
meal foundations to the staple of Okinawan dietsthe sweet potatowhich
is grandly praised for its rich anti-oxidants. Restricting the Western
tendency to overeat is key to longevity, but this doesn't mean going
hungry. The book's second half offers more than 160 delicious and
healthful recipes, ranging from traditional Japanese fare such as Pork
Daikon to Western dishes like Shrimp and Broccoli Penne. Never extreme,
the authors counsel readers to treat diet plans "like training wheels
on a bike," and the eight-week phase-in plan facilitates the gradual
incorporation of the Okinawan regime, so readers feel benefits without
frustration and deprivation.
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From the Inside Flap
The
elders of Okinawa, Japan, are among the leanest and longest-lived
people on earth. These Okinawans--many in their eighties, nineties, and
beyond--maintain an unprecedented quality of life. More than any other
population, older
Okinawans are slim and agile, and their minds
are clear and lucid. Few suffer the lifestyle-related diseases like
heart disease, cancer, diabetes, and obesity that are so common in
their western counterparts.

In their New York Times bestseller The Okinawa Program,
Drs. Bradley and Craig Willcox and Makoto Suzuki shared important
insights about these unique and amazingly healthy people from their
landmark twenty-five-year Okinawa Centenarian Study. The latest
findings from that study are proving even more surprising: the elders
do not gain weight with age.

The secrets behind this discovery
are twofold: the Okinawans' calorie-light diet and their active
lifestyle, which results in leaner and more "metabolically efficient"
bodies that stay slimmer, healthier, and more youthful as they age. In The Okinawa Diet Plan,
Drs. Willcox, Willcox, and Suzuki adapt traditional Okinawan dietary
principles for a delicious blend of East and West so that anyone can
reap these very same benefits. The authors' Caloric Density Index and
the Caloric Density Pyramid, developed from the study's latest
findings, debunk the myths of trendy diet gurus and provide a
revolutionary approach to eating, health, weight loss, and weight
maintenance that is easy to follow and simple to maintain. This
approach allows Okinawans to eat more food than the typical American
diet, and still weigh less--and you can too. With more than 150
delicious recipes that incorporate foods low in caloric density, The Okinawa Diet Plan
offers dozens of satisfying meal options. Conveniently divided into
three tracks--western, eastern, and fusion--and with healthy options
for both vegetarians and meat eaters alike, their program provides all
the benefits of calorie restriction without deprivation. With dietary
guidelines, cooking techniques, an eight-week turnaround plan, and
other unique resources, The Okinawa Diet Plan is a breakthrough concept in healthy weight loss and maintenance.