New book covers vegetarian diet of people on Okinawa over 100 years.

[Guest guest]

Having read everything in print (I thought) about vegetarianism and

diabetes, I was very pleasantly surprised to find a new book which has

taught me a lot about things I though I knew everything about already! The

book isn't even about diabetes -- at least as their primary content, but it

actually has an awful lot on this disease. It's about a vegetarian diet

followed on Okinawa by people over 100 years.

 

The book's name is " Okinawa Program " , and reports the result of a 25 year

study into why people in Okinawa have the greatest number of healthy over

100 year old people per 100,000 population than anywhere else in the world,

including Japan itself, of which it is now a part (a Perfecture). And you

don't get to be a centenarian if you have diabetes, so the authors homed in

on this one -- lucky for us.

 

Two of the authors are Canadians, and identical twins. One is an MD, and

the other is a PhD Anthropologist. They spent 10 years in Okanawa, along

with the Japanese MD who started the original study 25 years ago. The

doctor is associated with Harvard Medical School. The writing is some of

the best and easiest to understand descriptions of things that I have ever

had the pleasure to read. They did a thorough study on over 600 Okinawans

over the age of 100. Then they came up with a plan for the rest of us such

that we too can share the good health and longevity of the Okinawan

centenarians without having to live on Okinawa. Their book just came out

this year (2001).

 

I saw this book listed on Amazon.com and bought it. I have been reading on

it ever since -- it is not a small book, and the subject is so interesting

that I read and reread every page, which makes slow going. I fully expect

to reread the entire book from the start once I finish my first reading.

There are many new things about diabetics given there, which really

interested me of course. In fact you never know but what the next sentence

will give you something new, with new insites you have never seen before.

These people are true scientists who are right up to date with the state of

medical art. But they are able to say what they want to convey where

everyone should be able to understand it, despite being scientific.

 

Take a look at their website at http://www.okinawaprogram.com I was so

interested in their content, and also interested to learn how others are

able to apply their findings, that I started a list on to which I urge

you to once you have the book. Without the book it wouldn't make

much sense, although their website does provide a full description. You

can to this list at

okinawa-program- -- it is a new list with few on

board yet, but hopefully it will be a place to cover what is learned from

this book, and how we can apply their findings in our lives.

 

Charles Wilkes