4 Famous Okinawan Food Staples That Are A+ For Longevity

"As anthropologists, we traveled to Ōgimi, a little village north of Okinawa with the highest rate of centenarians," Miralles says on this episode of the mindbodygreen podcast. "[We took] a trip to interview the eldest people there and learn how they live, how they relate to each other, what they eat, how they move, and what are their Ikigais." You'll have to tune in to the full episode to get the entire snapshot—but below, find a few of the most famous Okinawan diet staples:

"In Okinawa, they are not drinking coffee. They are drinking green tea all day," Miralles adds. (Specifically, they favor a blend of green and jasmine tea called sanpin-cha.) "This can be a factor that is important [for longevity.]" 

When Okinawans eat dessert, there's a good chance shikuwasa makes it onto the plate—this small green fruit is native to the area and is especially rich in flavonoids. "It's a citrus fruit that is very similar to an orange," notes García. "It has something called nobiletin in much higher concentrations than any other citrus in the world." Specifically, nobiletin is a citrus bioflavonoid associated with anti-inflammatory and healthy aging benefits; one 2020 in-vivo study found that nobiletin could increase life span and enhance resilience against various stressors4.

"This is my favorite Okinawan vegetable," García says. "You can cook it in many, many ways, and you find it in many recipes. [Okinawans] eat it with pork, they eat it with other vegetables… [It's] very balanced." 

Different types of seaweed (red, brown, green) boast slightly different nutrient profiles, but generally, seaweed contains flavonoids and carotenoids, which function to fight off free radicals within the body—which, as we know, is A+ for longevity. Seaweed is also a major source of iodine, which supports a healthy thyroid, and it's an abundant source of folate, a natural form of vitamin B9 that promotes the production of healthy new red blood cells and supports heart function.

If you want to live like an Okinawan, consider adding these plant-based staples to your grocery cart. Of course, there are plenty of other tips you can learn from these centenarians (find them here!), and diet is just the tip of the iceberg. But if García had to describe their overall nutrition philosophy, "the word we use in the book is 'balance,'" he says. "There is no excess." 

We hope you enjoy this episode! And don't forget to subscribe to our podcast on iTunes, Google Podcasts, Spotify, or Amazon Music!