obesity of 21st century america

[danny elfboy]

People from Okinawa are nowadays the most longeve and healthiest people on the planet
The centenarians in Okinawans still play music, do horse-riding or karate/martial arts lessons, build houses and so on

An extensive research showed this has little to do with their genetics.
Beside when one of these super healthy individual move to a western country and adopt a western lifestyle his/her longevity decreases exponentially and he/she develops the diseases that where unknown to him/her in Okinawa

Among the things that are known to make the Okinawans that healthy there are three principles that all of them (from children to centenarians) follow religiously daily

Guten Gwa (Little Portions)
This principle reminds the Okinawans to always eat small portion and to use small plates to make their serving. Even 15 different dishes/foods can be eaten in one meal but the portions need to be little

Hara Hachi Bu (Push away from the table when you're 80 percent full)
This principle reminds the Okinawans to always leave the eating table when their stomach is 80% full and they have still a small hint of hunger and to never leave the eating table when you're full, bloated and could throw up at the idea of eating something else

Nuchi Gusui (literally: food is medicine and life)
This principle reminds the Okinawans to never treat food with superficiality or lack of respect. To always take the time to savour food and never gorge. To always share the table with friends and relatives. To chew slowly and really taste deeply each bit.
For the principle of Nuchi Gusui each meal must be quality time with friend and family, promoting healthful bond and enjoying the food (which everyone young or less young helps preparing ... each one has a task to make each meal a moment of socialization, relaxation and enjoyment) Having a meal while drinking kusu and listening to local songs or watching Ryukyuan dances in a leisurely manner or chatting with friend and taking lot of time to appreciate the company

(regarding the last principle it has been acknowledge that cortisol release during eating may trigger a cascade of processes that could lead to oxidized lypo-proteins crossing the epithelial line barrier and hardening the artheries and forming plaques. Other consequences of this cascade of processes would be diabetes, heart disease/failure, stroke, hypertension ... What this mean is that not even eating junk food and toxic food is as dangerous as eating while stressed, angry, on the go, in a hurry and without pleasure)

[pianistimo]

very interesting!  yes.  probably why they live so long and live in a more dignified careful manner.  and, that last part about being stressed when eating - sounds right.  maybe why - as somebody on tv put it - antacids are becoming a dietary staple, too.

[ahinton]

People from Okinawa are nowadays the most longeve and healthiest people on the planet
The centenarians in Okinawans still play music, do horse-riding or karate/martial arts lessons, build houses and so on

An extensive research showed this has little to do with their genetics.
Beside when one of these super healthy individual move to a western country and adopt a western lifestyle his/her longevity decreases exponentially and he/she develops the diseases that where unknown to him/her in Okinawa

Among the things that are known to make the Okinawans that healthy there are three principles that all of them (from children to centenarians) follow religiously daily

Guten Gwa (Little Portions)
This principle reminds the Okinawans to always eat small portion and to use small plates to make their serving. Even 15 different dishes/foods can be eaten in one meal but the portions need to be little

Hara Hachi Bu (Push away from the table when you're 80 percent full)
This principle reminds the Okinawans to always leave the eating table when their stomach is 80% full and they have still a small hint of hunger and to never leave the eating table when you're full, bloated and could throw up at the idea of eating something else

Nuchi Gusui (literally: food is medicine and life)
This principle reminds the Okinawans to never treat food with superficiality or lack of respect. To always take the time to savour food and never gorge. To always share the table with friends and relatives. To chew slowly and really taste deeply each bit.
For the principle of Nuchi Gusui each meal must be quality time with friend and family, promoting healthful bond and enjoying the food (which everyone young or less young helps preparing ... each one has a task to make each meal a moment of socialization, relaxation and enjoyment) Having a meal while drinking kusu and listening to local songs or watching Ryukyuan dances in a leisurely manner or chatting with friend and taking lot of time to appreciate the company

(regarding the last principle it has been acknowledge that cortisol release during eating may trigger a cascade of processes that could lead to oxidized lypo-proteins crossing the epithelial line barrier and hardening the artheries and forming plaques. Other consequences of this cascade of processes would be diabetes, heart disease/failure, stroke, hypertension ... What this mean is that not even eating junk food and toxic food is as dangerous as eating while stressed, angry, on the go, in a hurry and without pleasure)

You have put forward some very important points here. I think that, whilst by no means all of what you mention is habitually indulged by the majority of French people, these factors would probably be more recognisable to some French than to those in other countries in the "developed" world and it is perhaps worthy of note that France is supposed to have a higher proportion of centenarians than any other European country.

Whether the adverse effects of junk food are more or less so that those of eating and drinking while under certain types of stress is not quite as clear-cut as you suggest, however; I'm not at all denying the validity of your point, which is undoubtedly considerable, but it's more complex than you express it here. Three factors immediately spring to mind (although there are surely others). Firstly, some people cope with the kinds of stress to which you refer more ably than others do, both mentally/emotionally and physiologically (this is particularly true of some people who actually create stress in themselves and others, such as composers and performing artists). Secondly, the effects of the same junk foods are worse on some of its consumers than they are on others. Thirdly, some junk foods are obviously more generally harmful to all consumers than others. I do not mention any of this for the purpose of undermining your statement here - merely in an attempt to introduce some kind of balancing factor.

As a matter of fact (although what I am about to write here may not be quite so grave an issue as those of which you write, even though it is not unconnected therewith), I have often thought that, if one is planning to have a main meal close to attending a public performance (concert, opera, play, etc.), it might be better to have it after the performance rather than before it, otherwise the stresses inherent in the work/s performed - and the concomitant stresses that they may create in the audience - may risk adverse effect upon how some attendee's systems deal with the food and drink consumed immediately beforehand This may sound somewhat fanciful, but attending such performances will - and indeed should - be a stressful experience (in the sense that "stress" is not always a pejorative but it is always stress). On the other hand, having a meal following a performance may entail eating too late in the day, which in itself could have different adverse effects (not that I've ever worried about that, having sometimes in the past finished working at around 3.00 a.m. and then eaten).

Best,

Alistair

[burstroman]

walk, drink more water, relax, avoid TV