Okinawa Diet Plan - Healthy at 100 and beyond (Cucumber ...)

In their New York Times bestseller The Okinawa Program, Drs. Bradley and Craig Willcox and Makoto Suzuki explained why the Okinawans are the longest-lived people on earth. Now, they offer a practical diet program rooted in Okinawan traditions so that you too can have a leaner, more “metabolically efficient” body that will stay healthier and more youthful. Conveniently divided into three dietary tracks—western, eastern, and a fusion plan that combines both—their program will help you achieve healthy weight loss without deprivation. With more than 150 recipes, an eight-week phase-in plan, and other unique resources, The Okinawa Diet Plan is an easy-to-follow breakthrough concept in healthy weight loss.

Okinawa diet is simple and close to the nature. It composes mainly of green/orange/yellow (GOY) vegetables, fruits, roots, and tubers and simple seafood. On an average, each Okinawan consumes no more than one calorie per gram of food and median BMI (Body Mass Index) is 20.

Goya chanpuru. Bitter melon slices stir-fried with tofu, onion and egg, in one of the Okinawa delicacies.

According to the reported news, a typical Okinawan may live on an average for 100 years of healthy, and productive life. Many theories postulated that the secret of centenarian lies in their genetic constitutional makeup. However, recent community research studies on Okinawa population suggest that the most important factor influencing their longevity is the simple food they consume; the knowledge handed over to them by their ancestors for centuries.

Yagisashi- thin slices of goat meat with lemon.

Salient features of Okinawa diet:-

1. Calorie restricted diet: The diet of the Okinawan people is 20% lesser in calories than an average Japanese consumes. Their food is consistently averaging no more than one calorie per gram, and the average Okinawan has a BMI (Body Mass Index) of 20. Many research studies firmly suggest the human body receives more harmful free-radicals from food than they through the external agents like bacteria, viruses, chemicals, etc. Calorie restriction, therefore, thought to improve health and slow the aging process in some animal models like rodents by limiting their dietary energy intake below the daily average needs.
2. Antioxidant-rich diet: Okinawa diet composes mainly green/orange/yellow (GOY) vegetables, fruits, roots, and tubers. These foods are rich sources of antioxidant vitamins like vitamin-C, vitamin-A, and flavonoid polyphenolic compounds like ß-carotenes, lutein, xanthins, and minerals like calcium, iron, potassium, and zinc.
3. Low in fat and sugar: The Okinawa diet is low in fat, has only 25% of the sugar and 75% of the cereals of the average dietary intake of a Japanese. Limiting fat and sugar in the diet can help prevent coronary heart diseases and stroke risk.
4. Vegetarian and seafood rich: The islander's traditional diet includes a relatively small amount of fish and somewhat more in the form of soy, low-calorie vegetables like bitter melon, and other legumes. Almost no meat, eggs, or dairy products are consumed. Fish provides omega-3 essential fatty acids like alpha-linolenic acid (ALA),eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). Besides being an excellent source of protein, soy (in the form of tofu), contains health benefiting compounds like soluble dietary fiber, tannin antioxidants, and plant sterols. Altogether, these phytonutrients offer protection against heart diseases, stroke, colon, and prostate cancers.

Advocates of Okinawa diet (The Okinawa Diet Plan, a book by Bradley Wilcox, MD, D. Craig Wilcox, Ph.D and Makoto Suzuki, MD), divide food items into four categories based on their caloric density, as follows:

• The "featherweight" foods: Food groups that provide less than or equal to 0.8 calories per gram belong to this category. Citrus fruits like orange, low-calorie vegetables like spinach, cucumber, etc. One can eat many servings per day without any reservations.
• The "lightweight" foods: Food items with a calorific density of 0.8 to 1.5 per gram fall in this category. Certain fruits like banana and vegetables like potato are examples in this category. One should consume these in moderation.
• The "middleweight" foods: Food group having a caloric density from 1.5 to 3.0 calories per gram, such as cereals like wheat, legume products, and lean meat included under this category. It advised that one should eat only while carefully monitoring the portion size.
• The "heavyweight" foods: Food items which provide 3 to 9 calories per gram (300 to 900 calories per 100 g) belong in this category. Many oils and fats, nuts, oil seeds and red meat fall in this category, which one should eat only sparingly.

Cucumber nutrition facts

Ever wonder how to beat the scorching summer heat? Just remember your backyard, humble crunchy cucumber! Nonetheless, this wonderful low-calorie vegetable indeed has more nutrients to offer than just water and electrolytes.

It is one of the oldest cultivated crops and believed to be originating in the northern sub-Himalayan plains of India. The plant is a creeper (vine) akin to other members of Cucurbita family such as gourds, squashes, melons, and zucchini.

Botanically; it belongs to the Cucurbitaceae family, and is known scientifically as Cucumis sativus.

Cucumber is easy to grow. Varieties, varying in size, shape, and color, are cultivated all around the world under different climatic zones. In general, the fruit features dark-green skin, crispy, moisture rich flesh, and small edible seeds concentrated near its core.

Cucumber slice.

 
As in other squash members, cucumbers too are best harvested young, tender and just short of reaching maturity; at the stage when they taste sweet, have a crunchy texture, and almost neutral flavor. If left uninterrupted, the fruit continues to grow, its skin becomes tougher and turns yellow, and seeds become hard and inedible. Fresh cucumbers are available throughout the season and can be eaten raw, in vegetable salads or juicing.

Cucumis melo var. flexuosus-Armenian type.	Dosakayi-Indian curry cucumber. Salad (slicing) cucumber by side for a comparison.

 
Armenian cucumbers (Cucumis melo var. flexuosus) are long, crispy, thin-ribbed, curvy, and possess light green color. Although grouped botanically in the melon family, they appear and taste just like cucumbers.
Miniature varieties such as gherkins, American-dills, and French cornichons are tiny in size and usually preferred in pickling.
Dosakayi is a yellow Indian curry cucumber. It has mild sweet taste and neutral flavor. It is used extensively in the preparation of stews and curries, particularly during the summer season in southern parts of India and Sri Lanka.

Health Benefits of Cucumber

• It is one of the very low-calorie vegetables; provide just 15 calories per 100 g. It contains no saturated fats or cholesterol. Cucumber peel is a good source of dietary fiber that helps reduce constipation and offers some protection against colon cancers by eliminating toxic compounds from the gut.
• It is an excellent source of potassium, an important intracellular electrolyte. 100 g of cucumber provides 147 mg of potassium but only 2 mg of sodium. Potassium is a heart "friendly" electrolyte helps bring a reduction in total blood pressure and heart rates by countering effects of sodium.
• Cucumbers contains unique antioxidants in moderate ratios such as ß-carotene and α -carotene, vitamin-C, vitamin-A, zeaxanthin, and lutein. These compounds help act as protective scavengers against oxygen-derived free radicals and reactive oxygen species (ROS) that play a role in aging and various disease processes. Their total antioxidant strength, measured in terms of oxygen radical absorbance capacity (ORAC value), is 214 µmol TE/100 g.
• Cucumbers have mild diuretic property, which perhaps attributed to their free-water, and potassium and low sodium content. It helps in checking weight gain and high blood pressure.
• They surprisingly have a significant amount of vitamin-K, provides about 17 µg of this vitamin per 100 g. Vitamin-K has been found to have a potential role in bone strength by promoting osteoblastic (bone mass building) activity. It also has an established role in the treatment of Alzheimer's disease patients by limiting neuronal damage in their brain.

Selection and storage

Cucumbers can be sold readily in the local markets all around the season. Fresh varieties, depending upon the cultivar type and region, as well as preserved, pre-processed, and pickled are also made available in the grocery stores.
In the stores, buy fresh ones that feature bright green color, firm and stout in texture. Look for spots, cuts or breaks on its surface. Do not buy overly mature or yellow colored cucumber since they tend to possess tough skin, and mature (hard), inedible seeds. Furthermore, avoid those with wrinkled ends as they indicate of old stock and out of flavor. Go for organically grown products to get rich flavor and nutrient content.
Once at home, they should be washed thoroughly in clean water to rid off any surface dirt and pesticide residues. Their skin comes in a variety of colors and often with tiny spikes that should be rubbed off easily. Do not discard the peel as it has vital minerals, phytochemicals, and fiber.
To store, keep them at room temperature for a day or two, but better stored in the refrigerator set at high relative humidity where they stay fresh for several days.
 
Preparation and serving methods

Wash them thoroughly in cold running water just before use. Scrub gently at places where prickles or dirt attached firmly. Trim both ends using a sharp knife and rub the ends to remove sticky, off-white, fluid like oozing substance in order to lessen bitter taste at either end. Cut into cubes, slices, as you may desire.

Here are some serving tips:

Fresh, cleaned cucumbers may be enjoyed as they are without any additions.

Its cubes/slices are a great addition to vegetable/fruit salads.

Indian yellow curry-cucumber (dosakayi) is used widely in a variety of curry, and stew preparations in South India with added buttermilk and yogurt.

Finely chopped fresh slices mixed with yogurt, cumin, coriander, pepper, and salt to make Indian condiment, cucumber raita.

Cucumber juice is a very good health drink.

Fine slices also added in delicious Spanish cold tomato and cucumber soup, gazpacho.

Gherkins and thick rind of other varieties have been also used in the preparation of pickles.

Safety profile

Often, some cucumbers mat turn bitter akin to bottle gourds due to terpenoid toxic compounds such as cucurbitacin B, D, G, H, etc.
A small slice of cucumber should be tasted before eating the whole fruit to ensure that it is not bitter. If found bitter; the whole fruit should be discarded. In a case of discomfort after consumption (nausea, vomiting, diarrhea or any feeling of uneasiness), the person should be immediately taken to any nearby hospital.

This Mom Grew Multiple $6-Figure Businesses From Home

If you’ve ever thought about working from home or starting a home-based business, you'll want to familiarize yourself with Carrie Wilkerson, also known as the Barefoot Executive. The Barefoot Executive is a website, community and bestselling book that she created to help work at-home professionals.

This Mom Grew Multiple 6-Figure Businesses From Home

The site quickly grew into an empire with tens of thousands of subscribers, leading her to become a sought-after speaker and sales trainer. While she built multiple businesses from home over the past 19 years, she was also raising four children, getting out of six figures of debt and losing more than 100 pounds. Named Internet Marketer of the Year in 2009, Wilkerson has been featured on Forbes.com and Fox Business News and has worked with clients such as Google, John C. Maxwell, Zig Ziglar and more.

Related: Here's How This Freelancer Made the Move to Business Owner

Clearly, she has a lot to teach us about success, so I visited her Texas home recently to ask how she built her powerful brand and how other entrepreneurs can build a successful empire from home.

1. Look for a need in your closest market.
Wilkerson got her entrepreneurial start at a direct sales company, but soon realized she could have a separate business offering a service to her fellow independent consultants. She began by asking those she knew if they could use an email newsletter. Eventually, she was making newsletters for 200 clients -- and that was with consultants from just one direct sales company.

“I started my business like everybody does -- with just who I knew. I sent out an email, I worked with one client for free for two months to get my systems down, my processes done in exchange for her recommendation and her referrals,” Wilkerson explains. “And it literally was like ... you tell two friends, and she tells two friends, and she tells two friends. So we grew by referral very rapidly. At one point, we were growing by 10 to 12 clients a day.”

Consider your current immediate community of fellow moms, marketers, engineers, whatever -- what is a need they have? Wilkerson says you don’t start an empire, you start with who you know and “grow into it.”

2. Truly commit.
Entrepreneurs are not known for patience. Sometimes, in an effort to move fast and wear many hats, they struggle with focus -- and focus is a key component in the stories of the successful people I interview. Wilkerson’s life changed when she committed to going all-in on her new service business for three months.

“[My husband said,] ‘Just give it a good Carrie Try for two to three months before you give up.’ And I think as entrepreneurial-wired people, we sometimes want it to work right now or not at all," she says. "At the end of three months, he was exactly right. We had [approximately] 70 clients on a recurring basis already by then, and we knew we were on to something.”

Most entrepreneurial people are creative, resourceful and efficient -- a force to be reckoned with when focused. Make sure you are truly giving your idea or business your full attention to get it off the ground.

3. Consider a service.
“Service businesses are probably your fastest path to fast cash," Wilkerson says. "Everyone has some kind of skill that they can generate money with.”

Wilkerson added an interesting point here, explaining she wasn’t passionate about creating email newsletters. She was passionate about why she was doing it: getting out of debt and being home for her kids. Unlike the standard “follow your passion” advice, Wilkerson advises that you need passion for why you do what you do as an entrepreneur, but not necessarily the what.

4. Create a strong brand.
Wilkerson started the Barefoot Executive website because she knew there were other aspiring work-from-home executives and entrepreneurs who needed guidance. She also knew that working from home can feel lonely, so she tried to create a community that solopreneurs lacked. Her subscriptions grew quickly, as did her Twitter following.

Related: Party of One: Setting Up Your Single-Person Corporation

Soon, she was receiving speaking and coaching gigs organically, and publisher Thomas Nelson reached out to her about writing her first book. The key was her recognizable, relatable brand. Wilkerson says your brand must be visible, known and serve an audience.

“Really know what your message is, what is your story? Being a good speaker or great writer is not enough," she says. "You have to know what your thing is and you have to be true to your thing.”

5. If you want balance, create boundaries.
For the work-from-home executive or the home-based entrepreneur, boundaries ensure success. First, you must train yourself to stick to policies, such as when you wake up, when you have closed-door time to write or when you have phone-free time to be with family. Second, you must train your family, friends and spouse. Make sure the boundaries you create with your loved ones are truly what’s best for your family. That way, you’ll believe in them enough to stand firm and say no when needed. Lastly, train your clients, vendors and staff. Wilkerson also recommends you use software and create systems to create boundaries that keep you from doing everything yourself, which won’t allow you to scale.

“You have to create what's important for your family -- whatever that family looks like, even if it's just you -- and then you have to be firm enough in that belief, that you can tell other people, 'that doesn't fit in my schedule right now, thank you for thinking of me, I can't do that right now,'” she says.

6. Foster real relationships.
“Real relationships matter, not the numbers of followers. ... People are still blown away when I send a thank you note. What a shame, people shouldn’t be shocked by that,” Wilkerson says. 

She says showing up online and at events, making connections and finding a small, genuine like-minded community have been vital to her success.

7. Don’t compare.
If you’re building a brand online, it’s difficult not to compare it to your colleagues and competitors, especially if you’re building a personal brand as a speaker or coach. Wilkerson doesn’t watch or read other people’s content. Comparison, she explains, only serves two purposes: It will either make you feel badly about how behind you are or inflate your ego because you’re ahead. Neither serve your business.

“My number one piece of advice is to not compare yourself to everyone else," she says. "You can defeat yourself. You can literally freeze yourself in your tracks, either with comparison or envy.”

8. Add massive amounts of value.
How did Wilkerson grow her speaking career to working with clients such as Zig Ziglar and Google? The answer is simple.

“Opportunities are rooted in the value you provide, in the work you’re doing.” she explains. In a social stat world where everyone wants to be an expert, Wilkerson says, “quit trying to be an influencer and try to serve” and everything else will fall into place.