Hara Hachi Bu: The Okinawan’s Secret to Longevity

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Hara Hachi Bu: The Okinawan’s Secret to Longevity


Experts
Attribute Longevity to the Traditional Okinawan Diet


elderly japanese woman


Pamela Oliveras/Moment/Getty Images


Updated September 19, 2016


Hara hachi bu
(also commonly referred to as hara hachi bun me)
is a Confucian teaching that advises people to eat only until they
are approximately 80 percent full. It is a cultural practice that
can still be found today among communities of Okinawans who live on
the island of the southernmost prefecture (formerly province) of
Japan. The people of Okinawa first became of interest in Western
medical science due to their remarkable number of centenarians,
which is reportedly the highest in the world proportionate to the
population.


Hara hachi bu is one of many dietary and lifestyle
customs that medical professionals attribute to the Okinawans’
famously long and healthy lives.


The
Practice of Hara Hachi Bu



The
Japanese phrase, here Hachi burn me,
roughly translates into English as “belly 80 percent full”
or “eat until you are 8 parts full,” referencing the
fraction eight out of ten. In essence, the practice of hara hachi bu
is an inexact method of calorie
restriction.
While higher caloric intake and overeating is common in many Western
cultures, the Okinawans have a custom of self-imposed calorie
restriction following the practice of hara hachi bu. In
fact, Okinawans are known to regularly consume approximately 1,800
to 1,900 calories a day, which is a few hundred calories less than
what is prescribed for the average healthy American. This lower
calorie intake not only leads to their consistently (and sometimes
significantly) lower Body
Mass Index (BMI)
scores, but it is likely a major contributor to their remarkable
health and long life spans.

Hara
Hachi Bu and the Okinawan Diet


In
the last several decades, Okinawans and their unique lifestyle has
become of greater interest in the West. Unlike other long-living
communities, like theAbkhasians who
have claimed remarkable lifespans, the ages of Okinawans can be
verified as the family registry system known as Koseki has been in
place for all citizens in Japan for over 130 years.

It
is believed that the Okinawans
live longer and
healthier lives than any other people on earth.


When
it comes to their remarkable longevity,
what and how the Okinawans eat is just as important as the number of
calories. Though studies have confirmed the Okinawans’ reduced
caloric intake, the Okinawans are not your classic calorie-counters.
By following the principles of the hara hachi bu teaching,
Okinawans eat smaller portions and eat more slowly than their
overeating counterparts. Being in tune with their bodies also allows
them to know when to stop while most other cultures do not even
allow time for the satiety or “I’m full” signal to get
from the stomach to the brain (which can take up to 20 minutes)
before they continue eating.


Okinawans are also known for what they eat. Their diet is high
in fresh fruits and vegetables and also includes a healthy amount of
whole grains, legumes, and fish. Their traditional diet is naturally
high in essential nutrients and essentially free from processed
foods.

It is believed that as a result, Okinawans have practically avoided
the chronic diseases commonly associated with aging like
Alzheimer’s, cancer, and cardiovascular disease.

Source
Willcox,
Bradley J., D. Craig. Willcox, and Makoto Suzuki. The
Okinawa Program: How the World’s Longest-lived People Achieve
Everlasting Health–and How You Can Too.
New York: Clarkson Potter, 2001.


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