98, 99, 100!

Tired of the Mediterranean diet? Can't eat right for your type? If you want to stay fit and healthy into your golden years, look out for the latest lifestyle plan, due to hit the UK on July 26 with the publication of The Okinawa Way. The book is a result of 25 years of research and seeks to explain why the Japanese island of Okinawa has produced a greater proportion of 100 year olds than any other land mass on the planet.

On average, Okinawans live 5 years longer than westerners and spend 97% of their lives free from illness.

Compared to westerners, Okinawans are 80% less likely to develop heart disease, 25% less likely to develop breast or prostate cancer and 50% less at risk from colon cancer.

Okinawans' longevity is attributed to a mixture of lifestyle and dietary factors which fly in the face of some of the more recent dietary fads:- for the average Okinawan, two thirds of their calorie intake comes from carbohydrate.

The Okinawa Way is published at the end of July, but if you can't wait, here's a quick preview:
- Drink six glasses of water a day
- Cut out alcohol
- Eat slowly and stop before you're full
- Exercise regularly - Tai Chi, Karate, dancing and gardening
- Meditate - learn to switch off
- Surround yourself with friends and family
- Religion - find something you believe in

Celebrate your age - Okinawans are not considered adults until they reach 55

Saturday, 30 June 2001