The Healthiest Diet

(Photo credit)

I like reading about healthy eating and I’ve written several articles on the topic, such as this and this, about vegetarian vs meat eating diet.

Now, if you are interested in eating healthy, you know how confusing the discussions are.

Some people maintain 100% raw vegan diet is the way to go because cooking destroys the precious nutrients. They also imply humans are the only animals who cook, so cooking is unnatural. But then, if we are talking about the original way of human diet, it’s hard to believe they were vegetarian — they certainly ate animals. (Chimpanzees eat small animals like lizards and eggs. Even gorillas, generally considered vegan, actually eat insects along with veggies.)

Some insist killing animals is plane cruel and wrong, and eating animals affects our spiritual health. Then others hit back pointing out the hypocritical nature of vegans.

I am in no position to judge, but I’d like to share what I think. Maybe you can find your takeaway from my thoughts and experiences.

The reality check

In search of the healthiest diet, I set aside my reading on nutritional theories and turned to what has worked in reality.

• Find people who have been in good health for a very long time (not just recovering from disease, not just healthy and beautiful in their youthful years).
• Find out what they have been eating.

The Okinawa centenarians

There are several areas in the world that boast longevity. One is the southern islands of Japan, Okinawa. While some areas of the world still don’t keep reliable third-party data of birth, Japan has been quite meticulous about it since the late 19th century, so I trust the Okinawa records. (You know, just because some old folks say they are 120 years old doesn’t mean they really are . . .)

So how have the Okinawa elders been eating? (Notice my wording — I am not interested in how the Okinawans eat these days. How long an Okinawa man or woman in their teens, 20s, 30… even 50s will live is mystery. They have adopted the westernized diet. I am interested in how the current age 100 or over population in Okinawa have been eating.)

There is an excellent book on the topic called “The Okinawa Program : How the World’s Longest-Lived People Achieve Everlasting Health–And How You Can Too”. The authors did extensive interviews and research. And also, I have had several friends from that area who told me their stories.

The Okinawa centenarians are typically not vegans nor vegetarians. They eat fish and even some pork — but not very often. A bit of background info: The Okinawa islands are far off from the mainland Japan and there aren’t much land for farming… especially not for big-scale farming. People are poor (very few industries that bring cash — who wants to build a manufacturing plant on a far off island?)

So they try to survive on foods they can get on their own, not from stores. They grow their own vegetables and they forage. (They are in semi tropical area, so vegetation is good.) They fish, and younger men dive to catch fish. They raise pigs with food scraps. (Pigs don’t require large pasture like cows.)

They eat brown rice (refinement is waste) and lots of Japanese sweet potatoes. (They are right in the course of typhoons, so crops that grow on the ground, like rice, is always at the risk of getting hit before harvest. In the old days, sweet potato was the main stay of their diet.)

Tofu is a critical protein source. My friend told me her mother made tofu at home with the homegrown soys and natural nigari from the ocean. (Nigari is sea water minus water and sodium chloride. In other words, it’s a byproduct of sea salt production.)

Sweet potatoes, brown rice, wild greens, vegetables, sea vegetables, tofu and occasional fish and pork. Local and, even though the regulation of organic produce was not set back then, practically all produce was organic. Mostly plant-based, but not exclusive of animal products. Minimal refinement.

And remember the whole lot of manual labors involved to get and prepare the foods. Many Okinawa elders remain active, working in the field.

My thoughts on eating animals

The Okinawans don’t see killing their pigs as sinful. They raise their own pigs, take good care of them daily, and when the time comes, they gather, offer a prayer, and slaughter it. Then they divide the meat among friends and family. They eat “everything but the hoof” so that no part would be wasted. That is how they show their respect for the animal that made the ultimate sacrifice to sustain their lives.

I don’t have the guts to do the bloody work to put down an animal, but I understand their sentiment. I think many vegans are a bit discriminative, as if they can stay in their clean holy land if they don’t consume animals.

The truth is life circulates in this world. On the physical level, nutrients circulates. Even if you only eat vegetables, those vegetables need nitrogen, which is typically fed with animal products like chicken manure. (And you don’t think those chickens are kept solely for the poop, right? They are kept for eggs or meat.)

Accepting this truth and showing respect to ALL lives, plants and animals, is very spiritual.

By the way, this may sound bizarre to you, but when I die, I’d like my cremation to be scattered on the Pacific Ocean. In my life, I’ve eaten quite a lot of fish, and it comforts me to think that my little remains feed the fish, thus completing the circle of nutrition.

And yet I stay away from meat…

Having said this, I’d like to stay away from eating meat. Because whenever I try eating meat, even organically raised chicken, I feel the pain and discomfort of the dead animal. I feel so sensitive.

It’s not about moral. It’s about my personal energetic comfort.

I do eat some eggs. I guess I am still experimenting on the quantity and quality of protein that best feeds me. So far, I just don’t feel stable when I go too long on vegan diet.

My thoughts on raw food diet

Even though some nutrients are destroyed with the heat, I think eating some cooked foods is good for me. For one, it balances the yin and yang. If I were living like the original humans, in the sunny African continent and spending the majority of my time hunting or foraging (physical activities), then supplementing yang with cooking heat may be unnecessary. But I don’t live like that. Cooking may be one way humans have adopted to live in the northern climate.

Being attached to 100% raw also has something to do with another aspect of food discrimination. This podcast by long-time raw food advocate Dhrumil is very indicative of this. (The linked podcast is long, but it’s worth it.)

And as they wisely point out, not all “cooked” foods are created equal. I believe the Okinawans cook very simply. (They don’t waste fuel.)

In addition, I found out that many raw food enthusiasts were eating very badly before, like a donut and coffee for breakfast, hamburger and fries for lunch, and pizza for dinner. So when they turn to raw foods and their health improves, is it the power of raw? Or is it the power of taking more fresh vegetables and less toxins such as refined carbs, sugar, and overheated fat (not to mentioned the various additives and synthetic flavorings)?

Further, another point Dhrumil makes, just because someone says they eat 100% raw doesn’t mean they do. Especially online. And those who do don’t tell the whole story — how much struggle they go through with that way of eating. Here is a rare piece that explains it. Matt Monarch’s book, “Raw Spirit” also tells his interesting story of food cravings after he turned raw.

Raw food is great. I think Okinawans have been eating a lot of raw greens. But I don’t think I need to be 100% raw. I like my germinated and cooked lentils, brown rice, and quinoa.

Diet is only part of the deal

To conclude, I want to emphasize diet is only part of the deal for health and longevity. Other factors include:

• Physical activities
• Environment
• Stress level and its management
• Rest, especially the quality and quantity of sleep
• Sexuality
• Family and social life
• Sense of worth and meaning
• Spirituality

The healthiest diet is also personal. Because you are a unique combination of these (and more) factors. So when you read about healthy eating, experiment, listen to your body, and take what works for YOU.

More on Okinawa…

Because they live in the tiny islands, Okinawans have tight connection with their extended family and neighbors. The elders are far from forgotten — many middle age population seek employment in the mainlands, leaving their kids to the care of their parents. Okinawa elders work hard at home and in the field. I am sure they are proud to be such a reliable part of the society.

They produce their own entertainment. Many are excellent musicians, playing sanshin (three string instrument). They knew how essential joy is in life — even when their houses were burnt down in WWII, they ran away carrying their sanshins.

I think Okinawans exhibit the case where so-called negativity like poverty and small, closed society can work positively. Although I have no intention to relocate there (a weakling like myself won’t do there . . . I cannot even tolerate much heat), I have a lot of respect for them.

What do you think about healthy diet? How have you been eating? Please share in the comment. Thank you.

Bonus:
Here is a YouTube video clip of Okinawan traditional music (with modern arrangement). You can see the old man playing the sanshin.

Another Okinawan music, this is modern. Enjoy their unique scale of do, mi, fa, so, ti (no re, no la)

Local Food For Your Health And World Peace

Toward the end of my post Yin Yang For Balanced Health, I mentioned the benefits of eating local foods. You are one with your environment. Asians (and perhaps other indigenous people) knew this for centuries, and I am glad some Americans are taking notice, too.  (Photo credit)

The produce that grows well in your climate is good for you. This is beyond the current nutritional science. Part of the reason is the yin yang balance, and I am sure there are more reasons we don’t know yet.

But it gets better. Local food is not only good for your health but good for the health of Mother Earth by reducing carbon footprints. Further, it can even help world peace.

I seldom talk about politics, but in this article, I am going there. But first, let me explain with a story. . .

The story of three villages

In the beginning, all villages were growing their own sustenance. Produce from faraway lands were considered occasional treats. Life was slow and stable.

Then, Village A, which had the largest land expanse, decided to increase its productivity by modernizing its agriculture. They started to use large machinery, rich chemical fertilizer, insecticides, pesticides, herbicides, and they developed more business-efficient seeds with hybrid and genetic engineering.

Before, most villagers were farmers, but now Village A didn’t need so many farmers. So many Village A people became factory workers, engineers, and business people. There were tons of foods and people got fat and . . . greedy.

Even with overeating, Village A couldn’t consume all the foods it was producing. (Now do you see things are getting rather ridiculous? Why do they produce more foods than they need? But read on. . .)

Village A approached other villages and said, “Hey, you don’t need to produce your own foods. You don’t have to do that hard labor. We will sell you all the foods you need and that will cost you less.”

Village B bought this idea. They were good at technical thinking, so they decided to manufacture the parts Village A needed to make their large machinery. This way, Village B could earn the money to buy foods from Village A. Part of Village B was also very scenic, so they made nice resort where Village A people could come and have fun.

Village B thought this was a smart move in the globalized economy.

Village C, on the other hand, refused Village A’s offer. They decided to keep their way of living.

For a while, things looked really good for Village B. They became as rich as Village A. Village A and B were close friends.

How they lost their lives

But one day, Village A and B had an argument. Like, everyone does from time to time.

Village B didn’t like what Village A was doing and said they don’t want to join Village A’s new movement.

Village A said, “Fine. I don’t care. I just stop selling the foods to you.”

“What?” Village B people thought. “Then what do we eat?”

Village B had turned all their farmland to manufacturing sites and resorts. They were not making foods locally any more. To turn the manufacturing sites back to farmland would take years. People would starve in the meantime.

And so Village B had to die. Either physically by starvation or spiritually by selling off their freedom.

What happened to Village C? Village C didn’t like Village A’s new movement, either, so they, too, said no. The difference was Village C could feed itself. It wasn’t the fancy foods, but Village C was independent and had freedom.

Local food as the foundation of world peace

Happiness is the prereq of true peace. Happy people don’t fight. And independence and freedom are the critical components of true happiness. Peace without freedom is not real peace but forced silence.

To actualize world peace, we want to be more self dependent on the local level. We want to reduce our need to rely on others for our basic sustenance and also our need to control and manipulate others.

I think this new local food movement is good for Village A, too. Do you want other people to be honest and truly friendly with you or do you want them to be obedient because they are afraid of your controlling power?

Sometimes, people attack back with desperation when they are too controlled. Some people in Village B may even suicide attack Village A . . So, because peace is good for everyone, this new local food movement can help Village A, too.

Local food is about independence and freedom

So what is Village A? Well. . . it could be the big agribusiness or the country with that kind of business. (The fact that the world’s biggest Village A country’s name actually starts with A is only a coincidence.)

Big agribusiness controls food supply and steals people’s independence and freedom. Because we are dependent on foods and therefore on those who provide foods. It’s the same logic that financially-dependent people are not truly free.

I’ve been living in the Northwest for the last two and a half years, and I think people here intuitively know this. They are super big on local foods. They try not to rely on the supply system on the east of the Rockies.

The ultimate local foods

So, wherever you may be on Mother Earth, choose local foods when you shop. You can find your area’s info at Local Harvest.

And grow your own foods even on a small scale. Homegrown is the ultimate local foods.

You don’t even need a sunny garden to grow your foods. If you are totally out of space, grow some sprouts. Seeds don’t need the sunlight to sprout (in fact, they are best kept in the dark). And despite the thin tiny look, they are big on nutrition. They are full of the energy of the seeds coming to life.

If you have a bit of sunny spots, you can grow microgreens and other greens in containers. Greens are the easiest to grow even in partial sun. You can do this even in winter as long as you get some sun and if you choose cold-tolerant seeds such as kale and endive.

Of course, if you have more space, you can grow various fruits and vegetables. There are many good books, blogs, and your local garden center can educate you, too.

In many urban areas, there are also small gardens you can rent. Some people are even negotiating the cities to let them “green” unused city blocks, which help the area clean and clear of crimes, trash, etc. So gardening has various benefits!

I love growing foods

During the last winter, I did poorly not because of coldness but because of the too many rainy days (and therefore lack of sun) here. This fall to winter, I might buy a grow light. That would help me grow some microgreens indoors.

This summer, I am growing a cherry tomato, vitamin-greens (a speciality green), purslanes, shiso (Japanese herb — like basil), salad burnet, and spearmint. And some garlics in the tomato container — they grow fast and repel some unwanted bugs. I also sprout lentils, broccoli, buckwheat, and sunflower. (The sunflowers will be more like shoots.)

And I can tell you, the few minutes I spend each day caring for these plants are so nurturing to myself. My plants teach me so much about life and love.

Are you growing any foods? What do you think about local foods, food politics, and freedom?

(Here are my sprouts, buckwheat and broccoli, getting the final touch of light to green up.)

Yin Yang For Balanced Health

I studied traditional Chinese medicine and do-in (ancient form of qi gong) a little when I was back in Japan. The whole idea is based on their philosophy of yin yang and the five elements of wood, fire, earth, metal, and water.

The yin yang is still a foreign idea for many Americans. I think the idea can help develop our understanding of non-polarity, so in this article, I will explain it in a way that relates to everyone — foods. (Photo credit)

Yin yang basics

Yin is the energy that loosens up, the energy of the moon and female, that is soft, moist, and cooling. Yang is the energy that tightens up, the energy of the sun and male, that is hard, dry, and warming.

Yang is the potential of things and it moves around seeking manifestation (yin). Yin attracts and pulls in the yang energy, manifesting the potential. Men may have the seeds, but it’s the women who conceive and give birth to new lives

Yin Yang and health

Men inherently have more yang energy than women. Women, with more inherent yin energy, tend to get stuck in yin, which may manifest as overweight problem, coldness (especially in lower abdomen and feet) and depression. Men, on the other hand, tend to “burn up”, which may manifest as boldness, hyper tension, and difficulty in anger management.

We tend to lose life energy as we age, especially yang energy. So men start to have more yin related issues around their 40s, while women get stuck even deeper in their yin issues.

Of course, there are individual variations. Some men are heavy on yang. Think of the red faced mascot outside the bar. With that much of yang, he craves to be cooled down with beer. But some men are more balanced. Similarly, some women are very yin. They have so much manifestation energy they hardly “do” anything. (Kind of a modern “witch”, I guess.)

The yin yang in a person changes depending on the seasons, their life situations, and . . . their foods.

(Also, there seems to be differences between the races, too. This is not something ancient Chinese figured out — they never met white nor black people. But I really think Asians tend to be more yin. Black people are very yang. The question is white people — thinking of their fair coloring, you would think they are yin, but I find many white people to be quite yang.)

Yin yang is not the opposite

At first glance, yin yang appears to be yet another pair of polarities. But it is best understood to be two directions on one spectrum. There are very few 100% yin nor 100% yang. The ancient Chinese sage says, “The full moon is the beginning of the waning of the moon, and the new moon has the potential of waxing to be the full moon. Likewise, there is yang in yin and yin in yang.” The tai chi symbol visually shows this concept.

My friend Lisa, the Mommy Mystic, wrote an excellent article that there are no opposites. Everything is on the spectrum and is various aspect of one unity.

Yin Yang food

So when we apply the yin yang philosophy to healthy eating, we want to seek balance of the yin yang. Not that any food on the spectrum is bad. We want to assess our own yin yang status and choose foods that balance us.

There are yin yang food list on the internet, but I think it’s better to understand the principles so that you can apply them to any foods, that may not be on the list.

More Yin
Produce that comes from the tropical and sub-tropical regions are yin. This includes bananas, mangos, papayas, pineapples, coconuts and avocados. Also sugar (sugar cane), chocolate (cacao) and coffee.

Produce that grows in the summer sun are yin. This includes many “fruit” vegetables such as tomatoes, melons, cucumbers, eggplants.

Icy cold foods are high yin.

More yang
Most animal foods are yang, especially red meat. Exceptions are shell fish such as crabs and shrimps.

Produce that grows in the ground are yang. This includes root vegetables such as carrots, beets, turnips, radishes, parsnips, potatoes, and sweet potatoes.

Cooking heat increases yang. So does sun drying.

Spices increases yang. Spicy produce such as ginger roots, onions, and peppers are very yang.

Salt decreases yin by pulling out the foods’ water. (Himalayan salt, the ancient sea salt that has been “heated” by the earth is very yang.)

Also, lighter color fools are more yin. For example, white daikon radish is more yin even though they grow in the ground. Poultry is more yin than red meat, making them neutral. Milk is white but when they are cultured to be yellowish cheese (naturally, of course), they become more yang. Tofu is very yin. Tempe is more yang.

Greens are neutral (slightly yin). Most grains are neutral.

Raw food diet problems and yin yang

I started to eat high raw vegetarian early last year. I did fine in spring and summer, when the yang energy was abundant in the atmosphere. Things got difficult in fall, however. I felt unstable. On some days, I just felt weak. With the many rainy days in the Northwest, I felt depressed.

Too much yin!

I think this is the major issue with raw food diet. It tends to be very yin. It works wonders to people who are high yang, but not to everyone all the time, I guess.

So this year, I am decreasing my raw rate, eating more cooked grains, beans, and root vegetables.

More about how I am applying yin yang to my healthy eating

Also, I am incorporating more local produce. I choose berries, apples, and pears over tropical fruits. (It doesn’t mean I will never eat a banana. It’s about balance.)

I am also considering to get dark maple syrup as the primary sweetener. It’s definitely more yang than sugar and agave (another tropical plants). Or maybe inulin from chicory root works as a sweetener. (Note: Inulin is a highly refined product, so you wouldn’t want to take too much amount of it.)

When the summer sun comes out, I might dry some vegs on the deck. This might make wonderful preserved foods for the winter.

And, it’s not about eating, but I am very mindful to get out to have some sunshine. The sun is the ultimate yang. (For those of you suffering with too much yang, you might want to cool down by semi burying yourself in the cool soil, or at least sitting or lying on the ground. The Mother Earth is yin.)

Does this yin yang info help you? Do you have any questions?

Next Page »