The Observer: Studies of humans “who live over 100 years old” have found that many of them share an unusual version of the gene known as Forehead box O3 (FOXO3) protein.
There are ways in which this gene can be activated through diet, by eating certain foods, which is one of the functions fulfilled by the Okinawan diet, said Dr. Bradley Wilcox, principal investigator of the Kuakini Hawaii Lifespan Study funded by the National Institute on Aging.
The Okinawa diet is low in calories and fat, rich in carbohydrates, and places great emphasis on vegetables and soy products, while sweet potatoes are used as the main source of calories, according to the Express.
The main foods in the traditional Okinawan diet are as follows:
Vegetables (58-50%): Sweet potatoes (orange and purple), seaweed, bamboo shoots, daikon radish, bitter melon, cabbage, carrots, okra, pumpkin and green papaya.
Cereals (33%): wheat, rice and pasta.
Soy foods (5 percent): tofu, natto, and edamame.
– Others (one percent): tea and spices.
Two other antioxidant-rich ingredients that are heavily consumed in this diet are jasmine tea and turmeric.