The traditional diet of the islanders contained
sweet potato, green-leafy or root vegetables, and
soy foods, such as
miso soup,
tofu or other soy preparations, occasionally served with small amounts of fish, noodles, or lean meats, all cooked with herbs, spices, and oil. Although the traditional Japanese diet usually includes large quantities of rice, the traditional Okinawa diet consisted of smaller quantities of rice; instead the staple was sweet potato. Another low-calorie staple in Okinawa was seaweed, such as
wakame. Seaweed and tofu in one form or other were eaten on a daily basis. Okinawans ate three grams total of meat – including pork and poultry – per day, substantially less than the 11-gram average of Japanese as a whole in 1950.
Okinawan health In addition to their relative longevity identified in the mid-20th century, islanders were noted for their low mortality from
cardiovascular disease and certain types of cancers. One study compared age-adjusted mortality of Okinawans versus Americans and found that, during 1995, an average Okinawan was 8 times less likely to die from
coronary artery disease, 7 times less likely to die from
prostate cancer, 6.5 times less likely to die from breast cancer, and 2.5 times less likely to die from
colon cancer than an average American of the same age, == Research ==