Response to Logan: Okinawans & Soy

[Guest guest]

Thanks very much for that.

If you will could you comment on the use of soy and exactly WHAT it is - what form?

Regards.

----- Original Message -----

From: Dr Suzanne Pruitt

Sent: Wednesday, January 19, 2005 4:30 AM

Subject: Re: [ ] Digest Number 1595--Response to Logan: Okinawans & Soy

I live in Japan and have had experiences with thatculture that shed a different light, for me at least,on some of the extrapolations some have made regardingkeys to longevity in Japan and Okinawa. I appreciatethat Logan questions the comparability of the fooditems--such as the sweet potatoes and yams hecited--as potentially skewing our data and ability tolearn from or borrow habits and methods from othercultures.My observations specifically: (1) Our food here really IS different: sweet potatoesare definitely not those orange things we see inAmerican stores and even the item we Americans wouldcall a 'spud,' 'baking' or 'Irish potato' is somewhatyellow and has a different taste. Our strawberries areincredibly naturally sweet and no one here would addsugar to this delight. I drink a liter or two of green tea a day--usually hotand fresh brewed, but it is also sold everywhere inhot and cold in vending machines. It tastes nothinglike that sold by Lipton in the States in thoseready-made teabags labeled "green tea." All teashere--oolong, green or other types, whether iced orhot and sold in cans or bottles--are alwaysunsweetened. There are many varieties andconcentrations of green tea for different occasionsand seasons. And, we use green tea medicinally--forexample, as a gargle when we are ill or have a sorethroat. (2) Beyond the food difference itself, however, is thevariety that is served at every meal and the fact thata traditional Japanese breakfast meal would look verymuch like a lunch or dinner. (Only those who areAmericanized would eat cereal or toast or ham and eggstype breakfasts. My best friend likes to start his daywith some salad with only a hint of dressing!). Atypical meal at home or at a restaurant includesdishes to represent the seven (?) tastes: sweet, sour,salt, etc., (as in Indian dishes) as well as a varietyof 'mouth feels' such as crunchy, smooth, sticky, etc.It would include at least 3-4 vegetables (more if youcount the many pickled veges that are offered)and avariety of fish, meat and eggs, which are cooked by avariety of methods. Usually there is a miso soup(miso= soy based) and a bowl of short grain rice.Neither bread nor cheese is served at a meal. Thebeverage is some type of tea. Usually there is nodesert but if there is, it might be ice cream with aground topping made of roasted soybeans, or a desertmade of sweet red beans. Yes, there are also "ten-don"shops that serve primarily tempura meat, fish andveges (along with rice or noodles or both) and thereare Chinese-style 'noodle shops' as well as Japanesesoba shops (buckwheat noodles). Although tempura canbe meat-laden meals, the noodle shops use meat more asan appetizing condiment. We do have western type French restaurants or Italianrestaurants that are popular here. We also have TGIFridays and Outback Steakhouses. But these are not'everyday' fare. (3) I think we in the US tend to forget that theOkinawans and the Japanese are NOT built like westernracial/ethnic groups. There is some research showingthat Asians tend to have lighter bones and this shouldbe a consideration when calculating BMI and otherindices of health. Also, structurally, the Japanesehave long torso and proportionally shorter legs. I seeno direct association with this an longevity exceptthat it points out that try as I may, I will neverhave that body type! A popular exhibit here in Tokyois "the mystery of the human body" --an exhibit ofChinese people preserved as medical specimens toeducate the public about anatomy. These individualsunmistakeably show the long torso and shorter legs. See:http://www.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/getarticle.pl5?nn20040105a3.htm.(4) I have the pleasure of knowing several Japanesefamilies intimately. I have gone on vacations withJapanese friends, sharing rooms and meals. I haveeaten frequently at homes as well as at restaurantsand inns. The trend for many small dishes (variety)seems a constant no matter the setting. Anotherconstant seems to be the "quick emptying" or fasttransit of food for most Japanese. ly, mosteveryone has at least one restroom break during orjust after the meal. I hate to be indelicate, but weseem to have missed this important bit of difference.At first I thought maybe it was an artifact ofsmoking-- (nicotine as a stimulant) however, few of myfriends smoke! I eat the very same food and it doesNOT happen to me or my other American friends! Ibelieve I am just as active as most Japanesehere--running up and down hundreds of steps at thetrain station and bicycling to market on a dailybasis. I suppose that how long we "store" our food says allotabout how much 'nutrition' we get from our foods. AnOkinawan friend of mine looks anorexic but eats tonsof food. However, she is always in the restroomquickly after! Another friend is 6' and weighs 115,yielding a 'minus' on body fat composition at eachannual physical. He will usually visit the restroomtwice before leaving a restaurant! It isn't only'light bones' going on here.(3) A third observation that I've had after five yearsof eating a predominantly Japanese diet is that someJapanese seem to be "blessed" with a westernmetabolism. There are a few unfortunate Japanese whoare obese, despite eating the traditional Japanesefoods. It would be interesting to interview theseindividuals and I wonder about their racial/ethnicmake-up. Then we also have Sumo wrestlers . . . How onearth do they attain that size coming from this'stock'--or are the selected for their potential forthat size . . . Thank you for listening. I apologize for the length ofthis post--hope someone can relate to or dispute someof this.Suzanne