“In Japan people live longer, not only because of genetics, but also because of healthy habits and antioxidant foods, fermented ingredients and other superfoods that they have been practicing and consuming for decades,” says one of the world’s leading experts on longevity, Dr Vicente Mera. The doctor has traveled several times to Japan to analyse some of these practices. One of the blue zones of the planet with the highest life expectancy, the island of Okinawa, is also in Japan and in his many interviews, he talks about their practices. It’s something that is also very present in the famous SHA longevity clinic, where he is head of the department of internal medicine and healthy ageing. There, during a nutrition consultation, he recommended 5 superfoods very present in the Japanese diet that I should include to my rotation because they are tremendously antioxidant (my cellular age needs it, apparently) and help to improve gut health and microbiota balance (with all the emotional benefits that come with having a balanced microbiota).
Fermented cabbage (or sauerkraut)
Fermented foods are a staple in the Japanese diet (especially pickles, which are vegetables marinated in vinegar) and are usually included as an accompaniment to their meals. Known in Europe as sauerkraut, pickled cabbage is one of these Japanese probiotic foods. The best way to include it in your diet? A small portion as a starter at lunch or dinner. It has digestive health benefits, is satiating, low in calories and high in vitamin C, so it is also an antioxidant. It can be purchased packaged (always make sure that the only ingredients are cabbage and sea salt) or fermented at home (by cutting white cabbage or regular cabbage and leaving it to ferment in salt for a couple of days).
Kuzu
This Japanese flour, extracted from the root of the kudzu plant, is a natural thickener that is widely used in Japanese cuisine. It has many properties: “Kuzu was formerly used mainly for the treatment of cardiovascular diseases and for the comfort of the digestive system,” Elisa Garcia, a nutritionist, told Vogue previously. It also helps regulate blood sugar and acts as an antioxidant. It can be used in multiple ways: to prepare infusions, soups or sauces.
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