Okinawa Pop up event Sussex
Last week, we juxtaposed the Englishness of our beautifully neat and quintessential Sussex village with the Eastern flavours of Okinawa.
Okinawa is the largest of the Ryukyu Islands located off the coast of Japan between the East China and Philippine Seas. Reports dating back only several years ago indicate that Okinawans have an average lifespan of about 110 years. The greatest levels globally.
So why? In our mission to bring some longevity know how to Sussex it was vital that we cover way more than discussing sweet potatoes. Significant factors which contribute to these record figures include absolute fundamentals to mental health. Establishing a culture in which we eat together in order to fend off feeling of loneliness and isolation must be given equal importance as the acknowledgment of fibre and anti-oxidants. The levels of heart disease and cancer are dramatically lower in this Eastern region of the world than America for example (80% lower from some reports) and yes, of course we can give the colourful collaboration of turmeric, sweet potatoes and green papaya a big high five for the part they play. However, it is the down regulation of stress that comes from living in close knit communities which is also of significant importance.
We are lucky enough to be living here in Sussex in such a close-knit community, and if you are too, then let us take every opportunity to celebrate this by supporting local cafes, pop up ventures, local bars and community events.
Below are some of the Okinawan concepts and eating rituals which we talked through before
devouring three courses of plant-based, delicious food.
· The Okinawa diet benefits may be attributed to the rich supply of whole, nutrient-dense, high-antioxidant foods, especially the sweet potato (vitamin A, fibre, low GI). There are so many ways to incorporate sweet potato into your diet. I’ve included a recipe below
· A daily serving of tofu helps in maintaining cardiovascular health plus a wealth of other health benefits,
including a lower risk of cancer, osteoporosis, and kidney disease, as well as lower cholesterol levels
· This wonderful ritual of eating only until eight parts full has been implicated in the low incidence of obesity and Type 2 Diabetes- ‘Hara Hachi Bu’. Always leave the table feeling satisfied rather than stuffed. We are lucky, food is abundant so there is no need to over eat.
· A strong dedication to friends and family
· A powerful social network called a “moai”
· A strong sense of purpose in life, a driving force that the Japanese call “ikigai”
· Active late into life
· Surrounding yourself with healthy people
Japanese ‘Cotton’ Cheesecake
It is never too late to start. Which of the points above resonates? Work on this. Create your own longevity project. Our pop up events do travel so get in touch if you are Sussex based and would like to host your own pop up. We can cover Okinawa, Sardinia or Ikaria (Greece). Drop me an email to understand how this would work for you. bellenutrition@gmail.com
Sweet Potato Seedy Rolls
The sweet potato is well known for its health-giving properties, especially the immune boosting vitamin A and its richness of fibre. This earthy root vegetable made up 70% of carbohydrates eaten in Okinawa (a collection of islands off mainland Japan) in the 1950’s and now takes some credit for the fact that this region boasts the greatest amounts of centenarians globally.
This recipe is one which we are using in our Longevity Kitchen pop up restaurant evenings in West Sussex. It is a great illustration of how we can fuse Eastern ingredients with a Western eating style. These rolls work perfectly with chunky stews or soups.
Makes: 8
Ingredients
• 200g strong white bread flour
• 75g strong wholemeal flour
• 7g sachet fast action/ easy bake yeast
• 5g fine salt
• 100g sweet potato, finely grated
• 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 75g pumpkin seeds, plus extra for
topping
• 50g feta cheese, crumbled
• 1 large egg, beaten
Method
1. Put the flours, yeast, salt, grated sweet potato, vinegar and 130g warm water in bowl.
Mix for a few minutes to combine. Cover and leave for 30 minutes to allow the
wholemeal flour to start breaking down. Add the pumpkin seeds and feta; knead
until the dough is smooth and elastic (about 5 minutes in a mixer on medium
speed or 10 minutes by hand). Put the dough in an oiled mixing bowl. Cover with
cling film or a tea towel; allow to rise until doubled in size (1 hour-1 hour
30 minutes at room temperature).
2. When the dough has risen, divide into 8 equal portions (I weigh the dough then divide it
by 8 to work out much each should be). Rub your hands with flour, shape 8 neat
balls. Line a baking tray with baking parchment then arrange the dough balls on
it, smooth side up, leaving 4cm between each. Cover loosely with a clean tea
towel and allow to rise until doubled in size. This takes about 1 hour at room temperature.
3. Preheat the oven to 220˚C, gas mark 7. When the rolls have expanded, glaze with the
beaten egg and sprinkle with pumpkin seeds. Bake for 15 minutes, until they
have risen and turned a lovely golden brown. Warning - before consumption, however
tempting, allow to cool.