Not all Asians actually but studies show that the Japanese live the longest and has the highest life expectancy rate. Japanese men have an average life span of 78 years while women reach 85 years old. For the last 20 years, Japanese women have the world’s highest life expectancy rate.

What makes Asians, specifically the Japanese, live longer? Is there a secret to their longevity? Is it something that might be even better than the Fountain of Youth? Experts say that it is not much of a secret but there are notable differences with how diet and health are taken care of in Japan. Based from studies, the possible reason and factor may boil down to the following reason: very low cholesterol in their blood.

And with today, that seem to be next to impossible because all food usually add up to the cholesterol count of the body. So the secret could be the special nutrition structure prevalent in Japan and because of its uniqueness, the exact Japanese diet is really almost unknown and is confined just within Japan. It appears that they want it to remain just within their country which is a great pity.

Theories show though that one of the secrets of the Japanese diet may be with their choice of food. The usual daily Japanese food choices are: half-raw fish, rice, tofu, seaweeds and miso. Miso is a paste from fermented soybeans used as seasoning in soups. Shitake mushrooms, prawns and soba noodles are also some of the basic ingredients being used in Japanese cooking.

If you would notice, these examples really have very low cholesterol content and is almost free from saturated fats. Saturated fats are the bad fats usually found on red meat, dairy produce and butter. The Japanese diet is rich in sea food which in return is also rich in the good polyunsaturated fats. These contain high amounts of iodine as well as minerals and microelements which are both healthy and also impart to Japanese food its matchless flavor. Japanese has a greater total consumption of proteins and oils compared to other countries.

There’s nothing wrong with trying the Japanese diet. Don’t let the taste and the look intimidate you. You could also try to include just a few Japanese staples gradually so you can get use to the look at taste first and go from there. Whatever the Japanese has, it appears to be working because they really are the epitome of silent warriors with a very long battle cry.