It contains 150% more active antioxidants than blueberries.
To live longer and in better health, it is essential to adopt a balanced and varied diet, rich in raw, local and seasonal products. The Japanese have understood this well because their life expectancy is one of the best in the world (87 years for women and 81 years for men). The country also has for the 54th consecutive year the highest number of centenarians with 95,000 people who are currently over 100 years old. These centenarians are particularly concentrated on the Japanese island of Okinawa, known for having exceptional longevity: it is what we call a “blue zone”.
To find out how the Japanese manage to live much longer than the rest of the world, longevity researcher Dan Buettner analyzed their eating habits. “When we look at the list of foods consumed, we realize that the Japanese diet is mainly plant-based, with little meat, eggs and fish.“, explains the demographer in his documentary series broadcast on Netflix “100 years of plenitudes, the secret of the blue zones”. Above all, we notice that they consume a certain type of food every week. “On the Japanese island of Okinawa, this tuber vegetable even represents 70% of daily food intake, which is enormous.“, he explains.
Low in calories, this food is beni imo, a variety of sweet potato with purple flesh which is full of complex carbohydrates, vitamin A and fiber, and which even contains 150% more active antioxidants (anthocyanins) than blueberries. , making it a true “superfood” capable of neutralizing harmful compounds in the body that damage our cells. “If the Japanese consume so much, it is because this herbaceous plant resists typhoons, these tubers remaining protected from bad weather underground.“, justifies the researcher. Typhoons are frequent climatic phenomena in Japan which have caused major food shortages in the past. “These sweet potatoes saved us“, adds Yukie Miyaguni, expert in traditional Japanese dietetics, interviewed in the documentary.
Purple sweet potatoes are slightly sweeter and more filling than traditional sweet potatoes. They have a floury texture which allows you to make purees or replace flour in cakes, pie crusts and pastries. They can be found in France, in certain organic stores, sometimes Grand Frais type supermarkets or among certain producers on the markets.
