The Japanese city of Okinawa has been designated a ‘Blue Zone’, meaning it is one of those rare places on the planet whose inhabitants live a long and healthy life. But the rest of Japan also has a high life expectancy rate, something that is largely attributed to the country’s dietary habits. The Japanese government contributed to the low death rates by implementing a dietary guide based on large amounts of specific carbohydrates, vegetables, fruit, fish and meats. This food guide was given to nearly 80,000 men and women between the ages of 45 and 75 in 2005 as part of an ongoing study. After 15 years the vast majority of those monitored in the controlled group were recently found to be free of heart or cancer related diseases and han increased their average life expectancy.