{"id":22455,"date":"2026-03-31T08:19:12","date_gmt":"2026-03-30T23:19:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/multipoints.jp\/en\/?p=22455"},"modified":"2026-03-31T08:44:38","modified_gmt":"2026-03-30T23:44:38","slug":"longevity-chew","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/multipoints.jp\/en\/longevity-chew\/","title":{"rendered":"The &#8220;50-Chew Magic&#8221; at 82: A Lesson Learned in Okinawa from a Siberian Survivor\u2019s Wisdom"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">50 Chew at 82<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Until recently, I never gave much thought to how many times I chewed my food. If anything, I was a fast eater\u2014finishing my meals before I even realized it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>However, I recently saw a famous TV personality, Hitoshi Kusano, discussing health. He was born in 1944, the same year as me\u2014we are both 82. What he shared about his father\u2019s experience deeply moved me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>His father was a prisoner of war in Siberia after World War II. Amidst those brutal conditions, his father\u2019s constant mantra was: <strong>&#8220;The reason I survived and returned home was, above all, because I chewed my food thoroughly. Chew every mouthful 50 times.&#8221;<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Kusano-san still follows this teaching today, aiming even higher by chewing 60 times.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Watching this, I realized how much I had the habit of simply &#8220;swallowing&#8221; my food. Now, with every bite, I count the rhythm in my mind: &#8220;1-2-3-4, 2-2-3-4&#8230; up to 10-2-3-4.&#8221; Once I reach 10 counts (40 chews), I add a few more for good measure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I\u2019ve grown accustomed to this rhythm lately. Interestingly, the amount of food I put in my mouth has naturally decreased, making my dining style a bit more &#8220;elegant&#8221;\u2014which gives me a quiet chuckle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">[Column: The Power of Chewing for Body and Mind]<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Chewing is more than just breaking down food; it is a vital act of self-care:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong><span class=\"swl-marker mark_yellow\">Brain Activation:<\/span><\/strong> The physical act of chewing increases blood flow to the brain, which is essential for maintaining cognitive function and alertness.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>D<span class=\"swl-marker mark_green\">igestive Support:<\/span><\/strong> Mixing food thoroughly with saliva eases the burden on the stomach and intestines, allowing for better nutrient absorption.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><span class=\"swl-marker mark_blue\"><strong>Weight Management:<\/strong> <\/span>It gives the brain time to register &#8220;fullness,&#8221; preventing overeating and helping maintain a healthy weight.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong><span class=\"swl-fz u-fz-l\"><span class=\"swl-marker mark_orange\">Chewing is the simplest yet most profound &#8220;survival skill&#8221; we can practice every day.<\/span><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"is-style-big_icon_check\"><span class=\"swl-marker mark_yellow\"><strong>Disclaimer<\/strong> <\/span>The information in this article is based on the author&#8217;s personal experiences and general health information. It is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always consult with a doctor or qualified health professional regarding any health concerns or before starting a new health routine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full is-resized\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" src=\"https:\/\/multipoints.jp\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/29038714_s.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-865\" style=\"width:450px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/multipoints.jp\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/29038714_s.jpg 640w, https:\/\/multipoints.jp\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/29038714_s-300x200.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>50 Chew at 82 Until recently, I never gave much thought to how many times I chewed my food. If anything, I was a fast eater\u2014finishing my meals before I even realized it. However, I recently saw a famous TV personality, Hitoshi Kusano, discussing health. He was born in 1944, the same year as me\u2014we [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":22459,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"swell_btn_cv_data":"","footnotes":"","_wp_rev_ctl_limit":""},"categories":[6,17,1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-22455","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-en","category-longevity","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/multipoints.jp\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22455","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/multipoints.jp\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/multipoints.jp\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/multipoints.jp\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/multipoints.jp\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=22455"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/multipoints.jp\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22455\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":22461,"href":"https:\/\/multipoints.jp\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22455\/revisions\/22461"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/multipoints.jp\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/22459"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/multipoints.jp\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=22455"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/multipoints.jp\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=22455"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/multipoints.jp\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=22455"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}