BellaOnline Forums Travel and Culture Hawaii Hawaiian diet

Has anyone tried the Hawaiian diet to lose weight? I recently read about it and it seemed very healthy.

I just bought the book to replace one I lent out and never
got back. The lady wanted to help an elderly diabetic friend. So I'm glad it went to a good cause. The author of "Hawaii Diet," Terry Shintani, M.D. has helped many native Hawaiians with this diet, so much so that something like 2/3 were able to go off their insulin. This book was published before we started hearing about the glycemix index. I hadn't tried before loaning the book out, but I've just started, and I love it! I see now why I coudln't lose weight before. If you're not interested in going primarily vegetarian or vegan though, you won't like. I am, so it's much better for me than South Beach and all those. Lots of ono recipes too and from some of Hawaii's greatest chefs :-)

Aloha,

I know this is an old forum post, but when I saw the topic, I couldn't help but add my two cents!

While Hawaii has plenty of fresh fruit and fish, the thought of "diet" with "Hawaii" made me laugh (I am from Hawaii.) Hawaiians love to eat. Poi (a starchy carb), pork and sugar cane are mainstays. Overeating. It's part of the culture. Hawaiians tend to be big and strong. Today, things have changed because people are concerned about bikini figures and heart attacks.

I never read the book, but I assume that it sticks to fresh fruit and seafood.

I couldn't agree more! Between loco moco and lau lau, the typical Hawaiian diet isn't exactly optimal.... but it sure is yummy.

Omigosh, Annie! Yummy is an understatement! I so so miss all the good stuff from back home like lau lau with real taro leaves! I can make kalua pork and all the other stuff, including Spam musubi, but it's so hard to get poi and real taro leaves here.

On a healthier note, Hawaiian fresh fruits are the best. Mango, pineapple, lychee, papaya, coconut. I miss our old lychee tree!

I also miss those delicious opihi and pipihi. Nearly all gone now, I heard. And when you can buy them, it is outrageously expensive. We used to eat them by the bucketfuls next to an open fire. Real puka shells were as numerous as grains of sand on the beaches. Now, all gone, gone, gone.

Commercial taro farms are going. My aunt owned one of the last poi factories on Kauai and had to switch to making tofu because she had such a hard time getting the taro.

I miss Hawaii.

Yes, the opihi are becoming fewer and fewer.

That is so interesting about your aunt! I have to admit, I'm not a huge fan of poi or tofu, but I'd take poi over tofu any day!

You should come back here for a visit. Airfare has been cheaper, lately.

--Annie

I plan on it when time and budget allows!