The secret to eating like you live in a longevity hotspot is closer than you think.
Dan Buettner, National Geographic Fellow, Founder of Blue Zones LLC, Author Blue Zone American Kitchen: 100 Recipes to Live to 100studied the daily habits of people living in blue zones, where people live about 10 years longer than average (think Sardinia in Italy, Okinawa Prefecture in Japan, and Ikaria in Greece).
After collecting his research and distilling some of the Blue Zones’ lessons into his book, Buettner says the advice can be applied to your weekly grocery shopping, and it’s easier than you think. .
Bottom line: “Walk around the grocery store wearing your plant-based, whole food glasses,” Buettner says. luck.
With this basic principle in mind, focus on ingredients that you find delicious.
“If you can find your favorite ingredients and learn how to combine them to create something delicious, you can reach the age of 100 with your diet,” he says.
Here, Buettner shares five foods that represent the Blue Zones way of life. We start with his favorite: beans.
beans
Superfoods are cheap, nutritious, filling, and may help you live longer.
Beans provide a unique mix of protein and fiber, which is beneficial for building muscle and maintaining stable blood sugar levels. It also contains folate and magnesium, which are essential for cell growth and muscle growth, respectively. Although the majority of Americans don’t get enough fiber in their diet, Buettner points out that the microbiome relies on fiber to function properly. One cup of beans provides about half of the recommended daily amount of dietary fiber.
Beans cost less than $2 a pound, so they’re easy to incorporate into any diet, he says.
In his book, Buettner recommends eating beans every day, writing that beans “reign at the top of the Blue Zones and are the foundation of longevity diets around the world.”
Beans have been available to people for thousands of years, and now they seem to be spreading rapidly, and for good reason. A food creator said, violet witchella rich bean salad recipe packed with hearty ingredients and a variety of beans like chickpeas, butter beans, and black beans, has gone viral. This salad, better known as “DBS,” attracts meal preparers looking for hearty recipes. delicious.
nuts
Eat a handful of nuts a day, including almonds, pistachios, walnuts, and cashews, to name a few, Buettner says. It contains protein and fiber, which reduces the risk of high blood pressure, heart disease, and inflammation.
whole fruits and leafy vegetables
One of the keys to eating like you live in the Blue Zones is to eat a variety of whole fruits and vegetables every day. Especially by adding leafy vegetables that are rich in vitamins.
“People in the Blue Zones eat a wide variety of garden and leafy greens (especially spinach, kale, beets and turnip greens, chard, and collards) when they are in season. “They enjoy it in the off-season,” Buettner writes in his book.
Consistent dietary changes only work if people stick with the habit. And if you enjoy it, you’re more likely to keep the habit. If you regularly look for your favorite vegetables and fruits when shopping, you can reduce the stress of buying things that don’t interest you.
sweet potato
Sweet potatoes contain complex carbohydrates and proteins, not to mention cheap and easily available, Buettner says. They are rich in vitamins that are essential for strengthening the intestinal microflora, which aids digestion and strengthens the immune system.
turmeric
Turmeric, commonly used in curries, is a major anti-inflammatory spice and has been used to treat symptoms. Digestive problems, liver problems, wounds.
“Turmeric then affects the hippocampus, a part of the brain that helps regulate stress hormones,” says Dr. Uma Naidoo, a Harvard-trained nutritional psychiatrist and author of the book. says. This is your brain about foodsaid earlier luck. Helps prevent chronic stress that can cause heart problems.
Try adding some spice to your next cup of tea.
Butner hopes people can understand that it’s not impossible to eat in a way that promotes health and longevity.
“People tend to think that [of] “Expensive superfoods and even expensive fresh produce are out of reach for many Americans,” he says. “In the Blue Zones, people are eating farmer food, so they’re eating beans and vegetables that grow on vacant land and cheap whole grains. You can buy in bulk.”
Learn more about blue zones and lifespan below.
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