Yahoo News How the 'Blue Zones' diet is helping people live longer
Eating healthy is a fundamental part of living a long life, and research has found that there are five locations around the world where people regularly live to over 100 years old. Research from a National Geographic expedition identified five communities, which they dubbed ‘Blue Zones’, unpacking the “secrets to longevity”.
Not only this, but also grow old without illnesses or health conditions, such as obesity, cancer, diabetes or heart disease. Research done by National Geographic and the National Institute on Aging found five “demographically confirmed” in areas with the highest percentage of centenarians.
Locations where found were found to follow a Blue Zone diet included Loma Linda in California, USA; Nicoya, Costa Rica; Sardinia, Italy; Ikaria, Greece; and Okinawa, Japan.
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What is the Blue Zone diet?
As the research looked at the diets of five different areas, as well as the various backgrounds, cultural differences, and environments of each Blue Zone population, there is no single diet to follow. However, BBC Good Food noted that there are a number of common themes which align with each diet, with the most notable being local produce.
Other similarities included a high intake of plant foods such as legumes, beans and nuts, and some meat (most often pork), seafood and dairy. The research also found nine other lifestyle commonalities, which they dubbed the ‘Power 9’. These include:
Move naturally - The world’s longest-lived people do not pump iron, run marathons, or join gyms. Instead, they live in environments that constantly nudge them into moving without thinking about it. They grow gardens and do not have mechanical conveniences for house and yard work.
Purpose - Knowing your sense of purpose is worth up to seven years of extra life expectancy.
Downshift - Even people in the Blue Zones experience stress. Stress leads to chronic inflammation, associated with every major age-related disease. What the world’s longest-lived people have that others do not are routines to shed that stress.
The 80% Rule - People in the Blue Zones eat their smallest meal in the late afternoon or early evening, and then, they do not eat any more the rest of the day.
Plant slant - Beans, including fava, black, soy, and lentils, are the cornerstone of most centenarian diets. Meat - mostly pork - is eaten on average only five times per month. Serving sizes are three to four ounces.
Wine @ 5 - People in all Blue Zones (except Adventists) drink alcohol moderately and regularly. Moderate drinkers outlive non-drinkers. The trick is to drink one to two glasses per day, with friends and/or with food. And no, you cannot save up all week and have 14 drinks on Saturday.
Belong - All but five of the 263 centenarians interviewed belonged to some faith-based community. Denomination does not seem to matter. Research shows that attending faith-based services four times per month will add four to 14 years of life expectancy.
Loved ones first - Successful centenarians in the Blue Zones put their families first. This means keeping aging parents and grandparents nearby or in the home, as it lowers disease and mortality rates of children in the home too. They commit to a life partner and invest in their children with time and love.
Right tribe - The world’s longest lived people chose - or were born into - social circles that supported healthy behaviours. So the social networks of long-lived people have favourably shaped their health behaviours.
What foods can you eat on a Blue Zone diet?
The Blue Zone has its own food guidelines to help people follow the diet, including what you should be consuming daily, weekly and monthly. This can be reducing the amount of meat consumed to two ounces or less around five times a month; reducing dairy intake; consuming 28 grams of added sugar everyday; and eating eggs no more than three times a week.
For the full Blue Zone food guidelines, visit here. Blue Zone food guidelines suggest we include the following:
Wholegrains including oats, barley and wholewheat
Beans and pulses - one portion daily
Vegetables including leafy greens, sweet potato and yams
Fruit such as tomatoes, oranges, apples, bananas, dates, figs and peaches
Nuts - two handfuls per day
Some meat, but no more than twice per week, with portion sizes kept small (about 80-90g)
Fish and seafood, especially the smaller oily varieties such as sardines and anchovies
Dairy - predominately sheep’s and goat’s milk rather than cow’s. This may include full-fat, naturally fermented products with no added sugars
Eggs - no more than three per week
Olive oil
Herbs and spices, including turmeric
Wine: only one to two small glasses per day
Coffee and tea
