These foods are inspired by the diets of people who live the longest in the world
A longevity expert is urging people to eat “at least” three types of food daily to live longer. The advice is based on the diets of those living in Blue Zones – areas around the world with lower rates of chronic diseases and longer life expectancy.
The five original Blue Zones identified by researchers are Okinawa in Japan, Sardinia in Italy, Nicoya Peninsula in, Costa Rica, Ikaria in Greece, and Loma Linda in California.
While their diets vary in each zone, there are certain consistencies, which experts believe contribute to their population’s longevity. This includes eating “wholesome, nutrient-dense, and fibre-rich foods”, such as plants, beans and healthy fats, while minimising your sugar and processed food intake.
In an excerpt from the recipe book Blue Zones Kitchen by Dan Buettner, shared on BlueZones.com, he explained the way of eating that yielded the statistically longest-lived people.
“None of the Blue Zones centenarians I’ve ever met tried to live to 100,” he said. “No one said at age 50, ‘You know what, I’m going to get on that longevity diet and live another 50 years!’
“They don’t count calories, take vitamins, weigh protein grams, or even read labels. They don’t restrict their food intake—in fact, they all celebrate with food.”
Among these guidelines was a list of 10 “Super Blue Foods”. Dan advised eating “at least” three of these daily to be sure you are eating plenty of whole food:
- Beans – all kinds: black beans, pinto beans, garbanzo beans, black-eyed peas, lentils
- Greens – spinach, kale, chards, beet tops, fennel tops
- Sweet potatoes
- Nuts – all kinds: almonds, peanuts, walnuts, sunflower seeds, Brazil nuts, cashews
- Olive oil – green, extra-virgin is usually the best (note that olive oil decomposes quickly, so buy no more than a month’s supply at a time)
- Oats – slow-cooking or Irish steel-cut are best
- Barley – either in soups, as a hot cereal, or ground in bread
- Fruits – all kinds
- Green or herbal teas
- Turmeric – as a spice or a tea.
He added: “The findings here represent a long-term, statistical, and science-based study. We needed information that was not just anecdotal or based on interviews, visits in the kitchen, or shared meals with individual centenarians.
“We analysed more than 150 dietary studies conducted in Blue Zones over the past century, and then we distilled those studies to arrive at a global average of what centenarians really ate. Here we provide some guidelines you can follow to eat a Blue Zones diet like they do and live to 100.”
