When people love the beloved Betty White live to be almost 100 years old, you can’t help but ask, “What was their secret?” Although genetics play an important role in a person’s lifespan, we also know that way of life makes a huge difference.
It was this topic that inspired Dan Buettner to study the regions of the world where people live the longest. He discovered five regions around the globe that have the highest concentrations of centenarians, known as the Blue Zones, and from there he studied what they all have in common.
These regions include Sardinia in Italy, Okinawa in Japan, Ikaria in Greece, Nicoya in Costa Rica and Loma Linda in California. After extensive research into their diet, movements and daily practices, Buettner developed what is known as the Blue Zones Diet.
Keep reading to learn about some of the eating habits practiced by the world’s longest-living people, and for more Blue Zone-inspired tips, check out 9 Foods the World’s Oldest People Eat Every Day.
Eat primarily plant-based
One of the markers of the five regions of the Blue Zone is consumption largely plant-basedwhich the official Blue Zone website calls “plant tilt”.
For example, according to a National Geographic article covering the Blue Zones, Loma Linda residents eat a diet of about 27 percent fruits and 33 percent vegetables, with only about 4 percent coming from meat.
For Ikarians (in Greece), 20% of their daily intake is vegetables, 17% green vegetables in particular, 11% legumes, 6% fish and only 5% meat.
This doesn’t mean you have to go completely vegetarian, but these communities prove that you don’t need meat every day to live healthy lifestyle.
According to American Journal of Lifestyle Medicinemeat (usually pork) is eaten on average about five times per month, and portion sizes are as large as a deck of cards.
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Daily serving of beans
For those who are trying to imitate some of the eating habits practiced by the most ancient people, it is recommended to place beans at the center of some of your meals, using them as a replacement for the meat you would have as a main dish.
The five Blue Zone regions consume beans or legumes as a central part of their diet, and Blue Zones diet website states that these communities consume about four times more beans than Americans on average.
Unfortunately, we could use more beans in our daily diet because their health benefits are insurmountable. A 2021 study published in Nutrients confirms that eating beans (as part of a plant-based diet) is associated with better cardiovascular health, reduced inflammation, and may even help improve your immune system to help fight disease .
Try that Healthy Black Bean and Sweet Potato Taco Recipe.
80-20 rule
Another interesting thing about these five regions of the world is that they not only put intention into the specific food they eat, but they also pay special attention to their diet. relation to food.
The Okinawans practice 80% rule for thousands of years, which involves only eating until they are about 80% full. They reserve space for the remaining 20%, recognizing that they don’t always need to fill it.
For many Americans, this practice may seem strange and difficult to implement. But for the Okinawan community, this 20 percent difference is one of the ways they stay healthy and content.
Eat healthy fats
Eating healthy fats instead of unhealthy fats is something that the world’s oldest people have in common. For example, the Seventh-day Adventist community in Loma Linda consumes avocados, nutsAnd salmon regularly, while Sardinians get their healthy fats from olive oil.
Replacing things like butter and margarine with a healthy fat like extra virgin olive oil can help improve your overall health, and studies show that extra virgin olive oil can help reduce inflammation and improve the health of your arteries.
Eat whole grains
Along with healthy fats, plenty of vegetables, and daily servings of beans, the world’s oldest people also eat plenty of whole grains. In fact, according to National geographicNicoyans get 26% of their daily intake from cereals, and in Sardinia, 47%!
When it comes to specific whole grains, Blue Zone Diet Researchers found that all five regions ate grains with less gluten than those often eaten in America. For example, they eat less wheat and focus more on barley, oats and brown rice.
This is certainly not surprising, given that grains like oats are some of the healthiest foods you can eat for your weight, intestineand to reduce chronic inflammation.
