6 great eating habits that help you live longer
There are areas around the world known as Blue Zones, where it’s quite common for people to live to the ripe old age of 100 and beyond.
You’ll find Blue Zones in areas of Greece, Sardinia, Costa Rica, Japan, and California.
It seems that the locals share similar eating habits and tend to view food in a more holistic way – rather than counting calories or cutting out major food groups.
Here are six tips that you can take away and use in your diet. Who knows, you may be getting a birthday card from the Queen after all.
Eat mostly plants
Blue Zone locals tend to consume the majority of their food as fruits, vegetables, whole grains and beans. They eat seasonally, store things when there’s a surplus, avoid waste, and fill up on leafy greens as a side dish. They tend not to juice things or take supplements, preferring instead to eat real whole foods in their entirety.
Reduce your meat intake
Meat is enjoyed sparingly in the Blue Zones, as opposed to almost every day for many of us. It is often used as a side dish or as a flavour enhancer, rather than being the main event. By reducing your meat to just two or three times a week (and not just beef but chicken, lamb and pork too) you’ll improve your health as well as save a few dollars on your grocery shop.
Enjoy fish regularly
In one of the studies on the Blue Zones, people who ate a mostly plant based diet, along with a small portion of fish each day, were the ones who lived the longest. It seems that the best choices are the species that reside in the middle of the food chain – think sardines, anchovies and cod – as these are less likely to be exposed to high levels of mercury or other chemicals.
Keep dairy in check
Most of the local’s calcium intake in the blue zones comes from plants. For instance a cup of cooked kale has as much calcium as the same amount of milk. It’s thought that the human digestive system isn’t designed to take on as much cow’s milk as we drink, and in these Blue Zones it’s just not common practice to drink copious amounts of it.
Reduce your sugar intake
It’s been noted that those in the Blue Zones consume about a fifth as much added sugar as we do. Instead of adding sugar to tea they use a little honey; desserts are only for special occasions; and processed foods using sweetener are virtually non-existent.
Snack on nuts daily
Two handfuls each day to be precise – that’s how much the Blue Zoners are consuming. Nuts can reduce the LDL or bad cholesterol by around 20 percent. Keep unroasted and unsalted nuts on hand, such as cashews, almonds or walnuts, to snack on throughout the day.
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