Like most humans on the planet, I want to live healthy and without disease until I am 100! Although we have made so much progress in the world of medicine, our modern civilization has also added more stress and toxins to our world. World renowned microbiologist and immunologist Dr. Myron Wentz describes our current state of health so eloquently.
We live too short and die too long. We are living longer in poor health than ever before. Our quantity of life is increasing while our quality of life is decreasing, in spite of our ever-rising standard of living. We are overfed and undernourished.
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But did you know that there are places in the world where people live longer and healthier than anywhere else on earth?⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
They are called blue zones . Places like Okinawa Japan, Sardinia in Italy, Nocoya in Costa Rica, and Icaria, Greece have residents who live beyond 100 and are strong and healthy until the end. ⠀
What’s their secret? ⠀⠀
Not surprising! It’s lifestyle! They eat a healthy diet, engage in daily exercise, and live a low stress life that incorporates family, purpose, spirituality and meaning. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
I thought I would learn more about these centenarians and share my tidbits with you over the next several blogs.
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The first lifestyle characteristic these humans share in common is eating a diet mostly derived from plants. Much of what they eat consists of fish, nuts, legumes, vegetables, fruits, red wine in moderation, goats milk, and local teas. About 65 percent of the diets in the blue zones is whole grains, beans, and starchy tubers such as potatoes, Jersusalem artichokes, jicama and yams. Grains including oats, barley, brown rice, and ground corn also play a key role in the diet.
They don’t eat lots of meat, and cut out fat, sugar, and processed meats like bacon, cured meats. To get you started on living to 100 here is a printable 10 Blue Zone Foods Guideline.
So back to the basics it is! Preparing real food that consists of all the colors in the rainbow like my favorite green salad pictured here.
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What kinds of plant based foods do you enjoy? Hvae you ever considered changing to a plant based diet?
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