NUTRITION - Eat Your Way To A Century

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Summary - 

You may have made a point in the past about planning to live to 100 but do you know what it actually takes to make it to a century? In this episode, I introduce you to the Blue Zones - regions of the world where, it is claimed, a high number of people live much longer, healthier lives than average. What’s more, I’m going to tell you exactly what they eat so you can begin to take a leaf out of their book and quite literally eat your way to a century. 

Things I Mention - 

  • What are the Blue Zones including where they are located throughout the world

  • The well-researched diet & eating similarities between each of the Blue Zones

  • The 10 Blue Zone Super Foods and how often you should eat them

PLUS, I share the Blue Zones approach to alcohol and where alcohol sits if you plan to live to 100.

Links & Helpful Resources - 

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Whilst I definitely don’t believe that one particular diet works well for everyone, there is one way of eating that you simply can’t argue with due to the sheer amount of research and evidence that backs up its claims and that is the Blue Zones diet. 

I learnt about the Blue Zones a few years ago when studying to become a holistic Health Coach. Prior to that, I had never even heard of it despite the research being heavily documented worldwide. I’ll tell you what though, the topic knocked my socks off and I became obsessed with learning everything I could about it. 

The Blue Zones are regions of the world where, it is claimed, a high number of people live much longer, healthier lives than average. There are five "Blue Zones" - Okinawa (Japan), Sardinia (Italy), Nicoya (Costa Rica), Icaria (Greece) and the Seventh-Day Adventists in Loma Linda, California. Residents of these places produce a high rate of centenarians, suffer a fraction of the diseases that commonly kill people in other parts of the developed world and enjoy more years of good health. 

Of all the research, my favourite part is the in-depth look at some of the similarities between the 5 zones, particularly their diets, which is what I’ll be sharing with you today. 

Although the blue zones are located in very different parts of the world, they do have similar lifestyle and eating patterns. One thing for sure, they don’t count calories or macronutrients, take vitamins, weigh their food or even read labels. They don’t restrict their food intake - in fact, they all celebrate with food. Blue Zones founder, Dan Buettner and his team, analysed more than 150 dietary studies conducted in Blue Zones over the past century to discover the secret behind what centenarians really ate and here’s what they found - 

95% PLANT BASED

95% of the food eaten in the Blue Zones is from a plant or plant product. They eat an impressive variety of garden vegetables - those that are in season. The best of the best longevity foods in the Blue Zones diet are leafy greens such as spinach, kale, beet and turnip tops, chard, and collards. 

5% ANIMAL-BASED

Blue Zone residents only eat meat twice a week, if not less. Further to this, if they do eat meat, the quality is top notch - either true free-range chicken or family-farmed pork and lamb. Most people eat small amounts of meat, less than 100g on average about 5 times per month whilst once a month, they splurge,  usually on a roasted pig. Beef or turkey are rarely consumed. 

EAT FISH 

Fish is eaten up to three times weekly but again the portion sizes are no larger than 100g. Most eat small, relatively inexpensive fish such as sardines, anchovies and cod - middle of the food chain species and those that aren’t exposed to the high levels of mercury and chemicals that so much of our fish is exposed to today. Fish isn't a necessary part of a longevity diet though but if people do eat it, they refrain from eating common species that are heavily overfished. 

REDUCE DAIRY

Cow's milk is a very rare choice. Small amounts of sheep or goats milk products - especially full fat with no added sugars a few times weekly are consumed. Whilst so many of us, rely on milk for calcium and protein, those in the Blue Zones get these nutrients from plant-based sources. One cup of cooked kale for instance, provides just as much bioavailable calcium as a cup of milk does. 

EAT EGGS OCCASIONALLY

Eggs are consumed in all five Blue Zones - eaten though on average just two to four times per week. Just like meat protein, eggs are considered a side dish, eaten alongside a larger portion of whole-grain or other plant-based foods. Again, quality matters most. Eggs come from chickens that range freely, eat a natural diet and do not receive hormones or antibiotics. 

EAT BEANS DAILY

Cooked beans are consumed daily - at least half a cup. In fact, beans reign supreme in the Blue Zones. They’re the foundation of every longevity diet - black beans in Nicoya, lentils and white beans in the Mediterranean and soybeans in Okinawa. Beans provide most of the vitamins and minerals that centenarians need. 

SLASH SUGAR

Sweets are only ever eaten during celebrations. Their foods have no added sugar and they typically sweeten their tea with honey. It’s hard to avoid sugar though. It occurs naturally in fruits, vegetables and even milk but that’s not the problem - added sugar is. To follow in their footsteps, skip any products where sugar is among the first five ingredients listed.

SNACK ON NUTS

Research has proven that nut-eaters on average outlive non-nut-eaters by two to three years. Blue Zone diets consist of two handfuls of nuts per day. The optimal mix - almonds, peanuts, brazil nuts, cashews and walnuts. 

EAT WHOLE GRAINS ONLY

Blue Zones bread is unlike most bread available. They only ever eat sourdough or 100 percent whole wheat bread. Commercial sourdough bread found in the supermarket can be very different from traditional, real sourdough, and therefore probably won’t have the nutritional benefits. If you want to buy traditional sourdough, shop from a reputable, local bakery and ask them about their starter. A bakery that cannot answer that question is probably not making true sourdough bread. 

EAT WHOLE FOODS ONLY

Probably the most notable similarity between all Blue Zones is that they choose foods that are recognizable and they eat the whole food - meaning they don’t juice the pulp out of fruit or throw away yolk to make an egg white omelette. A good definition of a “whole food” is one that is made of a single ingredient, raw, cooked, ground, or fermented, and not highly processed. 

I hear you - none of this is breaking news and so many of us know that if we were to consume these foods regularly that they’re be a lot more happier, healthy people around but I truly appreciate the research that has gone into these findings and like I said at the very beginning, you can’t argue with the way a centenarian lives their life, when growing old is a privilege denied to many. 

I want to go ahead now and summarise a few of the key diet findings. There are 10 foods that have been termed the ‘Blue Zones Super Foods’ and ideally, you want to aim to be eating at least three of these daily. They are -

1. Beans - all kinds - black beans, pinto beans, kidney beans, cannellini beans, lentils

2. Greens - spinach, kale, chards, beet tops, fennel tops

3. Sweet potatoes 

4. Nuts - again, all kinds - almonds, peanuts, walnuts, sunflower seeds, brazil nuts, cashews

5. Olive oil - green, extra-virgin olive oil is the best (also, remember that olive oil decomposes quickly, so buy no more than a month’s supply at a time)

6. Oats - slow-cooking or Irish steel-cut are best

7. Barley - either in soups, as a hot breakfast, or ground up in breads

8. Fruits - all kinds

9. Green or herbal teas

10. Turmeric - as a spice or a tea

DRINKS

And before I go, a quick word on drinks because we’ve spoken about food this entire episode but of course, what centenarians chose to drink heavily impacted the longevity of their life as well. To put it VERY simply and for you to adopt the same approach to drinks as they do in the Blue Zones, remember this - drink coffee for breakfast, tea in the afternoon, wine at 5 p.m., and water all day. People in Blue Zones drank water, coffee, tea, and wine. Period. 

Studies show that people who drink alcohol in moderation - tend to outlive those who don’t. (This doesn’t mean you should start drinking if you don’t drink now.) People in most Blue Zones drink one to three glasses of red wine per day, often with a meal and with friends. Whilst a lot of the benefits are directly related to antioxidants, , it can also be said that a little alcohol at the end of the day reduces stress, which we all know is superior for good health.

Elisha CasagrandeBrisbane Personal Trainer, Brisbane Health Coach, FEEL BE LOOK, Womens Confidence, Confidence, IIN Health Coach, Healthy Eating, Womens Health, Diets, Womens Weight Loss, Diet Culture, Non-Exercise Activity Thermogenesis, NEAT, Weight Loss Plateau, Blue Zones, Dan Buettner