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A longevity expert is urging people to incorporate “at least” three particular food groups into their daily meals to boost life expectancy. This advice stems from dietary habits found in Blue Zones – areas across the globe renowned for lower chronic disease rates and greater numbers of people living past 100.
Though eating patterns vary between these zones, there are common features that specialists believe are key to their exceptional longevity. These include eating “wholesome, nutrient-dense, and fibre-rich foods” featuring a range of plants, pulses and healthy fats, whilst cutting back on sugar and processed foods.
Dan Buettner, who wrote the Blue Zones Kitchen cookbook, explores the eating habits of some of the planet’s longest-living communities on BlueZones.com. “None of the Blue Zones centenarians I’ve ever met tried to live to 100,” he notes.
“No one said at age 50, ‘You know what, I’m going to get on that longevity diet and live another 50 years!'” Buettner points out that: “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.” Amongst his suggestions is a list of 10 “super blue foods”.
Dan recommends eating “at least” three of these daily to maintain a whole food-based diet:
Fruits – all varieties Greens – spinach, kale, chard, beetroot tops, fennel tops Beans – all varieties: black beans, pinto beans, chickpeas, black-eyed peas, lentils Nuts – all varieties: almonds, peanuts, walnuts, sunflower seeds, Brazil nuts, cashews Olive oil – green, extra-virgin is typically the best quality (note that olive oil deteriorates quickly, so purchase no more than a month’s supply at a time) Sweet potatoes Turmeric – as a spice or a tea Oats – slow-cooking or Irish steel-cut are preferable Barley – either in soups, as a hot cereal, or ground in bread Green or herbal teas
He further remarks: “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 over 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.”
