The Diet Of The Elderly - Blue Zones

If you want to live long and be healthy, you can try to follow the example of the elderly. There are 5 areas in the world where people live the longest. There are almost no people suffering from chronic diseases such as diabetes, cancer, obesity and heart disease.

These areas are being studied by Dan Butner, who is exploring various areas of the planet where there is an extremely high percentage of long-lived people - people reach the age of 90-100 years.

Regions include Okinawa, Japan; Sardinia in Italy; None, Costa Rica; Ikaria, Greece and Loma Linda, California.

Although the places are very far from each other, these people have something in common - namely, eat in a similar way.

If this arouses your interest, see what are the rules of the so-called Blue longevity zones and how people who follow this diet live.

Basic Principles

People in 4 of the 5 Blue Zones consume very little meat. Meat is eaten an average of 5 times a month, with portions of about 50 grams.

Instead of occupying the center of the plate, meat is a supplement, considered a festive food or as a way to flavor mostly plant dishes.

Residents of the Blue Zones eat large amounts of vegetables as a supplement to legumes, fruits, whole grains, nuts and seeds.

People in these areas eat mainly seasonal fruits and vegetables, which they dry out so that they can use during the rest of the year.

The best foods are leafy greens such as spinach, kale, beet leaves and turnips. In combination with seasonal fruits and legumes, perennials can easily consume foods from the blue areas (see chart).

The idea is for most of your food to be blue - you have 95% for plant foods and 5% for animal foods.

As for macronutrients, 65% are for carbohydrates, 20% are fats and 15% are for proteins.

Focus on plant foods that need to be processed as little as possible. Completely exclude foods that come to you in shiny packaging. Instead of grabbing crackers for your afternoon snack, buy nuts and dried fruit.

Fish, although very useful, is part of animal products. People in Okinawa, for example, consume less than 100 grams of fish a week. They also avoid deep-sea and large fish, most often eating sardines, anchovies and cod. So if you decide to eat fish, choose more common species that are common and not at risk of overfishing.

The inhabitants of these regions do not cross the waters in search of large catches. They cannot afford to risk destroying the ecosystems on which they depend.

Milk and dairy products are not included in any diet in the Blue Zones. Arguments against milk focus on the high amount of fat and sugar. The number of people who have difficulty digesting lactose is about 60%. Goat cheese dairy products are part of the diet of people in Sardinia.

We don't know if goat's or sheep's milk makes people healthier, but they consume mainly well-ripened cheese or yoghurt in small quantities.

People in all Blue Zones eat eggs about 2 to 4 times a week. Usually only as a side dish to a vegetable or whole grain dish. Consumption of eggs should be reduced to 3 per week, to be from free-range hens that have not been treated with hormones and antibiotics.

Consumption of legumes is a minimum of 1/2 cup of tea per day - including lentils, chickpeas, peas, all types of beans - red, black, white, colorful. Beans are a super food, containing both protein and complex carbohydrates. An excellent source of fiber, a cheap and versatile product. By consuming more legumes, you provide yourself with vitamins and minerals that allow you to limit some other foods. They also improve the feeling of satiety, which will make you feel satisfied after eating.

It has been found that people from the blue zones eat 4 times more legumes than most people in the world. For them, cereals are a mandatory part of every meal.

Consume up to 7 teaspoons of sugar a day. People in the Blue Zone eat sugar on purpose, not accidentally or out of habit.

They consume approximately the same amount of added sugar as the recommended doses, but control their intake and do not overdo it.

Naturally, they get sugar from fruits. The problem with sugar is that it raises insulin levels, suppresses the immune system and leads to weight gain, lowers fertility. On average, people nowadays eat about 22 teaspoons of sugar, hidden in various forms in desserts and other foods.

Therefore, it is good to add sugar only in your coffee or tea and watch exactly how much you put. And if you want to eat a dessert that contains it, then do it consciously and compensate by skipping the remaining added sugar.

Eat two handfuls of nuts a day. Each handful weighs about 50 grams, so about 100 grams of nuts a day should be your goal. You can eat almonds, pistachios, walnuts, hazelnuts, etc.

The optimal combination is almonds (high in magnesium), peanuts (high in protein, folate and B vitamins), Brazil nuts (rich in selenium), cashews (also high in magnesium) and walnuts (high in alpha-linolenic acid, the only omega-3 fat found in plants). These nuts also lower cholesterol.

Eat only sourdough bread made from 100% durum wheat. The ordinary bread we buy in the shops is made from bleached flour, which is metabolized quickly and sharply raises blood sugar and insulin levels. Bread in the blue areas is whole grain and with yeast made from different types of whole grains, such as wheat, rye or barley, each of which imports a wide range of nutrients such as tryptophan, amino acids, minerals such as selenium and magnesium.

Whole grains are also rich in fiber. During the fermentation process, the gluten bonds are broken and the bread becomes longer, healthier and has a lower glycemic index.

Eat foods that you know and the way nature created them. People in the blue zones do not throw away the yolk to make an egg white omelette, nor do they try to remove the fat from the milk. They do not enrich their food by adding various supplements to change the nutritional profile of their lunch. Instead of taking vitamins and supplements, they eat whole foods rich in vitamins, minerals and fiber.

The definition of a whole food is one that is made from one ingredient. These foods can undergo poor processing such as cooking, grinding or fermentation. People from the blue zones eat products that are close to the area in which they live and grow within a radius of 50 kilometers. They eat raw fruits and vegetables, grind their own grains, and then cook them over low heat.

They use fermentation as an ancient way to add probiotics and preserve food. Rarely ingest artificial preservatives.

Drink mostly water. Do not touch soft drinks, even dietary ones or soda. With very few exceptions, some people in the blue zones drink coffee, tea or wine.

The recommendations are for 7 glasses of water a day. Good hydration also ensures health, facilitates blood flow and reduces the likelihood of blood clots.

As for coffee, some of them drink coffee, most prefer green tea, which we know is rich in antioxidants and has anti-inflammatory effects.

Decoctions of rosemary, sage and dandelion are also often prepared.

Red wine is often present on the table of the elderly. They consume 1 to 3 glasses a day, mostly in the company of friends and during meals.

Conclusion

It is clear that long-lived people eat mainly plant foods, and the main chat on their menu is legumes. Consumption of meat is limited to 5 times a month, and the quantities are about 50 grams per intake. If you decide to try to eat this way, get quality fruits and vegetables, grains and legumes. Look for products from manufacturers that you are sure have not been further processed.

Such is the life of the long-lived in the Blue Zones. Do you think that you can follow such a diet forever?