There are five areas on Earth where the life expectancy of their inhabitants reaches 100 years.
They are the so-called “blue zones”, as at least the writer of National Geographic Dan Buetner has described, who has explored their secrets in his book “The Blue Zones Solution: Eating and Living like The Word’s Healthiest people“.
Where did it end up studying the diet of the inhabitants of these areas? How do they manage to live up to great ages, healthy to the end? His answer is ‘ thanks to their diet ‘. And that’s why Buetner was put to discover the secrets of their diet, the foods to Eat to Live Longer, and the ones that give them longevity.
It has, in fact, reached five foods, which, as it argues, no matter where one lives, give longevity:
- Beans
- Greens
- Cereals
- Nuts
In the five “blue zones” of the planet, just as he says, they know how to cook these foods to have a nice taste and how to optimize them to get all their health benefits. ”
On the pretext of what Buetner argues, NBC reporter Maria Seaver visited three of the five “blue belts”. Between them and Ikaria. Here’s what he found:
Ikaria
“On the remote Greek island of Ikaria, the life expectancy of the inhabitants exceeds a decade of that of the Americans. In Ikaria 97% of people are over 70 years old and Buetner found only three who had symptoms of dementia (50% of Americans over 85 have dementia).
One of the most common foods on the island is the wild dandelion, boiled simply, like spinach. These greens have 10 times more antioxidants than red wine, according to Buetner. Another favorite dish of people from Ikaria is chickpeas, which are the cornerstone of every longevity diet in the world. ”
Costa Rica
“The peninsula of Nikogawa is known for its beautiful sandy beaches, its exotic wildlife and its inhabitants that defy death. In Nikogua 1 in 250 it reaches 100, a huge percentage if compared to 1 to 4,000 in America.
Their diet consists of rice, beans and tortillas.
Buetner, however, said that if an average American added a cup of beans to his diet during the day, he would live for much more years. ”
Loma Lindda, California
“An hour west of Los Angeles, Loma Lima, California, lives a religious community that does not eat meat or fish, never drinks alcohol and does not smoke. All these have as a consequence to live about 10 years longer than the average American. In Loma Lima, healthy eating is part of religion. Their diet is inspired by the Bible, the diet in the Garden of Eden. Their meals are based on beans, nuts, groats oats, wholemeal breads and real soy milk. They also drink six to eight glasses of water a day. Finally, the citizens of Loma Linda are in constant motion, walking constantly and generally have a strict lifestyle.