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| Replacing butter or processed fats with olive oil has been linked to better heart health. (Source: Vinmec) |
Areas in Japan, Costa Rica, and Italy with high rates of people living to 100 are called Blue Zones. It’s not hard to incorporate Blue Zone foods into your diet as most are easily accessible, such as beans, greens, honey, etc.
Olive oil
It's no secret that olive oil is a staple of the Mediterranean diet, popular in Blue Zones including Sardinia (Italy) and Ikaria (Greece).
Olive oil can be used in salad dressings, sauces, and sautéing vegetables. It contains unsaturated fatty acids, which can help balance cholesterol levels, and antioxidants linked to a reduced risk of many diseases, including some cancers.
According to Insider , research shows that replacing butter or processed fats with olive oil is linked to better heart health.
Honey
Too much sugar can be bad for your health. It's also a key ingredient in ultra-processed foods, which have been linked to cancer, heart disease, and other health problems.
But Blue Zone residents can live to 100 without missing out on sweets, in part because they make a healthy habit of eating raw honey. Research shows that enjoying a little unprocessed honey provides antioxidants and can lower cholesterol.
Herbs and spices
An important element of Blue Zone cuisine is the creative and artistic use of herbs and spices. These foods provide nutrients and antioxidants with disease-fighting properties.
Herbs and spices make food taste better without the use of additives like sugar, salt, fat and artificial flavorings.
In the Blue Zones, people also make their own tea from garden plants including rosemary, sage and mallow.
Nuts
The Blue Zone diet doesn’t mean giving up snacks. But you won’t see centenarians reaching for a bag of potato chips. Nuts are a favorite, from pistachios in Costa Rica to almonds in Italy and Greece.
They are a source of essential minerals and unsaturated fats as well as some protein. Nuts are high in fiber, which is important for gut health and metabolism.
One analysis found that people who eat these nuts can add 10 years to their life expectancy.
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| People who eat the above nuts can increase their life expectancy by 10 years. (Source: Health and Life) |
Bean
The dominant food in the Blue Zones is beans. They appear in dishes like tofu in Okinawa, Japan, and minestrone soup in Ikaria, Greece.
Cheap, easy to buy, versatile, beans contain complex carbohydrates and fiber that help keep you full and provide balanced energy. They are also a great source of plant-based protein.
Starchy vegetables
In addition to green leafy vegetables, starchy vegetables such as potatoes and squash are also chosen by Green Zone residents as a source of complex carbs to provide energy.
For example, purple sweet potatoes from Okinawa are packed with vitamins and minerals and are an important food in a region where other sources of nutrients are hard to come by. In Nicoya, Costa Rica, the traditional diet includes squash along with corn and beans. That combination provides all the essential amino acids needed to make a complete protein.
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