From sweet potatoes to cheese – 5 cheap foods the oldest living people in the world swear by
THE Blue Zones are five regions across the world where people regularly live to the ripe old age of 100.
You might think genetics have something to do with it, but longevity experts reckon diet also plays a major role in their long lives.
The Blue Zones include Okinawa in Japan, the Nicoya Peninsula in Costa Rica, Ikaria in Greece, Sardinia in Italy and Loma Linda, California.
In his latest book How Not to Age, American longevity guru Dr Michael Greger became the latest expert to jump onto the Blue Zone bandwagon.
His advice for readers to live a long and healthy life was to eat like someone from a Blue Zone, the Telegraph reported.
Though there are similarities between how inhabitants across the five Blue Zones eat, each region has particular secrets to share.
From sweet potatoes and squash to Pecorino cheese, here are five ingredients that people in each of the world's five longest-living regions add to their meals.
SWEET POTATOES
Our journey into Blue Zoners' diets begins in Okinawa, Japan, which has 68 centenarians for every 100,000 inhabitants, about three times that of the UK.
Residents' diets are rich in starchy carbohydrates, such as purple sweet potatoes.
This starchy veg called beni imo is loaded with antioxidants and local to the region, though Brits might be able to track it down in some organic shops.
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But your regular orange sweet potato will do just fine too, as rich in complex carbs, fibre and nutrients such as beta-carotene.
Get a large one at Tesco for just 38p, or a bad of five wonky ones for 59p at Morrisons.
Chop, drizzle with olive oil, season with salt and pepper and roast in the oven for a tasty addition to your meal.
SQUASH
From Japan, we travel to the Nicoya Peninsula in Costa Rica, where squash reigns supreme in locals' diets.
Squash is a good source of complex carbohydrates as well as vitamin A, magnesium and potassium.
Longevity guru Dan Beuttner - who coined the term Blue Zones - previously waxed lyrical about squash, a cornerstone of Costa Ricans' diets.
Dan claims: "Their diet is composed of three foods that I would argue are the best diet human beings have ever invented."
"Because of these foods, the people living on the Nicoya Peninsula of Costa Rica are two and half times more likely to reach the age of 92 than people living in the United States or Europe," he went on.
Along with a helping of bright orange squash, Dan said centenarians living in the Nicoya Peninsula regularly add up to five different varieties of beans to their meals, and corn in the form of "delicious whole grain tortillas".
These three foods are often referred to as the 'three sisters', as they're such a key part of local cuisine.
Have your squash with a side of beans, rice and avocado, or mix it into a soup or chilli.
PECORINO CHEESE
None of need convincing to eat cheese, but you might want to take a page of Sardinians' books in choosing Pecorino cheese.
It's similar to Parmesan but made from sheep's milk rather than cow's.
Nab a block for £3.80 at Sainsbury's.
You could sprinkle a handful on top of minestrone, which the world's longest-living family from the remote Sardinian village of Perdasdefogu eats daily.
BLACK EYED PEAS
On to Ikaria in Greece, black eyed peas are a diet staple, packed with protein and micro-nutrients.
You can buy a can of them at Sainsbury's for 59p, or a bag of dried beans for £1.20.
Why not try making the Ikarian Longevity Stew with black eyed peas from the Blue Zones website.
Chop up onion, garlic and fennel, cook until soft with olive oil and add your beans, tomatoes and tomato paste, simmering until the beans have softened.
ALMONDS
For a healthy snack, don't look any further than the eating habits of centenarians in Loma Linda, California.
Inhabitants love snacking on almonds, a Blue Zone staple high in antioxidants, vitamin E, protein and fibre.
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Make sure they're raw and unsalted, though you can add your own seasonings and spices to flavour them.
The nuts can sometimes be expensive to buy, but you can grab a bag at Asda for £1.75.
The Blue Zone Diet: A Guide To Get You Started
Here's your guide to eating the Blue Zone way, with 11 simple diet rules to stick to.
- Eat mostly plants
- Enjoy meat sparingly
- Have three small servings of fish a week
- Diminish dairy - though you can still enjoy some yoghurt and cheese
- Have no more than three eggs a week
- Have at least half a cup of cooked beans daily
- Save sugary treats for celebratory occasions
- Snack on nuts
- Stay away from supermarket bread - opt for whole grain, rye or sourdough varieties
- Opt for whole foods rather than processed ones
- Drink plenty of water and drink red wine in moderation with a meal
Read more: The longest-living people on earth swear by 11 simple diet rules every day