Blue Zone countries: The Mediterranean and Okinawa lifestyle
- Ayrie
- Aug 6, 2020
- 3 min read
Updated: Mar 26, 2023
Have you ever heard about Blue Zones? If not, go ahead and read!
As a Blue Zone, we are considering regions of Europe, Asia, the US, and Latin America, not because of their territorial location and perspective, but because they have longevity and a better lifestyle. The essential secret of their centenarians is healthy diet habits. Mediterranean and Okinawa diet habits proved as the most healthy diet style. From my previous article, you already know about Okinawa and its people. Below I will mention the exact countries which count as Blue Zone: Europe: Italy, Sardinia, Greece, Ikaria Asia: Japan, Okinawa
The US: California, Loma Linda
Latin America: Nicoya, Costa Rica. For more about these countries, lifestyle visit the link here to learn more
Let me tell you about a healthy diet style in these countries. I am not gonna tell you to keep a diet and lose fat. I am gonna share what kind of foods includes both the Mediterranean and Okinawa diet, what beneficial sides to your health, and what is different between them as well. A little warning: find a comfortable place far away from your kitchen, if you are reading this article, especially at night. I am going to talk about food.
Mediterranean diet:
The Mediterranean diet proved as the healthiest not only because of their territorial location which has access to the sea, ocean and has a good climate but because people more adherents to a healthy diet and have more knowledge of what and how to eat. Below I will highlight the main food and drinks as a common consumption of their dietary style:
Food
Legumes, pea seeds, vegetables, fruits, berries, whole greens, seeds, nuts, chocolate, seafood, dairy products, meats, etc.
Drinks:
Coffee, cocoa, wine, fresh smoothies and juices, almond milk, rice milk, oat milk, tea.
Oils:
Olive oil, coconut oil, linseed oil, almond oil, etc.
Now, let me shortly tell you about their eating behavior. The famous researcher, National Geographic explorer Dan Buetner, in his book " The Blue Zone's solution" he is telling about food consumption:
"Eat a small amount of food, stop eating if your stomach is 80% full. Drink a moderate amount of alcohol and reduce sugar consumption".
Again, as per the description of most researchers about the Mediterranean diet, if you want to live healthier and longer, and look younger, then you need to eat a moderate amount of meat and dairy products. They recommend eating more vegetables, plant-based foods, and beans. As an oil, they recommend using more olive oil in meal preparation or for salads. It means using more plant-based oils.
How about alcohol?
Well, drinking a moderate amount of alcohol is healthier than drinking in one day several bottles. Blue Zones, especially in the Mediterranean diet, highlight the benefits of wine. Drinking wine has also positive effects on our health. 5 PM wine with the meal or with friends is a perfect match especially Sangrine vine.
Okinawa diet:
Their common dietary system mostly consists of:
Food:
Seaweeds, seafood, vegetables, fruits, whole grains, legumes, rice, pea seeds, seeds, nuts, soya,
Drinks:
Herb teas, fruit teas, fresh juices and smoothies, soya milk, coconut milk, coffee, matcha
Oils:
Plant-based oils (The same oils as counted in the Mediterranean diet).
Okinawan communities compared with the Mediterranean eating habits mostly include fish, shrimp, crustacean seafood, and seaweeds. As per the scientist's improvement, pes-co-vegetarians live longer than vegan Adventists. Their consumption of dairy products is very low and instead of cheese they mostly use tofu while in Europe they are using more animal-made cheese.
But be aware, that as in a previous article about Okinawa's lifestyle, besides food diet, the essential indicator of their centenarians is their social life as well.
Except for these foods, both diets includes also different kinds of spices. It is not even a cultural behavior. As per the nutritionist, any kind of diet should include all spices with different tastes and colors, such as: bitter, spicy, sour, sweet, and moderately salty.
Most Asians use less sugar than any other country. Now, in the modern world, most people trying to use more natural sweeteners and prefer less consumption of salt. If you still didn't change your diet habits, think about your future look, internal health, and appearance.
Now, you might be thinking, that longevity depends on genes, But studies had shown that only 20% percent of how long the average person lives is determined by genes.
A team of medical researchers, anthropologists, demographers, and epidemiologists gathered together and found 9 common shreds of evidence related to Blue Zone countries that indicate a better lifestyle are:
Move naturally
Purpose
Downshift
80% rule
Plan slant
Wine at 5
Right tribe
Loved ones
Belong
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