You're How Old?

I love reading how our eating habits are shaped by our culture. What can I say, it's the American Studies in me.

Earlier this summer I read The Blue Zones Solution: Eating and Living Like the World's Healthiest People by Dan Buettner. Great beach reading right? I've been thinking about the book ever since and Buettner was the subject of a recent New York Times's piece. 

I found the book to be super interesting. Basically there are five "Blue Zones" in the world. A blue zone is defined as being home to the longest-living and healthiest people. They are:

• Okinawa, Japan
• Sardinia, Italy
• the Nicoya Peninsula of Costa Rica
• Ikaria, Greece
• Loma Linda, California

Buettner takes his research on these blue zones and boils them down into simple habits that can be translated to an American lifestyle. He received grant money to implement pilot programs in cities and towns across the nation to see if these habits can work; and they did. Here are some basic principles from the book:

• Create communities - all of the zones have strong (often religious) communities and support networks from which residents can seek guidance and support during stressful times
• In the pilot program, residents were assigned to walking groups that met weekly to walk around the neighborhood. The walking groups were based on location and general interests. Many walking groups transformed into social networks where members brought a healthy side to share after the long walks.
• Make eating a more enjoyable experience and basically - eat less.
• In all of these communities, meals often lasted hours and were times when families would sit down together at the end of the day to catch up and eat. There was no tv, no eating alone or eating while reading, looking at the computer or anything else. 
• In blue zones, sweets and meat were saved for special occasions and eaten in moderation. It's hard to break the habit of a decadent dessert at the end of a meal, but it really does make a difference.
• Eat whole foods with an emphasis on plants.
• Eating meat in moderation can be perfectly healthy. Of the five zones, only one - the Loma Linda community in California - is strictly vegetarian. 
• The problem with the average American diet is that we eat way too much meat. Meat is a staple at every meal and our portions are large. The amount of meat many American consume in one meal is comparable to what a blue zone resident would eat in an entire week.
• Walking is the best form of exercise.
• Walking is your body's natural movement and it's far better for you than super strenuous exercise. Don't think that you need to be a marathon runner or extreme athlete to have a long, healthy life. You just need to keep your body moving in natural ways.
• Drinking isn't terrible!
• For the most part, consuming moderate amounts of alcohol - wine in particular - on a daily basis is good for you. Yay!

The book has definitely inspired me to incorporate more beans and lentils into my diet. When I was at my local MOM's, I stocked up on lentils, beans and TVP (textured veggie protein). I wasn't thinking and bought the kindle version so it's a little harder for me to flip through the pages in search for an especially tasty-looking recipe. I will do so soon and will share my results!

I highly recommend the book to those interested in healthy eating and living - get the paper & ink version though!