Column: Eat for a longer, stronger life

Natural health nutrition counselor Cheryl Mothes discusses smart food choices during Friday's MIND + BODY Speaker Series at Rust Center for Media in Cape Girardeau. "Only 20% of our lifspans are dictated by our genes," Mothes said. She said what people really inherited from their parents, from a health perspective, are their eating behaviors and the way they socialize.
Nathan Gladden ~ Southeast Missourian

One of my favorite books is “The Blue Zones Solution: Eating and Living Like the World’s Healthiest People,” by Dan Buettner. The book describes the characteristics of the Blue Zones, five geographic areas in the world where populations not only live long, but live well, including Okinawa, Japan; Sardinia, Italy; Nicoya, Costa Rica; Ikaria, Greece; and Loma Linda, Calif. In these regions, people have not only better longevity, but better lives, too.

Although these regions are not close to each other on the globe, they have similar patterns and practices we can follow. It is their habits, not genes, that play a key role in living and aging better. What “runs in the family” are the lifestyle habits of those in the Blue Zones: how their parents cooked, ate, moved and socialized. These lifestyle choices can be adopted by any of us for better health.

What are the lifestyle habits to live longer and stronger and reach our full potential? The author refers to them as “secrets of living long,” and I am glad they are not secrets! They are:

Nutrition and hydration

Fresh air and breathing

Sunshine

Movement, physical activity, rest and sleep

Cleanliness and hygiene

A sense of well-being, which includes community, stress and trauma management, and belief in a higher power

Safety from violence, crime and injury

Freedom from addiction and toxins

Starting with nutrition and hydration, all five of the populations eat in similar ways. First, their diets have a “plant-slant,” with little or no meat. By “little meat,” Beuttner means they consume it only five times per month, and the serving is three to four ounces — the size of a deck of cards. This means 95% of their food comes from plants.

Second, diets in these regions contain little or no dairy, even though two of the locations are in Greece and Italy. The only cheeses they consume — often feta and pecorino — are from goat or sheep’s milk. Not only is goat and sheep’s milk easier to digest, it is higher in nutrients, and fewer allergies are associated with it. In comparison, cow’s milk is the third-most common allergy for children.

Third, people in these regions use little or no sugar; instead, they utilize honey or fruit for sweetness.

Fourth, they have an emphasis on beans. We are talking three half-cup servings a day.

Fifth, these diets include an emphasis on water, with little or no alcohol or beverages other than tea — milk thistle tea and green tea, especially — and their foods are all hydrating. Unlike processed foods, whole foods where nothing has been added or taken away are very hydrating.

Lastly, people in these regions abide by the 80% rule, eating only until they are 80% full. They consume, therefore, 20% fewer calories than we do.

We will explore more of these longevity secrets in the months ahead. In the meantime, if you would like to learn more, visit bluezones.com.