Lessons from the world’s healthiest diets

Today it seems as if everyone has an opinion on what the healthiest diet is – from paleo, to grain free to vegetarian. The truth is there are lots of health ways to eat, as I outlined here.  One thing I’m not sold on that grains and legumes are “unhealthy” and “bad for you”.

Sure – gluten containing grains are extremely bad for people with celiac disease –  they cause an autoimmune reaction that’s damaging to the small intestine.  And there’s no doubt that a diet high in refined carbohydrates is not good for your health.  But the humble wholegrain and legumes can provide a range of nutrients, dietary fibre and phytonutrients.  And they’re a part of some of the world’s healthiest diets.

I took a look at the “Blue Zone” diet and lifestyles – to see what the world’s healthiest populations eat and share some lessons from the world’s healthiest diets  “Blue zones” is concept used to identify a geographic area of the world where people live measurably longer lives than the rest of the world, especially the western world.   The Blue Zone areas are Nicoya, Costa Rica; Ikaria, Greece; Loma Linda, California; Okiniwa, Japan; Sardinia, Italy,

Here’s the common themes from their diets.

1.Eat a mostly plant based diet

As Michael Pollen says, eat mainly  plants. The diets of the Blue Zone areas most definitely do this, having the majority of their diets based around vegetables, and some wholegrains and legumes.  Residents of Loma Linda, California snack on nuts and follow a vegetarian diet, and in Okiniwa Japan, their diet is based on stir fried veges, tofu, miso and sweet potato, with pork on special occasions.  The classic Sardinian diet is made up of whole-grain bread, beans (ie legumes), garden vegetables, fruits.  Their diet also contains a type of cheese called pecorino cheese which is made from sheep milk and is high in omega-3 fatty acids.  In Nicoya, Costa Rica their diet is based on rice, corn, plantain, beans and tropical fruits like the vitamin-C-rich orange-like maroñon, the pear-like anona.

2.  Choose small portions of meat

If you are a meat eater, choose small portions.  While nearly all the blue zone populations eat meat, they don’t eat it every day and they choose small amounts.

3.  Portions, portions, portions

Follow the principal of eating to you’re just satisfied, rather than overly full.  The Okiniwan’s of Japan call this practice “hara hachi bu”, means “eat until you are 8/10ths full”

Of course, there are other principals that influence the longevity of these populations.

In the “blue zones” they all live active lifestyles; they have a good social network and they have a sense of community and purpose.  These things also helps manage stress.

For more on the blue zones, check out this website – it’s really interesting!

Image from here