Regarding a possible longevity menu, experts have drawn up a list of foods to consume to have a long and healthy life.
We often talk about the five communities in the world, called “blue zones”, which benefit from a long-lasting and healthy life. However, one must not believe in magic or prodigies, but rather make prudent choices such as maintaining a healthy eating style even in mature age.
Longevity menu
Many scientists are trying to find out which foods can help you live longer. To do this, they studied the healthiest foods that make up the diet of peoples who live longer, such as the inhabitants of Japan and the Sardinians of Ogliastra.
Here we talk about the importance of follow dietary and behavioral rules to maintain good health in old age. There is no miraculous therapy for age-related ailments, but more and more often even the web gives us advice on how to maintain the well-being of the person and the immune system, especially in a historical moment in which these issues are of great importance.
Basic principles of the menu for longevity
According to experts, the longevity menu is based on some fundamental principles:
– Consume plenty of seasonal fruit and vegetables, preferably green or colored leaves, rich in antioxidants, vitamins and fibres.
– Reduce the consumption of meat, milk, cheese and eggs, sources of animal protein and saturated fat.
– Prefer legumes, whole grainsdried fruit and extra virgin olive oil as sources of vegetable proteins, complex carbohydrates and unsaturated fats.
– Include fish, especially the blue one, for its contribution of omegas.
– Add spices and herbs such as chilli pepper and green tea, which have anti-inflammatory and circulation-promoting properties.
– Avoid refined, industrial and sugary foods.
– Follow the Japanese principle of the “hara hachi bu”, or get up from the table when you are 80% full.
Which diet to follow?
Let’s start with dried fruit, like an elixir of well-being: full of nutrients and mineral salts, antioxidants and vitamins, they benefit the body and represent a fabulous supply of energy. The ideal blend would consist of 60 grams of cashews, peanuts, walnuts and almonds.
Vegetables and fruit are essential for our health as they are a precious source of vitamins, antioxidants and fibres. However, it is important to make an informed choice and prefer seasonal vegetables and fruitaccompanied by a large variety of foods.
Among vegetables, it is always better to opt for green leafy ones such as Swiss chard, spinach cabbage, savoy cabbage, even if they may not be the children’s favorite dish. These foods are important for eliminating toxins from our body and preventing the risk of certain forms of cancer.
among the fruit, blueberries, both black and red, they are very beneficial for health, because they contain polyphenols and oleic acid which protect the optimal complex of amino acids, essential for muscle renewal.
He cocoa it is not only a delicious food, but it is also a precious ally for the health of our body. Thanks to the stearic acid present in it, it manages to counteract cholesterol, while theobromine promotes blood circulation. But what makes cocoa even more special is its beneficial effect on our happiness and psychological well-being, demonstrating how mental health is essential for the general health of our body.
There are two other foods that can be very beneficial for our body: the green teaand has properties that help us calm the nerves and also relieve inflammation, while the pepper, thanks to the capsaicin it contains, it represents a powerful anti-inflammatory.
These are some of the eating habits that characterize the so-called “zone blu”, the areas of the world where the largest number of healthy centenarians are concentrated. Obviously, in addition to nutrition, other factors such as lifestyle, physical activity, relationship with nature and the community also count. But follow a healthy and balanced diet it is definitely an important step to live longer and better.