How to live longer: 10 diet secrets of people living longest and healthiest – more beans, nuts and sourdough bread, less meat, dairy, eggs and sugar
- People in the earth’s five ‘Blue Zones’ live the longest, healthiest lives – frequently to or beyond 100 years, without chronic illnesses
- In general, 95 per cent of their food comes from a plant or a plant product; meat is eaten no more than twice a week; and cow’s milk and eggs feature minimally
We all want to know the secret to living a long and healthy life.
Scientists agree the answers lie in a complex formula that includes our social connections, sleep habits, happiness levels, the environment, and having a sense of purpose.
Perhaps the most important ingredient, though, is the food and drink we consume.
Dan Buettner, an American National Geographic Fellow, award-winning journalist and documentary maker, has highlighted the common denominators of diet-related longevity, and recently spoke about them on a podcast recorded by the Global Wellness Institute.
Buettner is credited with first identifying the earth’s “Blue Zones”, five places where people statistically live the longest, healthiest lives – frequently to or beyond 100 years and without chronic illnesses.
In 2008, he published his findings in his bestselling book, The Blue Zones: 9 Lessons for Living Longer from the People who’ve Lived the Longest.