If you want to beat the odds on life expectancy and get past the ripe old age of 90, taking a leaf from the book of our elders is a good start.
But instead of rushing to the nearest bingo hall and grilling every pensioner you see there lifestyle choices, you better brush up on how the the world’s oldest people have made it so far.
Where can you hang this lot out?
According to longevity expert Dan Buettner, you should go to one of the world’sBlue zones‘ and find someone willing to share his secrets.
He coined the term in 2005 to describe five different areas around the world where he realized people lived the longest. healthiest lives.
Following this, Buettner worked with National Geographic to delve deeper into how retirees fared so well in Ikaria, Greece, Loma Linda, California, Nicoya, Costa Rica, Okinawa, Japan, and Sardinia, Italy, among others, compared to others to share. of the world.
The researcher, 64, looked for ‘evidence-based common denominators’ that shared these destinations, making locals ten times more likely to reach 100 than anyone else.
Dan Buettner believes diet plays a major role in the length of your life (Getty Stock Image)
Ultimately, Buettner and a team of medical researchers, anthropologists, demographers and epidemiologists discovered nine interesting principles and practices that they realized could be applied to extend the length of our lives, known as ‘Power Nine‘lines.
Ultimately it is it all comes down to our diet and lifestyle, like people in Blue Zones’ live environments that encouraged them to exercise daily, social connectedness and encouraged plant-based eating.’
That’s why Buettner, from Minnesota, is so passionate about encouraging people to fuel their bodies with the right things, because poor people food Choices can take years off your life.
But according to the author, incorporating this simple cocktail of goodness into your life could help you live past the age of 90.
During a talk at the ILTM Global Forum in 2018, Buettner urged people to include a trio of products in their diets that people on Costa Rica’s Nicoya Peninsula swear by.
“This place has the lowest middle-age mortality rate in the world,” he said. ‘That means people here have the best chance of reaching a healthy age of 92.
‘That’s about two and a half times more likely to live to 92 than people living in the United States or Europe.
“Their diet consists of three foods that I would say are the best diet that humans have ever invented.”
The longevity expert revealed the three foods people in Blue Zones swear by (Instagram/@danbuettner)
Big words and quite a bold claim – so, what is this holy trinity of foods that can really increase your life expectancy?
Corn
According to Buettner, the little boy who sang about that plant, a “big clump of buds with sap in them,” didn’t get so excited for nothing.
That’s because corn is apparently the key to staying on Earth as long as possible, as it is rich in fiber, B vitamins and minerals such as zinc, magnesium, copper, iron and manganese.
It is said that residents of the Blue Zone will really benefit from it also containing complex carbohydrates, proteins and antioxidants.
The expert explained that to further increase its nutritional value, the local people of Nicoya traditionally process the yellow stuff by soaking the grains in wood ash.
Plus, Buettner says the added bonus is that you can also make “delicious whole-wheat tortillas.”
Squash
Next up is squash, where the sustainability guru explains that vegetables are a powerhouse of goodness.
It’s packed with vitamins A, B, C and E – which are essential for keeping your bones, blood and heart in good condition – as well as minerals such as magnesium, calcium, iron and potassium.
With antioxidants, iron and fiber, Buettner believes pumpkin is a delicious and nutritious ingredient to include in your diet.
And if it’s good enough for those in Nicoya…
Beans
Buttner’s third and final suggestion is to add beans to your meals, explaining that the world’s oldest people typically include five different types in their diets.
Black beans are especially popular in Nicoya, as locals like to mix them into a dish called gallo pinto, but there are plenty of other recipes to use them in too.
Considered a superfood, beans are a brilliant source of plant-based protein, fiber, amino acids, antioxidants and minerals.
You can choose whichever one you like, but popular choices include kidney, garbanzo, pinto, cannellini, lima, mung, and navy.
Buettner said this trio of goodness is known by indigenous cultures on the Nicoya Peninsula as the “three sisters.”
“These three foods together can last you a lifetime,” he added.
“You need some vitamin B12, but it contains all the complex carbohydrates and proteins necessary for human sustenance.”
A plate of corn, squash and beans for me, please.